Jordan v. Nationstar Mortgage, LLC

District Court, E.D. California·Decided January 27, 2020·No. 2:18-cv-02717·Unknown

Opinion

JESSICA H. JORDAN, No. 2:18-cv-02717-KJM-AC Plaintiff, v. ORDER NATIONSTAR MORTGAGE LLC, et al., Defendants. Plaintiff alleges Nationstar serviced her mortgage loan and made false statements to plaintiff related to the loan modification process, drawing out the loan modification application process, and threatened plaintiff with foreclosure four times. Defendant now moves to dismiss plaintiff’s first amended complaint. As explained below, the court GRANTS the motion IN PART with respect to plaintiff’s claims under the California Civil Code section 2923.5 (formerly § 2923.55), and negligence and negligence per se and DENIES the motion IN PART as to plaintiff’s claims under the California Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, California Civil Code section 1788, et seq., and violation of California Business & Professions Code section 17200 Unfair Competition Law (“UCL”). Furthermore, the court STRIKES plaintiff’s claims for declaratory relief and slander of title. The court set forth the relevant facts in its order on the defendant’s first motion to dismiss and incorporates them by reference here. Order, ECF No. 26. In that order, the court dismissed plaintiff’s claims for declaratory relief, cancellation of instruments and slander of title, without leave to amend. Id. The court notes the plaintiff includes these claims in her first amended complaint. The court dismissed plaintiff’s Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“RFDCPA”) claims under California Civil Code section 1788 et seq., with leave to amend. In its order on the first motion to dismiss, the court explained that the first amended complaint should clearly make factual allegations necessary to put defendant on notice of plaintiff’s claims and to allow this court to determine the sufficiency of her allegations. Id. The court dismissed plaintiff’s Negligence and Negligence Per Se claims with leave to amend if possible. Id. The court also dismissed plaintiff’s claim under California Business & Professions Code section 17200 Unfair Competition Law (“UCL”) with leave to amend if possible. Id. The court explained this latter claim could not proceed without the necessary causal connection between defendant’s alleged actions and plaintiff’s alleged financial injury. Id. In her first amended complaint (“FAC”), plaintiff now alleges six claims, including claims for declaratory relief and slander of title despite the court’s prior dismissal of these claims without leave to amend: (1) declaratory relief, (2) slander of title, (3) violation of California Civil Code section 2923.5 (formerly § 2923.55), (4) violation of the California Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, California Civil Code section 1788, et seq., (5) negligence and negligence per se, and (6) violation of California Business & Professions Code section 17200 (“UCL”). FAC, ECF No. 31. Defendant Nationstar Mortgage, LLC d/b/a Mr. Cooper, (Nationstar) moves to dismiss each of plaintiff Jessica H. Jordan’s claims in her first amended complaint. Mot., ECF No. 39. Plaintiff opposed defendant’s motion to dismiss. Opp’n, ECF No. 47. Defendant replied to the opposition. Reply, ECF No. 50. Given the court’s prior dismissal of the declaratory relief and slander of title claims without leave to amend, it need not reach the merits of defendant’s motion regarding those claims, which the court STRIKES from plaintiff’s first amended complaint. The court also does not reach the merits of the motion as directed to plaintiff’s claims under the California Civil Code section 2923.5, negligence and negligence per se; because plaintiff has simply included them again here without curing the deficiencies identified in the court’s prior order, ECF No. 26, they are DISMISSED now without leave to amend. See DCD Programs, Ltd. v. Leighton, 833 F.2d 183, 186 (9th Cir. 1987) (“[A] district court’s discretion over amendments is especially broad ‘where the court has already given a plaintiff one or more opportunities to amend his complaint....’”) (quoting Mir v. Fosburg, 646 F.2d 342, 347 (9th Cir. 1980)). Defendant has also filed a request for judicial notice (ECF. No. 41). The court need not consider the documents covered by the request in resolving the pending motion and so declines to consider any exhibits beyond the complaint. II. ROSENTHAL FAIR DEBT COLLECTION PRACTICES ACT (CLAIM 4) Defendant seeks dismissal of plaintiff’s claim under the Rosenthal Act on the basis that plaintiff’s first amended complaint fails for lack of specificity. Reply at 2, 6-7. In other words, it says that plaintiff has failed to plead any conduct that was not part of the ordinary foreclosure process. Id. Plaintiff asserts that “the definition of ‘debt collector’ in the Rosenthal Act applies to home loan servicers who engage in debt collection practices in attempting to obtain repayment of home loan debt.” Opp’n at 6-7. Plaintiff relies on Davidson v. Seterus, Inc., 21 Cal. App. 4th, 283, 284 (2018), where the court held that the Rosenthal Act, like other “civil statutes [,] for the protection of the public are, generally, broadly construed in favor of that protective purpose.” (quoting People ex rel. Lungren v. Superior Court 14 Cal.4th 294, 313 (1996)). Opp’n at 6-7. In reply, defendant argues that “[t]he conduct at issue in Davidson was allegedly abusive telephone calls, not the act of foreclosure” and the Davidson court recognized “an exemption” for defendant as “a trustee under a deed of trust.” Reply at 6. ///// Plaintiff has pleaded conduct distinct from the ordinary foreclosure process. Specifically, plaintiff pleads that defendant used “false, deceptive and misleading statements in connection with their [sic] efforts to collect on a note and deed of trust.”1 FAC ¶ 80. Plaintiff alleges that “[s]tarting in 2013, Nationstar threatened Plaintiff with foreclosure four times.” Id. ¶ 49. Plaintiff asserts she had been paying the homeowner’s insurance and property taxes and “was paid current” when defendant “began servicing her loan” and “paid for Plaintiff’s homeowner’s insurance and property taxes through an escrow account” because it was “[Nationstar’s] practice.” Id. ¶¶ 41-44. Plaintiff’s allegations are similar to those other courts have found sufficiently allege debt collection activities beyond the scope of the ordinary foreclosure process under the Rosenthal Act. See, e.g., Walters v. Fidelity Mortg. of CA, 730 F.Supp.2d 1185, 1203 (E.D. Cal. 2010) (“plaintiff’s claim arises out of debt collection activities beyond the scope of the ordinary foreclosure process” where “the gravamen of plaintiff’s claim is that [loan servicer] engaged in a pattern of improper misconduct in the course of servicing her loan”). Defendant’s reliance on this court’s decision in London v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., 2018, No. 2:17-cv-00687-KJM, 2018 WL 621262, at *8 (E.D. Cal. Jan. 29, 2018), is misplaced. This decision was superseded by London v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., 2018, No. 2:17-cv-00687-KJM, slip op. at 4 (E.D. Cal. Sept. 5, 2018), in which the court found plaintiff’s “alleged debt collection practices by Wells Fargo [were] sufficient to withstand a motion to dismiss.” Id. Plaintiff also pleads similar allegations to those at least one other court has found persuasive under the Rosenthal Act. In Schrupp v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., No. 2:16-00636 WBS KJN, 2016 WL 3753326, at *7 (E.D. Cal. July 13, 2016), the court reasoned multiple allegations in plaintiff’s complaint showed Wells Fargo “engaged in conduct beyond enforcing the original deed of trust.” Id. For instance, the plaintiff had alleged Wells Fargo made “false, deceptive, or misleading” statements to plaintiff about providing him a loan modification if he made trial period plan payments. I

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