Graybeal v. American Savings & Loan Ass'n

59 F.R.D. 7, 17 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 314, 1973 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13905
CourtDistrict Court, District of Columbia
DecidedApril 24, 1973
DocketCiv. A. No. 265-71
StatusPublished
Cited by57 cases

This text of 59 F.R.D. 7 (Graybeal v. American Savings & Loan Ass'n) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, District of Columbia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Graybeal v. American Savings & Loan Ass'n, 59 F.R.D. 7, 17 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 314, 1973 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13905 (D.D.C. 1973).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

CHARLES R. RICHEY, District Judge.

This case is before the Court as a result of a complaint alleging multiple causes of action for breach of contract, unjust enrichment, usury, violations of the Consumer Credit Protection Act (Truth-in-Lending) and violations of the Sherman (Antitrust) Act.

Plaintiffs herein are attorneys (and their wives) who borrowed money from one of the Defendant lending institutions and whose loans were secured by a first lien on their personal homes or other residential real property. The Defendants named herein are various sav[11]*11ings and loan institutions doing business ill the District of Columbia.

Plaintiffs have brought this suit as a class action on behalf of all persons in the Washington, D. C., metropolitan area who have borrowed money secured by a first lien on their homes from any of the Defendant lending institutions.

Plaintiffs allege that they are required to pay in advance each month to the Defendants one-twelfth of the annual real estate taxes, assessments and insurance premiums for which they are liable. It is further alleged that while the Defendants formerly deducted such monthly payments from borrowers’ principal debt balances, thereby reducing the total amount of interest payable for the term of the loan, (“Capitalization method”), the Defendants over the last few years have ceased to do so, and now place such payments in non-interest bearing “escrow accounts.”

The gravamen of Plaintiffs’ complaint is that the change-over from the “capitalization method” to the “escrow method” was a unilateral change in the terms of their respective loan contracts and hence a breach of those contracts by Defendants. Plaintiffs further allege that Defendants are being unjustly enriched by the use of the monies placed in the escrow accounts, that the true effective rate of interest of those loans bearing a purported rate of interest of 8% per an-num is increased by the escrowing practice, and that the loans are thereby rendered usurious.. They further allege that the failure to include these es-crowed monies in the computation of the annual percentage rate violates the consumer credit disclosure provisions of the Truth-in-Lending Act. Finally, Plaintiffs allege that the Defendants have engaged in an unlawful conspiracy in restraint of trade in violation of the Sherman (Antitrust) Act.

The specific four loans at issue are as follows:

1. Plaintiffs Graybeal borrowed $13,000 from Defendant Perpetual on July 1, 1965. The loan was secured by a first lien on residential real property and purported to bear interest at 5%% per annum. (Graybeal First Loan).

2. Plaintiffs Graybeal borrowed $25,000 from Defendant Perpetual on February 4, 1970. This loan was secured by a first lien on the Graybeal home and purported to bear interest at 8% per annum. (Graybeal Second Loan).

3. Plaintiffs Terris borrowed $33,000 from .Defendant Jefferson Federal on January 15, 1964. The loan was secured by a first lien on the Terris’ home, and purported to bear interest at 5%% per annum.

4. Plaintiffs Kass borrowed $25,900 from Defendant National Permanent on June 10, 1966. The loan was secured by a first lien on the Kass’ home and purported to bear interest at 5%% per an-num.

Jurisdiction is alleged under 28 U.S.C. § 1337, 15 U.S.C. §§ 15, 26 and 15/1640" style="color:var(--green);border-bottom:1px solid var(--green-border)">1640, and 11 D.C.Code § 521.

In response to the Complaint, fifteen Defendants1 filed the following essentially similar motions: (1) to dismiss the treble damage portion of Plaintiffs’ fifth cause of action for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted; (2) to grant summary judgment with respect to the fifth cause of action or for severance and separate consideration thereof; and (3) to dismiss Plain[12]*12tiffs’ third and fourth causes of action because the pertinent government regulations specifically exclude the challenged transactions from Truth-in-Lending coverage. One Defendant answered the Complaint; 2 another Defendant answered and then moved for summary judgment as to all the causes of action; 3 and one Defendant additionally moved to dismiss the Complaint as being barred by laches and the contract agreement itself.4

Other outstanding motions which will be decided herein are:

1. Plaintiffs’ oral and written motions to certify the instant case a class action under Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure;

2. Defendants Perpetual, Home Federal and Washington Permanent’s motion to strike any and all class action allegations from the Complaint (joined in by Defendants American and Capital City);

3. Motions to intervene filed by Plaintiffs on behalf of certain homeowner-borrowers ;

4. Motions of various Defendants to dismiss for lack of “standing”; and

5. Plaintiffs’ motion to file an “amended complaint” as to those two Defendants who answered the original complaint (see n. 2 and 3, supra).

For the convenience of all concerned, the Court will preliminarily summarize its rulings and refer the reader to the appropriate page and section wherein that ruling is discussed.

CLASS ACTION ISSUE

1.Plaintiffs have failed to meet the prerequisites for maintenance of a class action under Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure because they have failed to show to the satisfaction of the Court that they could adequately protect the interests of the proposed class while concurrently acting as attorneys for the class in the same action. Part I, p. 13.

2. Even if Plaintiffs had met the prerequisites for maintenance of a class action, certification would not be proper under either Rule 23(b)(2) or (b)(3) because:

a. Rule 23(b)(2) applies only to cases in which the appropriate final relief sought is injunctive; it does not apply to this case, in which the relief sought relates predominantly to money damages. Part II, Sec. A, p. 14.

b. Rule 23(b) (3) requires a commonality of issues which is lacking herein and, furthermore, a class action is inferior to other available methods for the fair and efficient adjudication of the issues. Part II, Sees. B and C, pp. 15, 16.

c.

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59 F.R.D. 7, 17 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 314, 1973 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13905, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/graybeal-v-american-savings-loan-assn-dcd-1973.