Floyd v. Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Co.

848 F. Supp. 2d 635, 2012 WL 274212, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10954
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Louisiana
DecidedJanuary 31, 2012
DocketCivil Action No. 11-2713
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 848 F. Supp. 2d 635 (Floyd v. Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Floyd v. Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Co., 848 F. Supp. 2d 635, 2012 WL 274212, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10954 (E.D. La. 2012).

Opinion

ORDER AND REASONS

CARL J. BARBIER, District Judge.

Before the Court are Defendant Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Co.’s (‘Wells Fargo”) Motion to Dismiss (Rec. Doc. 15), Plaintiffs Marion and Cheryl Floyd’s opposition to same (Rec. Doc. 17), Wells Fargo’s Reply (Rec. Doc. 23), the Floyds’ Surreply (Rec. Doc. 26), and Wells Fargo’s Opposition to the Floyds’ Sur-reply (Rec. Doc. 27). Having considered the motion and legal memoranda, the record, and the applicable law, the Court finds that Wells Fargo’s Motion to Dismiss (Rec. Doc. 15) should be GRANTED IN PART and DENIED IN PART.

PROCEDURAL HISTORY AND BACKGROUND FACTS

This lawsuit presents various contract and tort claims for alleged improper accounting practices that allegedly have resulted in financial harm to the plaintiffs in the form of high interest rates, unfavorable credit reporting, high monthly mortgage payments, and related financial injury. Plaintiffs Mr. and Mrs. Floyd allege that their bank, Defendant Wells Fargo, erred in its accounting for two separate transactions. The Floyds allege that based on these two transactions, Wells Fargo has increased their monthly mortgage note, has sent collection notices, and has harassed them through its collection procedures. The instant case was filed on October 31, 2011, but Plaintiffs back in 2007 filed a lawsuit (the “2007 Action”) that in its factual allegations appears nearly identical to the instant one. The glaring difference in the complaints filed in 2007 and in 2011 is that the former contains— and the latter does not contain — claims under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the Louisiana Unfair Trade Practices Act. See Rec. Doc. 1-1, at 6-7 (attachment of 2007 complaint as exhibit to filing of 2011 complaint). Without giving any written reasons and after hearing oral argument on a motion to dismiss, Judge Porteous dismissed the 2007 Action with prejudice as to federal claims but without prejudice as to state law claims. Civil Action No. 07-2917, Rec. Doc. 38.

The complaint in the instant lawsuit alleges the following facts. Plaintiffs mistakenly made two mortgage payments instead of one on November 15, 2006. Upon discovering the double payment, Mr. Floyd notified Defendant’s Customer Service Department, who advised that a refund of one [638]*638of the payments would be made within five days. The refund did not appear, so Mr. Floyd called Defendant, who advised that the funds had been credited to Plaintiffs’ account. When Mr. Floyd asked which account, Defendant’s representative repeated an account number that did not match Plaintiffs’ account number. The representative stated that he would research the issue and take the steps necessary to correct the problem. By the end of November, Plaintiffs’ account still had not been credited for the mistaken double payment. Mr. Floyd called to ask Defendant’s Customer Service Department whether the overpayment could be applied to the December 2006 payment obligation. The representative responded negatively. Eventually, Plaintiffs received reimbursement on December 15, 2006 through a credit to their account. Plaintiffs continued to make regular monthly payments.

In February 2007, Defendant’s Collection Department called the Floyds, seeking reimbursement for the alleged payment made to Plaintiffs in November 2006, though Plaintiffs repeatedly told Defendant that their checking account never reflected the alleged reimbursement for the duplicate mortgage payment. These events constitute the first transaction (“Transaction One”). Thus, stated directly and by implication, Transaction One entails factual allegations that (1) Plaintiffs mistakenly made a double payment, (2) Defendant apparently credited the wrong account in attempting to reimburse Plaintiffs for their double payment, (3) Defendant then correctly credited Plaintiffs’ account, and (4) Defendant mistakenly sought to collect from Plaintiffs the payment that it actually made to the wrong account. The second alleged transaction (“Transaction Two”) is that in February 2007, Defendant’s Collection Department called to inform Plaintiffs that their January 2007 payment was never honored by the drawee bank.

The complaint alleges that subsequent to Transactions One and Two, a series of events transpired that caused Plaintiffs the injuries sued upon. It alleges that continuing from January 2007, Defendant sought reimbursement for the extra credit it believed that it made in Transaction One and reimbursement for the alleged dishonored check that is the subject of Transaction Two. Plaintiffs allege that Defendant’s Collection Department made numerous threatening phone calls to attempt to collect the reimbursements, as early as 8:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday. They state that Defendant forwarded collection notices — essentially stating that their account was placed into arrears. They aver that they called Defendant’s Customer Service Department and spoke to numerous representatives to seek relief from the non-stop telephone calls. Plaintiffs claim that no one ever corrected the problem. They allege a “continuing violation”:

19. To date, Defendants conduct has not halted. Plaintiffs continue to suffer due to the fact that Defendant will not correct its error. This continuing violation occurs as Plaintiffs suffer economic loss when they have to pay higher payments each month since Defendant’s error.
20. Then, Plaintiffs suffer when Defendant continues to report negative payment history which hinders Plaintiffs’ ability to refinance their existing mortgage at a lower rate.
21. Plaintiffs continue to suffer when they are stuck in a mortgage rate which is more than two times higher than the current existing rates.

Rec. Doc. 1, at 4. The complaint brings causes of action in tort, for breach of contract, for defamation, for intentional inflic[639]*639tion of emotional distress, and for declaratory and injunctive relief. Wells Fargo filed the instant motion to dismiss on December 29, 2011.

THE PARTIES’ ARGUMENTS

Wells Fargo argues that the Floyds’ tort claims, claim for nonpecuniary contract damages, and claims for injunctive and declaratory relief should be dismissed. First, it argues that the tort claims are facially prescribed. Prescription would have begun to accrue from the date the two transactions were allegedly mishandled, which was no later than February 2007. While prescription was interrupted by the commencement of the 2007 Action, it commenced anew upon dismissal of said action on September 5, 2007. See Civil. Action No. 07-2917, Rec. Doc. 38 (September 5, 2007 order dismissing case). Thus, Defendant argues that any tort claims were prescribed no later than September 5, 2008. Further, it argues that Plaintiffs’ argument concerning the “continuing tort” exception to prescription is unavailing. Namely, Plaintiffs’ allegation that they continue to suffer injury and Defendant continues to report negative payment history to credit reporting agencies does not invoke the exception because only continual acts — not continuing injury — delay the accrual of prescription. Additionally, Defendant argues that the fact that its alleged conduct “has not halted” because it “will not correct its error” is insufficient as a matter of law to invoke the continuing tort exception. Rec. Doc. 15-1, at 7.

Second, Defendant argues that Plaintiffs have not pled a plausible and legally valid tort claim. It argues that the defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress (“IIED”) claims fail.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
848 F. Supp. 2d 635, 2012 WL 274212, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10954, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/floyd-v-wells-fargo-home-mortgage-co-laed-2012.