Jester v. Wells Fargo Bank N.A.

297 F. Supp. 3d 1233
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Oklahoma
DecidedMarch 21, 2018
DocketCase No. 16–CV–524–JHP
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 297 F. Supp. 3d 1233 (Jester v. Wells Fargo Bank N.A.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jester v. Wells Fargo Bank N.A., 297 F. Supp. 3d 1233 (E.D. Okla. 2018).

Opinion

James H. Payne, United States District Judge, Eastern District of Oklahoma

Before this Court are (1) Defendants' Motion to Dismiss Second Amended Complaint (Dkt. 41), (2) Defendants' Motion for Leave to File Judgment Rolls (Dkt. 42), (3) Plaintiff's "Motion for Leave to Amend Its Second Amended Complaint" (Dkt. 46), (4) Plaintiff's "Emergency Motion for a Evidentiary Hearing for a Temporary Restraining Order or Preliminary Injunction" (Dkt. 48), and (5) Plaintiff's "Emergency Motion for a Order to Show Cause and Request an Evidentiary Hearing" (Dkt. 49). Plaintiff is proceeding pro se and in forma pauperis . In the interest of efficiency, the Court will address each of the pending motions in this Opinion and Order.

BACKGROUND

Plaintiff Timmy Dewayne Jester ("Plaintiff") filed his original pro se Complaint in this matter on December 2, 2016, seeking relief against Defendants Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. and Wells Fargo Home Mortgage (together, "Defendants") for foreclosure fraud and unjust enrichment. (Dkt. 2). On July 26, 2017, after obtaining permission from the Court, Plaintiff filed a Second Amended Complaint, adding various causes of action against Defendants.

The Second Amended Complaint is rambling, repetitive, and difficult to decipher. However, it is plain from the pleading and Defendants' Motion to Dismiss that Plaintiff's claims stem from his attempts to prevent Defendants from enforcing their *1238Oklahoma State Court Foreclosure Judgment against him, in Wagoner County Case No. CJ-2012-308 (the "2012 Foreclosure"). The relevant proceedings are below described.

I. The 2012 Foreclosure Proceeding

In the 2012 Foreclosure, Defendants moved for summary judgment, and Plaintiff opposed Defendants' motion by questioning the validity of the indorsement from Washington Mutual Bank, FA, on his note and by alleging Mortgage Electronic Registration Services, Inc. ("MERS") mortgages are invalid in Oklahoma. (See Dkt. 41-3 (Jester's Response to Motion for Summary Judgment, June 16, 2014) ).1 Judge Shook of the Wagoner County District Court overruled Plaintiff's objections in that case and entered judgment in favor of Defendants on October 8, 2014. (Dkt. 41-4 (Journal Entry of Judgment) ). The Journal Entry of Judgment in the 2012 Foreclosure indicates the trial judge reviewed the original wet ink note and determined the indorsements were valid. (See id. at 2-3). The trial judge also specifically found that Defendants demonstrated standing to enforce the note. (Id. at 3). The Journal Entry of Judgment was amended on January 13, 2015, to clarify the judgment was only in rem . (Dkt. 41-5 Amended Journal Entry of Judgment) ).

Plaintiff sought to vacate the judgment in the 2012 Foreclosure. (Dkt. 41-6 (Jester's Amended Response for Motion to Vacate Summary Judgment, Feb. 20, 2015) ). In that motion, Plaintiff raised numerous allegations against Defendants, including: (1) the indorsement on the note was forged and invalid, (2) Plaintiff's mortgage payments had not been credited properly, in violation of various statutes including the Oklahoma Consumer Protection Act ("OCPA"), 15 Okl. St. §§ 752 et seq. , (3) MERS mortgages cannot be valid in Oklahoma, (4) misconduct occurred during Plaintiff's Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceeding in 2011, (5) Plaintiff's prior counsel during the 2012 Foreclosure acted negligently and incompetently, and (6) the loan was improperly serviced, in violation of the Real Estate Procedures Act ("RESPA"), 12 U.S.C. §§ 2601 - 2617. (Id. ). The Wagoner County District Court denied Plaintiff's motion to vacate on April 8, 2015. (See Dkt. 41-8 (Court of Civil Appeals Opinion), ¶ 4). Plaintiff appealed, and on October 26, 2015, the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals ("COCA") affirmed the judgment in favor of Defendants. (Dkt. 41-8 (COCA Opinion) ). On April 11, 2016, the Oklahoma Supreme Court denied Plaintiff's petition for certiorari. (Dkt. 41-9 (Oklahoma Supreme Court Order) ).

II. Plaintiff's Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Proceeding

Also pertinent to this matter is Plaintiff's 2011 bankruptcy proceeding, Case No. 11-80627-TRC, in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma (the "Bankruptcy Case"). A Chapter 7 Bankruptcy discharge was entered in that case on July 27, 2011. (See Dkt. 41-1 (Discharge of Debtor) ). On October 28, 2014, Plaintiff sought to reopen his Chapter 7 Bankruptcy to pursue an adversary proceeding against Defendants. (See Dkt. 41-10 (Motion to Reopen Case for Purpose of Complaints) ). Plaintiff requested the Bankruptcy Court review the state court judgment against him in the 2012 Foreclosure. (Id. ). He alleged a litany *1239of violations of state and federal law committed by Defendants, including violation of the bankruptcy discharge injunction and automatic stay laws by foreclosing on his mortgage; fraud; robo-signing; misapplication of his payments; violation of RESPA; and intentional infliction of emotional distress. (Id. ). On December 30, 2014, following a hearing, Judge Cornish issued an order denying Plaintiff's request to reopen, finding the Bankruptcy Court had no authority to set aside the state court judgment in the 2012 Foreclosure. (Dkt. 41-11 (Order Denying Motion to Reopen) ). Judge Cornish concluded the Rooker - Feldman doctrine prevented the Bankruptcy Court "from acting as an appellate court to review a final, state court judgment or claims inextricably intertwined with them." (Id. at 4). Judge Cornish also found no violation of the automatic stay and no violation of the discharge injunction. (Id. ).

Plaintiff appealed Judge Cornish's ruling to the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel ("BAP"), which affirmed the Bankruptcy Court's order on October 22, 2015. (Dkt. 41-12 (Opinion, BAP Appeal No. EO-15-2) ). Plaintiff then appealed to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, which affirmed the BAP's Opinion on July 25, 2016. (Dkt. 41-13 (Order in Tenth Circuit Case No. 15-7079) ).

III. The Present Proceeding

Following the Tenth Circuit's Order and Judgment in the Bankruptcy Case, Plaintiff filed a Complaint in this matter. In the Second Amended Complaint, Plaintiff again seeks review of the 2012 Foreclosure judgment, along with review of the judgment in the Bankruptcy Case. The Second Amended Complaint lists twenty causes of action against Defendants: (1) foreclosure fraud; (2) unjust enrichment; (3) fraud upon the court; (4) misrepresentation; (5) breach of contract; (6) misapplication of payments; (7) deceit; (8) violation of RESPA, 12 U.S.C. §§ 2601 - 2617 ; (9) violation of the OCPA, 15 Okl. St. §§ 761(c)-(d)2

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297 F. Supp. 3d 1233, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jester-v-wells-fargo-bank-na-oked-2018.