Galloway v. Long Beach Mortgage Co. (In Re Galloway)

220 B.R. 236, 1998 Bankr. LEXIS 499, 1998 WL 201437
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedApril 14, 1998
Docket19-10261
StatusPublished
Cited by25 cases

This text of 220 B.R. 236 (Galloway v. Long Beach Mortgage Co. (In Re Galloway)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Galloway v. Long Beach Mortgage Co. (In Re Galloway), 220 B.R. 236, 1998 Bankr. LEXIS 499, 1998 WL 201437 (Pa. 1998).

Opinion

OPINION

DIANE WEISS SIGMUND, Bankruptcy Judge.

At issue in this adversary proceeding is a complaint filed by Joanne Galloway (the “Debtor”) against Long Beach Mortgage Company (“Long Beach”) objecting to the latter’s proof of claim. The Debtor’s complaint contains three counts: Count I (Incorrect Cure Amount) avers that the Debtor’s *238 arrears were improperly calculated and that the foreclosure fees and costs claimed by Long Beach are unreasonable and not recoverable under the mortgage contract and applicable bankruptcy and non-bankruptcy law; Count II (Truth-in-Lending Act) avers that Long Beach violated the Truth-In-Lending Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1638 (“TILA”), by failing to provide the Debtor with an itemization of the amount financed; and Count III (Act 6) avers that Long Beach violated the Pennsylvania Act of 1974, No. 6, P.S. § 101 et seq. (“Act 6”) by providing the Debtor with a deficient notice of intent to foreclose. For the reasons explained below the Debtor’s objection will be granted in part and denied in part.

BACKGROUND

The instant bankruptcy proceeding was filed under Chapter 13 on May 1, 1997. In response to Long Beach’s timely filed proof of claim stating total indebtedness in the amount of $19,044.77 and arrears in the amount of $6,389.08, the Debtor filed the present adversary proceeding on August 11. On September 30, the Court issued a pretrial order in which the parties were directed, inter alia, to file a joint pretrial statement by January 6, 1998. In the pretrial statement filed on January 9, 1 the Debtor requests to amend her complaint to include a claim for relief under the Pennsylvania Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law, 73 P.S. § 201-1 et seq., on account of Long Beach’s alleged failure to provide the Debtor with accurate notice of its intent to foreclose pursuant to Act 6. The Debtor represents that the need to amend the complaint is based on information uncovered during discovery after the complaint was filed, although the complaint itself alleges that the Act 6 notice was inaccurate.

On February 10, 1998, a brief trial was held on the Debtor’s adversary complaint. The Debtor was the only witness to testify. Her testimony established that on January 30, 1996, she granted Long Beach a mortgage in her house located at 5135 Charles Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to secure a debt in the amount of $16,000. Exhibit P-1. At the closing of the mortgage loan, Debtor received a TILA disclosure statement summarizing a variety of information about the loan, as specified by TILA. However, it did not include an itemization of the amount financed or a statement indicating that the Debtor could obtain an itemization upon request. Exhibit P-4.

The mortgage required monthly payments in the amount of $209.87 starting on March 1 and continuing each month thereafter. The Debtor presented evidence in the form of money order receipts and account statements from Long Beach establishing that she made and Long Beach received six payments. The payments were for the months of March to August, 1996. Exhibit P-2. Several of the payments were late, but the Debtor included the late fees with the payments, and the account statement reflects that Long Beach accepted them. Id. Thereafter, the Debtor ceased making further payments, and Long Beach initiated collection procedures.

On November 27, Long Beach sent the Debtor a notice of intention to foreclose on the mortgage as required by Act 6 (“Act 6 Notice”). Exhibit P-3. By this date the Debt- or was behind on her mortgage by three months, from September to November, which including the late fees resulted in arrears totaling $667.32. Nevertheless, the Notice stated that she failed to make six monthly payments, from June to November, and that a total of $1,309.36 was required to cure the default. Id.

Thirty days later, on December 27, Long Beach filed a foreclosure complaint against *239 the Debtor in the Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia. In addition to requesting judgment for a principal balance in the amount of $15,917.46, the complaint also requested interest in the amount of $1,278.54, attorney’s fees of $800, late charges of $75.54, and costs of suit and title search of $560. The Debtor did not contest the foreclosure proceeding, and Long Beach took a judgment against her by default. As a result, damages were assessed against the Debtor for a total of $19,-044.77, including interest and late charges owed through February, 1997. The Debtor’s house was scheduled to be sold at sheriffs sale on May 5, 1997. Which was stayed when the Debtor filed bankruptcy on May 1.

Long Beach’s proof of claim specifies a reinstatement amount of $6,389.08. 2 The Debtor first asserts that the arrearage is improperly calculated. Correctly calculated, the Debtor claims nine rather than twelve missed monthly payments for a total arrear-age of $2,002.14, including late fees. Next the Debtor takes issue with the various fees and costs claimed by Long Beach. The Debtor argues that several components of the fees and eosts were not supported by the evidence. In the end, the Debtor admits to liability for fees and costs totaling $810, including $250 for legal fees, $200 for a title search and $360 for the cost of the foreclosure action. Finally, the Debtor asserts that she is entitled to recoup $2,000 against the claim based on a TILA violation. 3 The Debt- or alleges that Long Beach violated TILA, 15 U.S.C. § 1638(a)(2)(B), by failing to provide her with an itemization of the amount financed or even a disclosure statement informing her of the right to have an itemization upon request. Based on this violation the Debtor asks for statutory damages in the amount of $2,000 under § 1640(a)(2)(A).

With respect to the Debtor’s argument on the miscalculation of arrears and objection to fees and costs, Long Beach rests its case on the legal argument that the amount of these charges is determined by the foreclosure judgment which is res judicata and therefore immune from collateral attack. 4 With respect to fees and costs allegedly incurred after the judgment, Long Beach introduced no evidence to support this component of its claim. In connection with the TILA action, Long Beach argues that the Debtor did receive an itemization of the amount financed *240 in the settlement statement provided to her at closing. Long Beach did not introduce the settlement statement into evidence, but attached a copy to its brief. 5

Despite the fact that this adversary proceeding was pending, the Debtor was able to achieve confirmation of her plan on January 22, 1998 which requires her to make current monthly payments directly to Long Beach and also to make payments to the Chapter 13 Trustee for the purpose of distribution to creditors, including Long Beach for the arrears.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
220 B.R. 236, 1998 Bankr. LEXIS 499, 1998 WL 201437, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/galloway-v-long-beach-mortgage-co-in-re-galloway-paeb-1998.