Higley v. Flagstar Bank, FSB

910 F. Supp. 2d 1249, 2012 WL 6680378, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 181018
CourtDistrict Court, D. Oregon
DecidedDecember 21, 2012
DocketCase No. 3:12-cv-00502-SI
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 910 F. Supp. 2d 1249 (Higley v. Flagstar Bank, FSB) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Higley v. Flagstar Bank, FSB, 910 F. Supp. 2d 1249, 2012 WL 6680378, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 181018 (D. Or. 2012).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

SIMON, District Judge.

In 2008, Plaintiffs Doyle and Shelly Higley (the “Higleys”) obtained a loan secured by a trust deed to purchase property. When they defaulted on the loan two years later, Northwest Trustee Services and Defendant Flagstar Bank, FSB (“Flagstar”) commenced the nonjudicial foreclosure process set forth in the Oregon Trust Deed Act (“OTDA”), Or.Rev.Stat. §§ 86.705-86.795. In this action, the Higleys assert two claims for relief and seek a declaration that Flagstar may not nonjudicially foreclose their trust deed under the OTDA. In their first claim, the Higleys allege that the Home Owners’ Loan Act (“HOLA”), 12 U.S.C. §§ 1461-1468, which governs the operation of federal savings associations such as Flagstar, preempts the OTDA. In their second claim, the Higleys assert that Flagstar may not nonjudieially foreclose because not all assignments of the trust deed have been recorded in the county records, as required by Or.Rev. Stat. § 86.735(1). Before the Court is Flagstar’s motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim. Dkt. 22. For the reasons stated below, the Court grants Flagstar’s motion.

BACKGROUND

In October 2008, the Higleys obtained a loan for $208,000 from Greater Northwest Mortgage, Inc. (“NW Mortgage”) to purchase property in Clackamas County, Oregon. Amended Complaint (“Compl.”) at ¶¶ 1, 3, 6 (Dkt. 15). The loan was secured by a trust deed. The trust deed names NW Mortgage.as the lender, MERS as the beneficiary, and Fidelity National Title as the trustee. Dkt. 15-1 at 1. On March 27, 2009, NW Mortgage “was dissolved and ceased to operate as a business entity.” Compl. ¶ 13.

On September 30, 2010, MERS executed an assignment of the trust deed from itself to Flagstar. Compl. ¶ 14; Dkt. 15-1 at 14. The assignment was recorded on October 25, 2010. Id. Flagstar executed an appointment of successor trustee naming Northwest Trustee Services (“NWTS”) trustee on September 30, 2010. Compl. ¶ 16; Dkt. 15-1 at 15. The appointment of successor trustee was also recorded on October 25, 2010. Id.

Plaintiffs defaulted on the loan and NWTS executed a notice of default on October 21, 2010, and recorded that notice on October 25, 2010. Compl. ¶ 17, Dkt. 15-1 at 16-17. NWTS executed a Trustee’s Notice of Sale on October 26, 2010. Dkt 15-1 at 18-20. NWTS originally scheduled the foreclosure sale to occur on February 28, 2011.1 Dkt. 15-1 at 18. The sale was postponed and has not taken place. Compl. ¶¶ 18-19.

On March 20, 2012, Plaintiffs filed suit against Flagstar arid NWTS, seeking a permanent injunction to halt nonjudicial foreclosure and a declaration that nonjudicial foreclosure is inappropriate. Dkt. 1. Approxiriiately one month later, on April 24, 2012, Flagstar recorded a “Sworn Affi[1252]*1252davit, Transfer Statement, and Notice of Assignment.” Dkt. 11, Ex. 1. This document states:

Pursuant to ORS 79.0203(7) the indorsement and delivery of the Note to Flags-tar constituted a transfer of the Note and Trust Deed to Flagstar, and this Sworn Affidavit, Transfer Statement, and Notice of Assignment operates as the recorded assignment of the Trust Deed consistent with the prior transfer. This Sworn Affidavit, Transfer Statement, and Notice of Assignment also constitutes a transfer statement within the meaning of ORS 79.0619.

Dkt. 11, Ex. 1. A copy of the indorsed note was attached to the affidavit. Id.

NWTS and the Higleys stipulated to the dismissal of NWTS and, on April 12, 2012, Judge Papak entered an order dismissing NWTS. Dkt. 9. Flagstar filed an Answer on April 30, 2012. Dkt. 11. On June 14, 2012, by stipulation, the Higleys filed an amended complaint. Dkt. 15. The amended complaint names only Flagstar as a defendant. Before the Court is Flagstar’s motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim, pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6). Dkt. 22.

STANDARDS

A motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim may be granted only when there is no cognizable legal theory to support the claim or when the complaint lacks sufficient factual allegations to state a facially plausible claim for relief. Shroyer v. New Cingular Wireless Servs., Inc., 622 F.3d 1035, 1041 (9th Cir.2010). In evaluating the sufficiency of a complaint’s factual allegations, the court must accept as true all well-pleaded material facts alleged in the complaint and construe them in the light most favorable to the non-moving party. Wilson v. Hewlett-Packard Co., 668 F.3d 1136, 1140 (9th Cir.2012). All reasonable inferences from the factual allegations must be drawn in favor of the plaintiff. Nw. Envtl. Def. Ctr. v. Brown, 640 F.3d 1063, 1070 (9th Cir.2011).

A complaint need not state “detailed factual allegations,” but it must contain sufficient factual matter to “state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Wilson, 668 F.3d at 1140 (quoting Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555, 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007)). “A claim has facial plausibility when the pleaded factual content allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 663, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009). The court, however, need not credit the plaintiffs legal conclusions that are couched as factual allegations. Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678-679, 129 S.Ct. 1937.

DISCUSSION

The Higleys make two claims for relief. In their first claim, the Higleys ask the Court for a declaration “setting aside, voiding, and invalidating the present nonjudicial foreclosure process because” the Home Owners’ Loan Act of 1933 (“HOLA”), 12 U.S.C. §§ 1461-1468, preempts the nonjudicial foreclosure process set forth in the Oregon Trust Deed Act (“OTDA”), Or.Rev.Stat. §§ 86.705-86.795. Compl. ¶¶ 27-36, 45(1). In then-second claim, the Higleys allege that even if HOLA does not preempt the OTDA, Flagstar may not nonjudicially foreclose because not all assignments of the trust deed have been recorded in the county records, as required by Or.Rev.Stat. § 86.735(1). Compl. ¶¶ 37-44; see James v. ReconTrust Co., 845 F.Supp.2d 1145 (D.Or.2012); Niday v. GMAC Mortgage LLC, 251 Or.App. 278, 284 P.3d 1157 (2012), review allowed, No. S060655 (Sept. 27, 2012).

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Bluebook (online)
910 F. Supp. 2d 1249, 2012 WL 6680378, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 181018, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/higley-v-flagstar-bank-fsb-ord-2012.