In re Residential Capital, LLC

533 B.R. 874, 2015 Bankr. LEXIS 2576, 2015 WL 4624125
United States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. New York·Decided August 4, 2015·No. Case No. 12-12020 (MG)·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER SUSTAINING THE RESCAP BORROWER CLAIMS TRUST’S OBJECTION TO PROOF OF CLAIM NO. 386 FILED BY BARRY AND CHERYL MACK

MARTIN GLENN, UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY JUDGE

On June 10 and 11, 2015, the Court conducted a trial of the one surviving portion of Barry and Cheryl Mack’s (together, the “Macks”) Claim Number 386 (the “Claim”) filed against Debtor GMAC Mortgage, LLC (“GMACM”) — a claim for violation of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (“RESPA”), 12 U.S.C. § 2601 et seq., alleging that GMACM failed to acknowledge and then respond to the Macks’ October 26, 2009 letter asking why GMACM was trying to foreclose on their home when they were current on their mortgage payments. The ResCap Borrower Claims Trust (the “Trust”) objects to the surviving claim. The Trust’s objection to all other portions of the Macks’ Claim was sustained in an Opinion and Order, dated July 24, 2014. See In re Residential Capital, LLC, 513 B.R. 446 (Bankr.S.D.N.Y.2014). Familiarity with that Opinion is assumed. As explained below, the Trust’s objection to the remaining RESPA claim must be sustained because controlling case law compels this result based on the facts established at trial.1

I. BACKGROUND

GMACM’s outrageous conduct that gave rise to the Claim unquestionably contribut[876]*876ed to Cheryl Mack’s death in October 2013, several years after she suffered renal failure from a large overdose of sleeping pills in November 2009, while GMACM— the loan servicer of the Macks’ mortgage loan — pursued foreclosure of the Macks’ Florida home even though there was no loan default.

The earlier Opinion concluded that all claims asserted by the Macks against GMACM, except the RESPA claim, are barred by Florida’s res judicata principles since the Macks already recovered damages in a Florida state court action for the claims that were or could have been asserted against Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas (“Deutsche Bank”), for whom GMACM serviced the Macks’ mortgage loan, based on GMACM’s conduct. See id. at 459-62.

The Macks had contacted GMACM to explore a possible mortgage loan modification; they were financially stretched and had to rely on money from Barry Mack’s retirement account — he was a retired New Jersey policeman- — to make what were probably unsustainable mortgage payments when combined with expenses for other life necessities. Rather than modify the mortgage — which, for purposes of this Opinion, the Court concludes GMACM was not required to do — GMACM hired a now disbarred Florida lawyer, David Stern (“Stern”), to file a foreclosure action against the Macks. But the Macks had not missed a single mortgage payment.

Stern filed the foreclosure action in Florida state court in August 2009. The Trust admits that filing the foreclosure action was a mistake. The named plaintiff in the foreclosure action, started at the direction of GMACM, was Deutsche Bank, the trustee of the securitization trust that acquired the Macks’ mortgage. GMACM was not a named party to the foreclosure action. When the Macks received the foreclosure complaint, they were, not surprisingly, dumbfounded. First, while it was financially difficult for them to do so, they continued to make all required mortgage payments. Second, the Macks had no idea what connection Deutsche Bank had to their mortgage; Primary Residential Mortgage Inc. (“Primary”) was the original lender, and the Macks were unaware that the mortgage had been transferred to a securitization trust. Debtor Residential Funding Company (“RFC”) was the master servicer of the loan, and GMACM was the subservicer, a role it had both before and after securitization of the mortgage.

After receiving the foreclosure complaint, the Macks promptly called GMACM (having already contacted GMACM about a possible loan modification). Surely, they thought, the foreclosure action was a terrible mistake; GMACM verbally acknowledged the mistake, telling them not to worry; the mistake would be corrected. Only it never was fully corrected. The Macks continued to contact GMACM by letter and by telephone, trying to stop the foreclosure action, but to no avail.

Stern continued to prosecute the Florida foreclosure action. He eventually dismissed the foreclosure action, but not until December 8, 2009,2 after the Macks hired a lawyer who filed an answer and counterclaims against Deutsche Bank. While Deutsche Bank’s foreclosure action was dismissed, the Macks’ counterclaims remained. But the dismissal of the foreclosure action did not fully correct the [877]*877continuing harm to the Macks. GMACM actually charged the Macks $3,712.00 for attorney’s fees and expenses from the foreclosure action when the Macks sold their home in January 2010; this amount was included in GMACM’s payoff demand in order to have the mortgage lien released upon the sale of their property. (See PL’s Ex. 32 (January 26, 2010 payoff statement).)

On or about November 9, 2009, while the foreclosure action was pending, Cheryl Mack, who had a long pre-existing history of serious health and emotional problems, and was now facing a foreclosure action, was hospitalized after taking a large overdose of sleeping pills. She suffered irreversible renal failure, eventually leading to her death on October 25, 2013.

The Macks’ counterclaims against Deutsche Bank alleged violations of RES-PA and slander of title, and sought damages for economic losses due to the decline in the value of their home (the Macks marketed the house for sale and had to reduce the price several times to arrange a sale to avoid foreclosure), as well as damages for emotional distress and pain and suffering relating to Cheryl Mack’s overdose (she was still alive at the time).

Stern did not tell GMACM or Deutsche Bank about the counterclaims, and he did not file a response to the pleading. The Macks’ lawyer obtained a default judgment against Deutsche Bank. The Florida trial court held an inquest and Stern did not appear. The court heard evidence and entered a final judgment on May 5, 2011, awarding the Macks damages against Deutsche Bank. The judgment was originally $469,470.27 plus attorney’s fees, including $150,000.00 for Cheryl Mack’s emotional distress and pain and suffering; the emotional distress and pain and suffering damages were awarded as part of the RESPA claim, not the slander of title claim.

According to the Trust, Deutsche Bank and GMACM only learned of the counterclaims after the final judgment was entered. GMACM filed a notice of appearance on June 29, 2011. On July 13, 2011, Deutsche Bank moved to set aside the final judgment and vacate the judgment on the RESPA claim on the merits. Deutsche Bank argued that it could establish excusable neglect based on the “gross misconduct of its prior counsel.” Residential Capital, LLC, 513 B.R. at 454. It also argued that it had meritorious defenses, including that Deutsche Bank never violated RESPA because RESPA only required notice to the Macks of a change in the servicer, and there was no change of servi-cer for the Macks’ loan.

The Florida court heard evidence that Deutsche Bank first received notice of the final judgment on the counterclaims on May 11, 2011, and GMACM “as agent for [Deutsche Bank] had the responsibility to investigate the [f]inal [jjudgment and appropriately respond.”

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In re Residential Capital, LLC, 533 B.R. 874, 2015 Bankr. LEXIS 2576, 2015 WL 4624125 (N.Y. 2015).

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