Haynish v. Bank of Am., N.A.

284 F. Supp. 3d 1037
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. California
DecidedFebruary 9, 2018
DocketCase No. 17–cv–01011–HRL
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 284 F. Supp. 3d 1037 (Haynish v. Bank of Am., 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
Haynish v. Bank of Am., N.A., 284 F. Supp. 3d 1037 (N.D. Cal. 2018).

Opinion

HOWARD R. LLOYD, United States Magistrate Judge

Theodore Haynish, Jr. and Jacqueline Haynish ("the Haynishes") sue Bank of America, N.A. ("Bank of America"), Select Portfolio Servicing, Inc. ("SPS"), and The Bank of New York Mellon f/k/a The Bank of New York as Trustee for the Certificateholders of the CWABS, Inc., Asset-Backed Certificates, Series 2005-3 ("Bank of New York"). The Haynishes assert four claims related to the foreclosure of their former home.

All three defendants move to dismiss the Haynishes' first amended complaint ("FAC") for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. Dkt. Nos. 27, 29. All defendants also request that the Court take judicial notice of various documents. Dkt. Nos. 28, 31. Additionally, SPS and Bank of New York move to strike portions of the FAC under Rule 12(f). Dkt. No. 30. For the reasons explained below, the Court grants the motions to dismiss in part and denies them in part, grants the requests for judicial notice, and denies the motion to strike.

All parties consented to magistrate judge jurisdiction. Dkt. Nos. 9, 13, 18.

*1043I. BACKGROUND

A. Factual Allegations

The Haynishes allege the following facts, which the Court must accept as true. The Haynishes owned and lived in a house at 885 Heatherwood Estates Drive in Hollister, California. In 2005, they refinanced an earlier home loan and executed a first-lien deed of trust and promissory note. Dkt. No. 24 at 4. Bank of America became the Haynishes' loan servicer in late 2010. Id. at 4-5.

The Haynishes suffered a financial hardship in 2011 and set out to obtain a loan modification from Bank of America. Id. at 5. This set off a "frustrating process, where...[the Haynishes] were forced to submit and resubmit countless documents to [Bank of America] to no avail." Id. In 2015, four Bank of America employees told the Haynishes that their loan modification application was about to be approved. These employees-named Daniel Gonzalez, David Warner, Jacqueline, and Adriana Rodriguez-nonetheless asked the Haynishes to "resubmit the same documents over and over again." Id. The Haynishes experienced another economic setback around January 2015, as their monthly income declined from about $10,000 to $8,800. The Haynishes sent Bank of America paystubs to document their decreased earnings. Id. at 5-6.

In April 2015, a Bank of America employee named Shandra told the Haynishes that their loan modification application was complete and under review. Id. Bank of America then sent the Haynishes a letter saying the opposite: the application would not be reviewed for failure to submit requested documents. Id at 6. The Haynishes spoke to yet another Bank of America employee, John Mayes, who reassured them that the letter had been sent in error. Id. Nevertheless, Bank of America then mailed the Haynishes another request for documents. In July, Bank of America confirmed receiving a complete loan modification application. Id.

Bank of America caused a notice of trustee's sale to be recorded against the Haynishes' home on July 1, 2015. Id. The trustee's sale was scheduled for August 4, 2015. Id

In mid-July 2015, SPS took over for Bank of America as the servicer on the Haynishes' loan. Id. at 6-7. SPS told the Haynishes that "[i]f you were working with your prior servicer on a potential modification ... SPS will work with you to continue this process with minimal disruption." Id. SPS requested more documents from the Haynishes, which they provided. August 4 came and went, leading the Haynishes to believe that SPS had cancelled the scheduled trustee's sale. Id. at 7.

Yet on September 17, 2015, SPS and Bank of New York caused the Haynishes' house to be sold at a trustee's sale. Id. Bank of New York purchased the property, and the Haynishes left their home. Id.

B. Summary of Judicially Noticed Facts

As is discussed below, the Court grants the defendants' requests for judicial notice. Accordingly, the Court will summarize the relevant judicially noticed facts.

In 2004, the Haynishes executed a deed of trust to secure a promissory note on their home. Bank of America Req. for Judicial Notice ("BofA RFJ"), Ex. B, Dkt. No. 28. They refinanced the loan in 2005 and executed a new deed of trust. Id. Ex. A. The beneficiary, Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., later assigned the beneficial interest in the deed of trust to Bank of New York. Id. Ex. D.

On July 1, 2015, the trustee, MTC Financial, Inc. d/b/a Trustee Corps, recorded a notice of trustee's sale with the San Benito County Recorder's Office. Id. Ex.

*1044N; SPS and Bank of New York Req. for Judicial Notice ("Loan Defs.' RFJ"), Ex. N, Dkt. No. 31. The notice set a trustee's sale for August 4, 2015. Id. On September 17, 2015, the trustee sold the Haynishes' home to Bank of New York. Id. Ex. O.

C. Procedural Background

After initiating and dismissing lawsuits in state court, BofA RFJ, Exs. AA, BB, EE, FF, the Haynishes commenced this action in early 2017. Dkt. No. 1. All three defendants moved to dismiss, Dkt. Nos. 11, 15, and the Haynishes filed a first amended complaint, Dkt. No. 24. The FAC asserted four claims: violations of the California Homeowner Bill of Rights ("HBOR"), specifically its ban on "dual-tracking" loan modification applications, California Civil Code § 2923.61 ; wrongful foreclosure; negligence; and violations of California Business & Professions Code § 17200 ("Unfair Competition Law" or "UCL").

All three defendants moved to dismiss the FAC for failure to state a claim upon which relief may be granted. Dkt. Nos. 27, 29. All defendants also filed requests for judicial notice, Dkt. Nos. 28, 31, while SPS and Bank of New York moved to strike portions of the FAC under Rule 12(f), Dkt. No. 30. The court held a hearing on September 12, 2017.

II. LEGAL STANDARD

A motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6) tests the legal sufficiency of the claims asserted in the complaint. "Dismissal can be based on the lack of a cognizable legal theory or the absence of sufficient facts alleged under a cognizable legal theory." Balistreri v. Pacifica Police Dep't , 901 F.2d 696, 699 (9th Cir. 1988) (citation omitted). To survive a motion to dismiss, a complaint must allege sufficient facts to state a claim for relief that is facially plausible. Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly , 550 U.S. 544, 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955,

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284 F. Supp. 3d 1037, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/haynish-v-bank-of-am-na-cand-2018.