Harvey v. Bank of America, N.A.

906 F. Supp. 2d 982, 2012 WL 5337425, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 154319
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. California
DecidedOctober 26, 2012
DocketCase No. 12-3238-SC
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 906 F. Supp. 2d 982 (Harvey v. Bank of America, N.A.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Harvey v. Bank of America, N.A., 906 F. Supp. 2d 982, 2012 WL 5337425, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 154319 (N.D. Cal. 2012).

Opinion

ORDER RE: DEFENDANT’S MOTIONS TO DISMISS AND TO STRIKE PORTIONS OF FIRST AMENDED COMPLAINT

SAMUEL CONTI, District Judge.

I. INTRODUCTION

On July 31, 2012, Plaintiff Ted F. Harvey (“Plaintiff’), a homeowner, filed an amended complaint in this mortgage foreclosure case. ECF No. 12 (“Am. Compl.”). The thrust of his amended complaint is that Defendant Bank of America N.A. (“Defendant” or “BOA”) encouraged him to stop making his mortgage payments so that he could qualify for a loan modification under the Home Affordable Modification Program (“HAMP”), but that Defendant then, contrary to its oral promises, denied Plaintiffs HAMP application, charged him late fees and attorney fees, caused his previously excellent credit to become seriously damaged, and instituted foreclosure proceedings against him. No foreclosure sale has yet taken place. The amended complaint asserts nine claims: (1) violation of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1691 et seq. (“ECOA”); (2) breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing; (3) contract reformation; (4) promissory estoppel; (5) wrongful foreclosure under Cal. Civ.Code § 2924 et seq.; (6) “false light” invasion of privacy; (7) intentional misrepresentation; (8) negligent misrepresentation; and (9) violation of California’s Unfair Competition Law, Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17200 et seq. (“UCL”).

Defendants have two motions pending before this Court: (1) a motion to dismiss the FAC, ECF No. 15 (“MTD”), and (2) a motion to strike portions of the FAC, ECF No. 14 (“MTS”). Both motions are fully briefed. ECF Nos. 17 (“Opp’n to MTD”), 18 (“Opp’n to MTS”), 19 (“Reply ISO MTS”), 20 (“Reply ISO MTD”).1 Both are suitable for decision without oral argument. Civ. L.R. 7-l(b). As set forth herein, the Court GRANTS IN PART and DENIES IN PART Defendant’s motion to dismiss, and DENIES Defendant’s motion to strike.

II. BACKGROUND

In the procedural posture of this case, the Court takes its account of the facts from the material allegations of Plaintiffs amended complaint and construes them in the light most favorable to Plaintiff. On November 7, 2005, Plaintiff refinanced his existing mortgage loan with Countrywide Home Loans. Am. Compl. ¶ 9. To secure the refinancing, Plaintiff executed a promissory note and deed of trust (“DOT”) in favor of Countrywide. Id. Defendant later acquired Plaintiffs loan and is the current [987]*987promissee of the note and beneficiary of the DOT. Id.

In or around March or April 2009, Plaintiff was current in his loan payments and maintained excellent credit. Id. ¶ 10. He contacted Defendant regarding a loan modification. Id. During these initial conversations, Plaintiff allegedly spoke with an agent of Defendant who identified himself as Michael Z. Hollander (“Hollander”). Id. ¶ 11. Hollander allegedly told Plaintiff that he, Plaintiff, was the “gold standard” of borrowers and that he “would qualify for a HAMP modification[;] he had only to be late” in making payments on his loan. Id. Plaintiff alleges that Hollander told him that if he “went late,” he would receive priority treatment in the loan modification review process and “he would not face foreclosure or other negative consequences.” Id. Plaintiff alleges that, based on these representations, he began to miss his loan payments. Id. ¶¶ 11-12.

On August 31, 2009, Plaintiff allegedly submitted a loan modification to a representative of Defendant, Jill Ballentine. She allegedly informed Plaintiff that “the loan modification would take 45-90 days.” Id. ¶ 16. Over the next several months, Plaintiff allegedly inquired on multiple occasions into the status of the modification but received inconclusive responses. Id. ¶¶ 17-19. Plaintiff alleges that, on March 8, 2010, he spoke to a BOA representative, Grace Garo (“Garo”). Id. ¶¶ 20-21. Garo allegedly told Plaintiff that his HAMP modification request had been denied on January 13, 2010, but that the denial was erroneous and he actually qualified for the HAMP program. Id. ¶¶ 21-22. Garo allegedly promised to send a new package of forms. Id. ¶ 22.

When Plaintiff received the forms, however, they were not for a HAMP modification but a National Home Ownership Retention Program (NHRP) offer. Id. ¶ 23. Plaintiff allegedly rejected this offer because it had less favorable terms than a HAMP modification and he would not have “gone late” to obtain an NHRP offer. Id. ¶¶ 24-25. Plaintiff alleges that he contacted a BOA representative identifying herself only as “Shayna,” who told Plaintiff he had been denied a HAMP modification and instead “shunted” into the NHRP program because the subject property was not Plaintiffs primary residence. Id. ¶ 25. Plaintiff alleges that this was clearly erroneous, that he had lived on the subject property for over twenty-five years, and that Defendant should have known that due to their long correspondence. Id. ¶ 26. Shayna allegedly encouraged Plaintiff to submit a new HAMP modification application and promised to send one to him. Id.

Plaintiff alleges that, on June 3, 2010, Defendant sent Plaintiff the HAMP application. Id. ¶ 27. On January 6, 2011, Defendant allegedly denied Plaintiffs application for a HAMP modification. Id. ¶ 29. Following this denial, Plaintiff allegedly contacted Defendant to resume making his regular payments. Id. ¶ 30. However, Defendant allegedly refused to take Plaintiffs payments. Id. Plaintiff alleges that Defendant, throughout the pendency of Plaintiffs loan modification application and contrary to its earlier promises, charged Plaintiff late fees and penalties, and reported Plaintiff late to credit bureaus, damaging Plaintiffs credit rating. Id. Defendant allegedly told Plaintiff he was responsible for the penalties that accrued during the loan modification application period. Id.

On March 1, 2011, Defendant allegedly caused to be recorded a notice of default for the subject property. Id. ¶ 31; RJN Ex. B (notice of default (“NOD”)). On June 2, 2011, Plaintiff received a notice of trustee sale which had been recorded on May 26, 2011, and which set the foreclo[988]*988sure sale for June 23, 2011. Am. Compl. ¶ 32; RJN Ex. C (notice of trustee sale (“NTS”))- The foreclosure date has since been postponed several times. Am. Compl. ¶ 32. Plaintiff alleges that he remains willing and able to pay his “regular,” that is, his previous monthly payment. Id.

In early 2012, Plaintiff filed a complaint, as well as an amended complaint, in California Superior Court. RJN Exs. E & F (state court complaints). On June 14, 2012, Plaintiff asked the state court to enter a voluntary dismissal in his case, which the state court did on June 18. Id. Exs. D & G (state court docket, request for dismissal, and notice of dismissal). On June 22, Plaintiff filed his initial complaint before this Court. ECF No. I.2 Defendant moved to dismiss the complaint, ECF No. 9, but Plaintiff mooted that motion by filing an amended complaint on July 31, 2012.

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906 F. Supp. 2d 982, 2012 WL 5337425, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 154319, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/harvey-v-bank-of-america-na-cand-2012.