Doma Title Insurance, Inc. v. Avance Title, LLC

CourtDistrict Court, D. Maryland
DecidedJuly 11, 2022
Docket8:22-cv-00056
StatusUnknown

This text of Doma Title Insurance, Inc. v. Avance Title, LLC (Doma Title Insurance, Inc. v. Avance Title, LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Maryland primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Doma Title Insurance, Inc. v. Avance Title, LLC, (D. Md. 2022).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF MARYLAND (SOUTHERN DISTRICT)

DOMA TITLE INSURANCE, INC. *

Plaintiff *

v. * Civil Case No. 8:22-cv-0056-PJM

AVANCE TITLE, LLC, et al. *

Defendants *

MEMORANDUM OPINION This is a case concerning allegations that a contractor to an insurance company failed to comply with all the contractual obligations it owed to the company on whose behalf it acts. Pending before the Court is Plaintiff, Doma Title Insurance, Inc.’s, Motion to Compel Responses to its Interrogatories and Requests for the Production of Documents. ECF No. 20. Although the parties raise concerns regarding multiple Interrogatories and Requests, the disputes between the parties are generally three: 1) whether Defendant Avance Title, LLC, and two of its employees, Defendant Arturo Vasquez, and Defendant Soledad Herrera’s objections to Plaintiff’s Requests for Production and Interrogatories are stated with sufficient particularity; 2) whether Defendants may limit their interrogatory responses and document productions only to those transactions specifically identified in the Complaint and the communications that occurred after the Complaint was filed; and 3) whether Plaintiff’s Requests for Production and Interrogatories are proportional to the needs of the case. Although I agree with Plaintiff that Defendants’ discovery responses are insufficiently particular, given the potentially broad nature of Plaintiff’s requests and the time remaining before fact discovery closes, good cause exists to allow Defendants to supplement their objections. In responding, Defendants should recognize that their current proposed limitations on discovery do not accord with the scope of the case. Once Defendants have stated with particularity any objections they continue to maintain, Plaintiff shall consider narrowing its Requests and Interrogatories in accordance with the directions provided below and any bases stated in Defendants’ amended objections. Defendants shall then produce any documents or provide any

interrogatory responses to the Requests or Interrogatories as amended, if appropriate. Accordingly, for the reasons stated and discussed further below, Plaintiff’s Motion to Compel is GRANTED, in part, and DENIED, in part. BACKGROUND Plaintiff Doma Title Insurance, Inc. (Plaintiff) is a South Carolina-based corporation that provides title insurance in Maryland, among other states. ECF No. 1, at 1; DOMA, Find an Office, https://www.doma.com/find-an-office/. As part of its work, Plaintiff contracted with Defendant Avance Title LLC, a Virginia-based corporation to conduct certain business on its behalf, including the receipt and processing of applications for title insurance. ECF No.1, at 2.

According to the Complaint, Plaintiff and Avance’s business relationship was governed by a written agreement (the “Agreement”) which set out obligations and responsibilities for each party. ECF No. 1, at 2. Among other things, Avance agreed to: 1) receive and process applications for title insurance in a “timely, prudent, and ethical manner[,]” id.; 2) abide by accounting principles Plaintiff requires regarding the collection and distribution of funds, id. at 3; 3) “[c]omply with all bulletins, manuals and other instructions furnished to [Avance] in writing, by facsimile or other electronic transmission by [Doma,] id.;” 4) “obtain and keep in full force” an Errors and Omissions Policy in a “sum of not less than $1,000,000.00, with a deductible of no more than $10,000.00[,] id.” The Agreement also contains other provisions related to the parties’ rights and responsibilities in case of a shortage of funds and Avance’s liability in case it breached its obligations. Id. at 3-4. Plaintiff alleges that during an investigation of Avance, Plaintiff discovered that Avance had failed to comply with all of its contractual obligations. Id. at 5. Specifically, Plaintiff alleges that Avance conducted certain refinance transactions related to properties owned by a third party,

Monster Investments, Inc., during which Avance was allegedly required to provide a separate entity, IFP Fund I, LLC, with first priority deeds of trust related to those properties. Id. However, instead of paying the then-first priority deeds of trust, and recording the deeds as such, Avance allegedly used the funds acquired for other unstated purposes. Id. at 6. Altogether, Plaintiff identifies five specific transactions, relating to eighteen separate properties, that may have been conducted, as such, in violation of the Agreement’s terms. Id. at 5-7. Additionally, Plaintiff alleges that while working for Avance in a fiduciary capacity, Defendants Arturo Vasquez and Soledad Herrera improperly diverted funds from three escrow accounts Avance maintains related to business it conducts for Plaintiff. Id. at 6. Importantly, while the Complaint focuses on these

transactions, it further states: “[u]pon information and belief, Doma expects to receive additional claims arising out of real estate transactions handled by Avance.” Id. The Complaint continues: Following discovery of the escrow shortage, Doma requested that all books and records, including all title policies and commitments of Avance, be made available for inspection by Doma, and further that all funds of Avance be frozen pending the investigation by Doma. In order to protect Doma, its insureds and customers of Avance, it is necessary to have the accounts of Avance frozen pending the investigation by Doma.

Id. at 6-7.

Relying on these allegations, the Complaint advances six separate counts. Under Count I, Plaintiff seeks an action for accounting. As part of such, Plaintiff states that “to adequately determine the scope of the discrepancy above, Avance must be required, both as an equitable matter and in compliance with his obligations set forth in the [A]greement, to submit to an accounting of all income and expenses.” Id. at 7. Count II alleges that Defendants’ actions described above violate the terms of the Agreement previously referenced. Id. at 8. Count III alleges that the actions described above constitute a breach of fiduciary duty Defendants owed

Plaintiff. Id. at 8-9. Counts IV and V, respectively, seek injunctive relief against and indemnification by Defendants, on account of the deficiencies identified above. Id. at 9-12. Finally, Plaintiff alleges that the actions described above constituted illegal conveyances of property in violation of Virginia state law. Id. at 12-13. As part of such, Plaintiff alleges that “Avance engaged in a series of transactions totaling no less than $3,052,000.00.” Id. at 12. On January 10, 2022, Plaintiff filed the Complaint referenced above, including the allegations discussed. ECF No. 1. On February 8, 2022, Defendants answered the Complaint denying several of the allegations therein. ECF No. 14. On February 16, 2022, Plaintiff propounded written discovery requests to Defendants Avance Title, LLC, Arturo Vasquez, and

Soledad Herrera, including a separate set of Interrogatories to each Defendant and one set of Requests for Production of Documents to all Defendants. ECF No. 20-1, at 2. Defendants provided their discovery responses and initial document production to Plaintiff on March 22, 2022. Id. On May 5, 2022, Plaintiff filed a motion to compel responses to the following Requests for Production:  RFP No. 13: Any and all documents containing or concerning communications between you and any of the following persons concerning allegations in the Complaint: a) any party to this case; any employee, representative, or agent of a party to the case; c) any employee, representative, or agent of Monster Investments, Inc.; d) any employee representative, employee, or agent of IFP Fund I, LLC; and e) any third party.  RFP No. 29: Any and all documents concerning the allegations in the Complaint.  RFP No.

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Bluebook (online)
Doma Title Insurance, Inc. v. Avance Title, LLC, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/doma-title-insurance-inc-v-avance-title-llc-mdd-2022.