Frost v. Household Realty Corp.

61 F. Supp. 3d 740, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 32397, 2004 WL 7093918
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Ohio
DecidedNovember 10, 2004
DocketCase. No. C2-04-347
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 61 F. Supp. 3d 740 (Frost v. Household Realty Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Frost v. Household Realty Corp., 61 F. Supp. 3d 740, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 32397, 2004 WL 7093918 (S.D. Ohio 2004).

Opinion

OPINION & ORDER

GREGORY L. FROST, District Judge.

This matter is before the Court for consideration -of a Motion to Dismiss (Doc. # 6) filed by Defendants Household Realty Corporation ■ and Household Finance (“Household”) pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6). Plaintiffs Michael L. Frost and Tina M. Campana (“Plaintiffs”) filed a Memorandum in Opposition (Doc. # 11), to which Household filed a Reply (Doe. # 19). However, the Court notified the parties of its intent to treat Household’s Motion to Dismiss as a Motion for Summary Judgment on September 24, 2004. (Doc. # 21). Neither party elected to modify its previous pleadings. For the following reasons, the Court finds Household’s Motion for Summary Judgment well-taken and therefore dismisses Plaintiffs’ claims against Household with prejudice.

I. Background

Plaintiffs are two individuals who reside in Ohio. (Pis.’ Compl. ¶ 1). Defendants Household Realty Corporation and Household Finance are Delaware corporations licensed to conduct business in Ohio. Id. at ¶ 2. Household is a mortgage company offering mortgage refinance, home equity and express equity loans.

Plaintiffs bought a home in Worthington. Id. at ¶ 3. Subsequently, they visited Household’s office in Columbus, Ohio to discuss the possibility . of consolidating their debts into a home equity loan to reduce their monthly payments. Id. at ¶ 5. At the time of their visit, Plaintiffs had a thirty (30) year mortgage with another lender with an 8.25% payback and monthly payments of $685.00. Plaintiffs owed approximately $65,000 on that mortgage. Id. Household employee David Corey (“Corey”) advised Plaintiffs that they should refinance their current mortgage and replace it with a Household first mortgage that would'include a pay-off of their other debts. Id. at ¶¶ 6, 25. Corey further advised Plaintiffs that the interest rate under the Household mortgage would be 7.64% per annum if they made bi-weekly payments. Id. at ¶ 7.

Plaintiffs re-financed their mortgage with Household on July 27, 1999. Id. at ¶ 8, 32. However, once the paperwork was complete, the actual interest rate was 13.707% per annum. Id. Additionally, Plaintiffs claim that the paperwork incorrectly indicated that they received $6,910.12 after the three-day right of rescission expired. Id. at ¶ 9. Plaintiffs claim that Household retained that amount as mortgage broker fees and/or points on the loan. Id.

Subsequently, Plaintiffs fell behind in their mortgage payments by one month. Id. at ¶ 12. Then, in November 2002, Plaintiffs received a flyer in the mail from Household indicating that they had been pre-approved for a lower interest rate and a lower monthly payment. Id. at ¶ 12. Plaintiffs contacted Household employee Farooq Wirk (“Wirk”) at Household’s Dublin, Ohio office to discuss the flyer. Id. at ¶ 14. Wirk told Plaintiffs he could re-write their loan, and he also advised Plaintiffs to discontinue making payments [742]*742on their current Household mortgage even though Household was sending Plaintiffs letters threatening foreclosure. Id. at ¶ 14. By January 2003, the second loan had not been completed, so Plaintiffs disregarded Wirk’s advice and made one-and-a-half payments to bring their Household mortgage current. Id. at ¶ 15. In February 2003, Wirk advised Plaintiffs that he would not be able to re-finance their loan with better terms. Id. at ¶ 16.

Plaintiffs filed this suit in state court on March 22, 2004. (Pis’. Compl.). Household was served with the Complaint on April 7, 2004 and removed it to this Court on April 30, 2004. (Doc. # 1). Essentially, Plaintiffs assert that Household arranged for Plaintiffs to get a higher interest rate than originally quoted in order for Household to be able to retain a kickback in the amount of $6,910.12. (Pis’. Compl. ¶ 9). This higher interest rate, of course, increased Plaintiffs’ settlement costs. Id. at ¶¶ 33, 35, 36. Specifically, Plaintiffs allege that Household violated the: Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (“RESPA”), 12 U.S.C. § 2601 et seq.; Home Owner Equity Protection Act (“HOEPA”), 15 U.S.C. § 1639; Consumer Credit Protection Act (“CCPA”), 15 U.S.C.S. § 1601 et seq.; Ohio Consumer Sales Practices Act (“OSCPA”), Ohio Revised Code § 1345.01 et seq.; and the Ohio Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Art (“ORICO”), Ohio Revised Code § 2923.31 et seq. Id. at ¶¶ 18-80. Plaintiffs further allege that Household: (1) committed fraud in the inducement by telling Plaintiffs they would get a lower loan rate than they got; (2) negligently misrepresented the loan rate Plaintiffs would receive; (3) caused Plaintiffs emotional distress; and (4) engaged in a civil conspiracy. Id. Household filed an answer to Plaintiffs’ Complaint on October 8, 2004. (Doc. #22).

At the time Plaintiffs filed their com-pláint, a class action lawsuit certified under Fed.R.Civ.P. 23(b)(3) and involving Household as a defendant was ongoing in the Northern District of California.1 The original lawsuit was filed on February 2, 2002, with which later cases were consolidated. (Defs.’ Mem. Supp. Dismiss at 3). The case settled in December 2003, at which'time the court issued a preliminary order approving the settlement. The preliminary order, among other things, certified the settlement class as follows:

Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(b)(3), the Court preliminarily certifies, solely for purposes of effectuating this Settlement, a “Settlement Class” defined as:
All current and former borrowers of Household Finance Corporation, Beneficial Corporation, Household Insurance Group and Household Realty Corporation (“HFC/Beneficial”) (and of any subsidiary or parent, whether direct or indirect, of HFC/Beneficial) who:
(a) On or after January 1, 1999 and on or before December 24, 2003, entered into a real estate secured loan originated or processed at a United States retail consumer lending branch of HFC/Beneficial or of any subsidiary or parent, whether direct or indirect; or
(b) On or after January 1, 1998, but before January 1, 1999, entered into a real estate secured loan originated or processed at a United States retail consumer lending branch of HFC/Beneficial or any subsidiary or parent, whether direct or indirect, of [743]*743HFC/Benefícial in California, Massachusetts, Washington, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Minnesota, Maine, or Michigan.

(Defs.’ Reply Ex. A, Second Revised Preliminary Approval Order ¶ 2).

Plaintiffs are former borrowers of Household Finance Corporation who entered into a real estate secured loan processed at Household Finance Corporation’s Columbus, Ohio consumer lending branch on July 27, 1999. Therefore, Plaintiffs fall within the class as certified above.

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Bluebook (online)
61 F. Supp. 3d 740, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 32397, 2004 WL 7093918, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/frost-v-household-realty-corp-ohsd-2004.