Friedman v. Maspeth Federal Loan & Savings Ass'n

30 F. Supp. 3d 183, 2014 WL 3473407, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 96226
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. New York
DecidedJuly 14, 2014
DocketNo. 13-CV-6295
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 30 F. Supp. 3d 183 (Friedman v. Maspeth Federal Loan & Savings Ass'n) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Friedman v. Maspeth Federal Loan & Savings Ass'n, 30 F. Supp. 3d 183, 2014 WL 3473407, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 96226 (E.D.N.Y. 2014).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM, ORDER, & JUDGMENT

JACK B. WEINSTEIN, Senior District Judge.

Table of Contents

I. Introduction.187

II.Facts.'.187

A. Background.187

B. Late Fees.187

C. Correspondence Regarding Late Fees.188

D. Loan Payments.188

III. Law.188
A. Motion to Dismiss.188
B. Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA).189
1. Statutory Framework.189
2. Business and Commercial Purpose Exemption .190

a) In General.190

b) Rental Property.190

c) Non-Owner Occupied Property Used for Family Purpose.191

3. Penalties.191
C. New York State Law. 191
1. New York General Business Law § 349 ..’.191
2. Breach of Implied Duty of Good Faith and Fair Dealing.192
3. Breach of Contract.192
4. Unjust Enrichment.192
IV. Application of Law to Facts .192
A. RESPA. 192
1. Family Purpose.192

a) Relevant Factors.192

[187]*187b) Non-rental Property.’.193

2. Qualified Written Requests..■.194
B. State Law.194
1. Supplemental Jurisdiction.194
2. New York General Business Law § 349 .194

. 3. Breach of Implied Duty of Good Faith and Fair Dealing.195

4. Breach of Contract..■.195

5. Unjust Enrichment. 195

C. Class Allegations.196
V. Conclusion.196
I. Introduction

This case raises issues of first impression on the reach of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (“RESPA”), 12 U.S.C. § 2601, et seq. The Act was designed to throw the federal judiciary’s protective cloak over residential-occupant owners of real property and their kin to protect against abuse by banks during loan closings and subsequent related events. The Act should be broadly applied to accomplish its prophylactic purposes by exercising federal subject matter jurisdiction.

Plaintiff Samuel Friedman alleges that Maspeth Federal Savings and Loan Association (“Maspeth”) improperly assessed late fees on seven mortgage payments. He sues for (1) violation of RESPA; (2) violation of New York General Business Law § 349; (3) breach of implied duty of good faith and fair dealing; (4) breach of contract; and (5) unjust enrichment. Am. Compl., ECF No. 17. A class action is proposed. Id. at ¶¶ 26-35.

Defendant’s motion to dismiss is denied.

II. Facts
A. Background

Plaintiff resides at 730 East 3rd Street, Brooklyn, NY 11218. Am. Compl. ¶2. In 2008, he bought an adjacent single-family home, 734 East 3rd Street (“734”). Id.

The price was $625,000. Def.’s Mot. to Dismiss, Loan Application, Ex. D, ECF No. 21. To finance this purchase, he obtained a $437,500 mortgage loan. Id.; Am. Compl., Bond, Ex. A ¶ 4. His daughter and son-in-law (“children”) live there with their offspring. They have been the only occupants since the purchase.

Applicants for the mortgage were asked to check whether the property would be a “primary residence”, “secondary residence”, or “investment”. See Def.’s Mot. to Dismiss, Ex. D. Selected by plaintiff was “investment”. Id.

The children as well as plaintiff made payments toward the mortgage. From 2009 to 2013, plaintiffs payments totaled $80,229.62. Def.’s Reply Mem. of Law in Further Supp. of Def.’s Mot. to Dismiss 4, ECF No. 27. Payments from the children totaled $103,756.71. Id. In addition, plaintiff gave his children money “to cover the family’s living expenses, including housing.” PL’s Sur-Reply, Attach. 1, Deck of Samuel Friedman ¶ 6, ECF No. 29.

B. Late Fees

Payments on the loan were due on the first of each month. Am. Compl. ¶ 8. A grace period of fifteen days was allowed before a late fee could be assessed. Id., at ¶¶ 8-9. The mortgage loan payment book provided by the bank emphasizes: “To avoid a, late charge, payment must be RECEIVED by 8:00 P.M [sic] on the 16th of each month.” See Am. Compl., Payment Book, Ex. B (emphasis in the original).

Alleged is that Maspeth improperly assessed seven late fees for payments that [188]*188were due on: (1) March 1, 2011; (2) December 1, 2011; (3) March 1, 2012; (4) May 1, 2012; (5) August 1, 2012; (6) October 1, 2012; and (7) July 1, 2013. Am. Compl. ¶¶ 15-17, 20, 23; Pl.’s Documentation of Late Fees, ECF No. 18. Based on mail receipts now submitted by plaintiff— but not furnished to the bank before this suit was brought — payments should have been received by defendant prior to 8:00 P.M. on the sixteenth day of some of those months. Id. By January 2014, when the loan had been paid in full, plaintiff had accumulated, according to the bank, $457.83 in late fees. See PL’s Documentation of Late Fees.

C. Correspondence Regarding Late Fees

On March 28, 2012, plaintiff mailed defendant a letter inquiring about these late charges. See Am. Compl., Ex E. Under RESPA, this letter constituted a qualified written request (QWR), obligating defendant to respond. See 12 C.F.R. § 1024.35. In the QWR, plaintiff requested a statement showing the payments he had submitted and the dates on which they had been received. See Am. Compl., Ex E. Defendant responded by mail on April 3, 2012, informing plaintiff that Maspeth had conducted an investigation and was enclosing his payment history. In handwriting on the payment history sheet, defendant indicated when late charges were assessed and the amount. Id. at Ex. F.

By letter dated October 31, 2012, plaintiff then notified defendant that he had mail receipts proving that the payments were timely received. See Am. Compl., Ex. H. He requested: “(i) all late fees be reversed and (ii) the payment history be corrected to reflect that the payments were not received late by your office.” Id.

On November 20, 2012, the bank responded: “It clearly states in our client’s mortgage coupon book that the mailing of payments before the 16th of the month is not determinative if the Bank does not receive it within the grace period.” Id. at Ex. I. It went on to list when, according to Maspeth’s records, late payments had been received. Id.

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Bluebook (online)
30 F. Supp. 3d 183, 2014 WL 3473407, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 96226, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/friedman-v-maspeth-federal-loan-savings-assn-nyed-2014.