Christensen v. Pennymac Loan Services, LLC

988 F. Supp. 2d 1036, 2013 WL 6729142, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 178295
CourtDistrict Court, D. Minnesota
DecidedDecember 19, 2013
DocketNo. CIV. 12-2995 (SRN/JSM)
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 988 F. Supp. 2d 1036 (Christensen v. Pennymac Loan Services, LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Minnesota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Christensen v. Pennymac Loan Services, LLC, 988 F. Supp. 2d 1036, 2013 WL 6729142, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 178295 (mnd 2013).

Opinion

ORDER

SUSAN RICHARD NELSON, District Court.

This matter is before the Court on the Report and Recommendation of United States Magistrate Judge Janie S. Mayeron dated December 3, 2013. No objections have been filed to that Report and Recommendation in the time period permitted.

Based on the Report and Recommendations of the Magistrate Judge and upon all of the files, records and proceedings herein, the Court now makes and enters the following Order.

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that:

(1) Defendants’ Amended Motion to Dismiss [Docket No. 5] is GRANTED.

This matter is dismissed with prejudice.

LET JUDGMENT BE ENTERED ACCORDINGLY.

REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION

JANIE S. MAYERON, United States Magistrate Judge.

This matter came before the undersigned on defendants’ Amended Motion to Dismiss [Docket No. 5], This matter has been referred to the undersigned Magistrate Judge for a Report and Recommendation by the District Court pursuant to 28 [1039]*1039U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(A), (B) and Local Rule 72.1(c). Pursuant to this Court’s Order dated August 9, 2013 [Docket No. 11] this Report and Recommendation is being issued based on the parties’ written submissions.

Plaintiff seeks to invalidate the foreclosure of the mortgage on his home, and to enjoin the redemption period while his suit is pending. Plaintiff asserts three claims against defendants: (1) negligent misrepresentation; (2) promissory estoppel; and (3) a violation of the Minnesota Residential Mortgage Originator and Servicer Licensing Act, Minn.Stat. § 58.13. For the reasons below, the Court recommends that defendants’ Motion to Dismiss be granted and plaintiffs claims be dismissed with prejudice.1

I. BACKGROUND

A. Plaintiff’s Complaint

On October 23, 2012, plaintiff, who is pro se, sued PennyMac Loan Services, LLC (“PennyMac”) and Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. (“MERS”) (collectively “defendants”) in state court. Notice of Removal, Ex. B (Complaint) [Docket No. 1-1]. Defendants removed the suit to Federal District Court on November 28, 2012, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1332(a). Notice of Removal, p. 2 [Docket No. 1].

The facts as alleged in plaintiffs Complaint are as follows. Plaintiff entered into a residential mortgage and note with PennyMac on August 24, 2007, the successor in interest of the loan by CitiMortgage, for property located in Worthington, Minnesota. Complaint, ¶¶ 5, 8.2 Plaintiffs monthly mortgage payment was $932.41. Id., ¶ 7. In July, 2009, plaintiff applied for a loan modification with CitiMortgage. Id., ¶ 9. Plaintiff alleged that CitiMortgage advised him to stop making his mortgage payments and allow the loan to go into default while the loan modification was being processed. Id., ¶ 10. Neither CitiMortgage [1040]*1040nor PennyMac informed plaintiff that his mortgage was being serviced by Penny-Mac, not CitiMortgage. Id., ¶ 12. Until PennyMac’s counsel told plaintiff that PennyMac was beginning foreclosure proceedings, plaintiff had not been notified that his mortgage payments were late. Id., ¶ 13. Plaintiff contacted PennyMac’s counsel, advising counsel that a loan modification was in process, or that he did not know the status of his requested loan modification to CitiMortgage. Id., ¶ 14. Plaintiff also contacted PennyMac and he was offered the chance to submit another loan modification. Id., ¶ 15. Plaintiff was also advised that he qualified for a loan modification under the Making Homes Affordable Act and that he could not make payments on his loan. Id. Plaintiff submitted documentation to support a modification on May 25, 2012, and on June 14, 2012, he received notice that the loan modification was in process. Id., ¶¶ 15,16.

On July 9, 2012, plaintiff was notified that the loan modification was denied. Id. On August 17, 2012, PennyMac invited plaintiff to apply for a loan modification and plaintiff submitted the required documentation. Id, ¶ 17. On August 28, 2012, PennyMac denied plaintiffs application for a loan modification — ostensibly because plaintiff was in default. Id, ¶ 17. On September 21, 2012, plaintiff was notified that the property would be sold at a foreclosure sale.3 Id, ¶ 18.

Plaintiff alleged the following causes of action:

Count I sought a permanent and temporary injunction to toll and extend the redemption period4 pending a decision on the merits of the Complaint. Id, ¶¶ 20-22.

Count II alleged negligent misrepresentation against defendants, contending that they communicated false and misleading information to plaintiff and that in reliance on this false information, plaintiff stopped making his mortgage payments and believed that he had received a loan modification. ¶¶ 24-27.

Count III alleged promissory estoppel based on defendants’ representation that plaintiff had been approved for a loan modification and their instruction to plaintiff to stop making his mortgage payments, plaintiff relied on their promises and ceased making payments, while continuing to make efforts to comply with their requests for documentation. Id, ¶¶ 29-33.

Count IV alleged that defendants made a false, deceptive or misleading statement in connection with a residential mortgage in violation of the Minnesota Residential Mortgage Originator and Servicer Licensing Act, Minn.Stat. § 58.13.

As relief, plaintiff sought money damages and equitable relief. Id, Prayer for Relief.

B. Defendants’Motion to Dismiss

In lieu of answering, defendants moved to dismiss the Complaint pursuant to Fed. R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6). [Docket No. 5]. Defendants contended that the promissory estoppel count was barred by the Minnesota Credit Agreements (“MCA”) statute, MinmStat. § 513.33. Defendants’ Memorandum of Law in Support of Motion to Dismiss (“Def. Mem.”), pp. 6-9 [Docket No. 7]. Pursuant to this statute, credit agreements must be “in writing, expressing consideration, setting forth the relevant terms and conditions, and [be] signed by the creditor and debtor.” Thus, to the [1041]*1041extent that plaintiff alleged that CitiMortgage or PennyMac entered into an oral loan modification, the MCA statute required the agreement to be in writing, and no such writing existed here. Id., p. 7. Further, defendants argued that it is well-established that an alleged oral modification to a mortgage cannot be enforced through a promissory estoppel claim. Id. (citing Gould v. Citi Mortgage, Inc., Civ. No. 11-1982 (DWF/JSM), 2012 WL 1005035, at *2 (D.Minn. Mar. 26, 2012) (MCA statute barred promissory estoppel claim for alleged oral promise to modify a loan); Myrlie v. Countrywide Bank, 775 F.Supp.2d 1100, 1109 (D.Minn.2011) (MCA statute bars promissory estoppel claim for alleged oral promise to modify a loan); Olivares v. PNC Bank, N.A., Civ. No. 11-1626 (ADM/JJK), 2011 WL 4860167, at *5 (D.Minn. Oct.

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988 F. Supp. 2d 1036, 2013 WL 6729142, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 178295, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/christensen-v-pennymac-loan-services-llc-mnd-2013.