Bordoni v. Chase Home Fin. LLC

374 F. Supp. 3d 378
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedApril 10, 2019
DocketCIVIL ACTION NO. 18-3937
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 374 F. Supp. 3d 378 (Bordoni v. Chase Home Fin. LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bordoni v. Chase Home Fin. LLC, 374 F. Supp. 3d 378 (E.D. Pa. 2019).

Opinion

GERALD J. PAPPERT, J.

After his wife Bernadette died intestate in 2010, Michael Bordoni became the sole owner of the couple's home at 1110 Moore Street in Philadelphia. For years following his wife's passing, Michael made his monthly mortgage payments. Eventually, after becoming frustrated with his inability to receive information and an explanation from Chase Home Finance regarding the terms of his indebtedness, Michael sued Chase in 2018 and asserted six claims under: the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA); the Truth-In-Lending Act (TILA); the Declaratory Judgment Act; the Pennsylvania Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law (UTPCPL) and Pennsylvania state law for an accounting and restitution, breach of contract and unjust enrichment. Chase filed a Motion to Dismiss Michael's Complaint for failure to state a claim. The Court grants in part and denies in part Chase's Motion for the reasons that follow.

I

On November 30, 2004, the Bordonis purchased the property at 1110 Moore Street as tenants by the entireties.

*382( Compl. ¶ 5 & Ex. A., ECF No. 1.) Michael did not qualify for a mortgage, but Chase approved Bernadette's application. (Id. at ¶ 8.) Bernadette subsequently signed a Truth-In-Lending Disclosure Statement which provided the annual percentage rate, finance charge, amount financed and total payments for the loan. (Id. at ¶¶ 7-9.) Although Michael alleges he never received a TILA packet, (id. at ¶ 14), he signed the mortgage and the Adjustable Rate Rider bears his initials, (id. at ¶ 13 & Ex. D). Michael asserts that Chase sent monthly statements to and communicated with Bernadette only. (Id. at ¶ 16.)

The mortgage fell into arrears on January 1, 2008. (Id. at ¶ 17.) Chase initiated a foreclosure action seven months later in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas. (Id. ) That December, Chase offered Bernadette a Forbearance Plan Agreement, which she accepted. (Id. at ¶ 19.) "As a precondition for qualifying for the loan," Bernadette made a down payment of $ 9,000 and then tendered six monthly average payments of $ 1,292 from February through July of 2009. (Id. ) Bernadette's payments pursuant to the Forbearance Plan Agreement did not bring the loan current. See (id. at ¶ 21). On July 2, 2009, Chase informed Bernadette that her adjustable interest rate was 6.5%, her monthly principal and interest payment was reduced to $ 1,612.64 and the outstanding balance on the mortgage was $ 240,714.78. See (id. at ¶ 21). The following month, Chase told Bernadette that in order to qualify for a Loan Modification, she had to enter into a trial program that required her to make payments from August through December of 2009. (Id. at Ex. I.) On January 2, 2010, Chase advised Bernadette that her adjustable interest rate was 5.75%, her monthly principal and interest payment was reduced to $ 1,502.54 and the outstanding balance on the mortgage was $ 238,036.91. See (id. at ¶ 23). A few weeks later, on January 18, Chase approved Bernadette for the Loan Modification, which allowed her to avoid foreclosure. (Id. at ¶ 24.) Now, Bernadette's fixed interest rate was 7.5%, her monthly payments were $ 2,138.36 and the term of the loan was an additional forty years. (Id. at ¶ 25.)

Bernadette died intestate on June 16, 2010. See (id. at ¶ 27 & Ex. B). Since Chase purportedly had not included Michael in its communications regarding the Loan Modification, Michael "sought an explanation" from Chase on how Bernadette's payments had been applied to the mortgage's overall balance. See (id. at ¶ 28-31). Michael alleges that he tried to speak with Chase but it "would speak only with an executor of [Bernadette's] estate." (Id. at ¶¶ 32-33.) Michael was afraid "to defend another mortgage foreclosure action" so he "continued to make timely monthly payments on the mortgage." (Id. at ¶ 36.)

Because "Bernadette died without assets of her own [and Michael] did not wish to go [through] the unnecessary expense of raising an estate," Michael did not take out letters of administration on Bernadette's estate until July 23, 2018. (Id. at ¶ 34 & Ex. M.) On August 21, 2018, Chase provided Michael with the mortgage documents, which Michael alleges contain his fraudulently added signature. (Id. at ¶ 43.) Michael subsequently filed his Complaint on September 12, 2018. (Compl., ECF No. 1.) Chase now moves to Dismiss the Complaint for failure to state a claim. ( Mot. Dismiss, ECF No. 9.)1

*383II

To survive dismissal under Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the complaint "must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to 'state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.' " Ashcroft v. Iqbal , 556 U.S. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009) (quoting Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly , 550 U.S. 544, 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007) ). A claim is facially plausible when the facts pled "allow[ ] the court to draw the reasonable inference that [a] defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged." Iqbal , 556 U.S. at 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937. "[W]here the well-pleaded facts do not permit the court to infer more than the mere possibility of misconduct, the complaint has alleged-but it has not 'show[n]'-'that the pleader is entitled to relief.' " Id. at 679, 129 S.Ct. 1937 (quoting Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2) ).

Twombly and Iqbal require the Court to take three steps to determine whether a complaint will survive a motion to dismiss. See Connelly v. Lane Const. Corp. ,

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Bluebook (online)
374 F. Supp. 3d 378, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bordoni-v-chase-home-fin-llc-paed-2019.