Doll v. Chicago Title Insurance

517 F. Supp. 2d 1273, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 76854, 2007 WL 2990766
CourtDistrict Court, D. Kansas
DecidedOctober 15, 2007
Docket06-2416-JWL
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 517 F. Supp. 2d 1273 (Doll v. Chicago Title Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Doll v. Chicago Title Insurance, 517 F. Supp. 2d 1273, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 76854, 2007 WL 2990766 (D. Kan. 2007).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

JOHN W. LUNGSTRUM, District Judge.

In this diversity action, plaintiffs James and Aimee Doll, on behalf of themselves and numerous potential class members, have brought contract and tort claims against defendant Chicago Title Insurance Company (Chicago Title). Plaintiffs’ claims are based on their allegation that Chicago Title, in acting as plaintiffs’ closing agent in a real estate refinancing, collected and retained an amount for recording fees in excess of the actual fees paid by Chicago Title for recording plaintiffs’ mortgage and release. Plaintiffs’ motion for class certification is presently pending.

This matter presently comes before the Court on Chicago Title’s motion for summary judgment (Doc. # 77). Chicago Title argues that plaintiffs’ tort claims are barred by the applicable statutes of limitations, and that plaintiffs’ recovery of damages is precluded by setoff relating to the amount Chicago Title undercharged plaintiffs for recording fees on a separate closing. For the reasons set forth below, the motion is granted in part and denied in part. The Court agrees that plaintiffs’ claims for unjust enrichment and money had and received are time-barred, and summary judgment is granted on those claims. The motion for summary judgment is denied in all other respects.

I. Facts 1

Since 1991, plaintiffs have owned and resided at a house in Westwood, Johnson County, Kansas. When plaintiffs refinanced their mortgage in 2002, Chicago Title acted as the settlement agent, with the closing occurring on January 24, 2002. The HUD-1 settlement statement prepared by Chicago Title for the closing indicated recording fees of $35.00 for the mortgage and $10.00 for the release, and those amounts were paid by plaintiffs to Chicago Title. Plaintiffs retained copies of the mortgage and release that were to be recorded. Plaintiffs knew that these documents would be recorded and therefore would be publicly available.

In fact, Chicago Title paid $34.00 in fees to the Johnson County Register of Deeds to record the mortgage and $5.00 to record the release, amounts consistent with the statutory recording fees in effect at that time. The fee amounts paid were handwritten on the face of the respective documents when recorded by the register of deeds. Chicago Title did not return to *1275 plaintiffs the excess amounts collected for recording fees.

In March 2003, Chicago Title acted as settlement agent for plaintiffs when they refinanced their mortgage yet again. In that instance, Chicago Title charged plaintiffs $40.00 for recording fees, although Chicago Title eventually paid $64.00 in fees to record the relevant documents.

Plaintiffs filed the instant action on September 28, 2006. Plaintiffs have brought claims against Chicago Title for fraud, unjust enrichment, breach of fiduciary duty, conversion, breach of contract, and money had and received. Plaintiffs also seek to certify this action as a class action on behalf of persons in various states from whom Chicago Title collected amounts for recording fees in excess of the fees it actually paid. Plaintiffs’ motion for class certification is presently pending.

II. Summary Judgment Standards

Summary judgment is appropriate if the moving party demonstrates that there is “no genuine issue as to any material fact” and that it is “entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c). In applying this standard, the Court views the evidence and all reasonable inferences therefrom in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party. Burke v. Utah Transit Auth. & Local 382, 462 F.3d 1253, 1258 (10th Cir.2006). An issue of fact is “genuine” if “the evidence allows a reasonable jury to resolve the issue either way.” Haynes v. Level 3 Communications, LLC, 456 F.3d 1215, 1219 (10th Cir.2006). A fact is “material” when “it is essential to the proper disposition of the claim.” Id.

The moving party bears the initial burden of demonstrating an absence of a genuine issue of material fact and entitlement to judgment as a matter of law. Thom v. Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., 353 F.3d 848, 851 (10th Cir.2003) (citing Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322-23, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986)). In attempting to meet that standard, a movant that does not bear the ultimate burden of persuasion at trial need not negate the other party’s claim; rather, the movant need simply point out to the court a lack of evidence for the other party on an essential element of that party’s claim. Id. (citing Celotex, 477 U.S. at 325, 106 S.Ct. 2548).

If the movant carries this initial burden, the nonmovant may not simply rest upon his or her pleadings but must “bring forward specific facts showing a genuine issue for trial as to those dispositive matters for which he or she carries the burden of proof.” Garrison v. Gambro, Inc., 428 F.3d 933, 935 (10th Cir.2005). To accomplish this, sufficient evidence pertinent to the material issue “must be identified by reference to an affidavit, a deposition transcript, or a specific exhibit incorporated therein.” Diaz v. Paul J. Kennedy Law Firm, 289 F.3d 671, 675 (10th Cir.2002).

Finally, the Court notes that summary judgment is not a “disfavored procedural shortcut;” rather, it is an important procedure “designed to secure the just, speedy and inexpensive determination of every action.” Celotex, 477 U.S. at 327, 106 S.Ct. 2548 (quoting Fed.R.Civ.P. 1).

III. Statute of Limitations Defense

A. Fraud Claim

Chicago Title seeks summary judgment on plaintiffs’ fraud claim, arguing that the claim is barred by the applicable Kansas two-year statute of limitations, Kan. Stat. Ann. § 60-513(a)(3). 2 The limi *1276 tations statute provides, however, that such a cause of action “shall not be deemed to have accrued until the fraud is discovered.” Id. The Kansas Supreme Court has interpreted “discovery of the fraud” as follows:

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Bluebook (online)
517 F. Supp. 2d 1273, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 76854, 2007 WL 2990766, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/doll-v-chicago-title-insurance-ksd-2007.