JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. v. Horvath

862 F. Supp. 2d 744, 2012 WL 995397, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 40314
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Ohio
DecidedMarch 23, 2012
DocketCase No. 2:11-cv-543
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 862 F. Supp. 2d 744 (JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. v. Horvath) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. v. Horvath, 862 F. Supp. 2d 744, 2012 WL 995397, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 40314 (S.D. Ohio 2012).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

EDMUND A. SARGUS, JR., District Judge.

This matter is before the Court on Plaintiffs Motion to Dismiss Defendants’ Counterclaim (Doc. No. 12), which is hereby GRANTED IN PART AND DENIED IN PART.

I. BACKGROUND

On July 20, 2006, Defendants Eriech and K.S. Horvath took out a residential mortgage loan from Plaintiff JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. (“Chase”). In March 2009, the Horvaths sought a loan modification from Chase. Ultimately, that loan modification request was denied.

On May 5, 2011, Chase filed a complaint in foreclosure in the Licking County, Ohio Court of Common Pleas. On June 20, 2011, the Horvath’s removed the case to this Court and on that same day filed an Answer and Counterclaim. (Doe. No. 4.) The Horvath’s allege throughout their counterclaim that they applied for a loan modification under the Home Affordable Modification Program (“HAMP”) and that Chase wrongfully denied the loan modification. The Horvath’s aver that after the loan modification was denied, Chase “advised [them] not to pay the mortgage, but that they should ‘not worry’ about being foreclosed upon.” (Doc. No. 4 at p. 10.)

On August 1, 2011, Chase filed a motion to dismiss the Horvath’s Counterclaim, which is ripe for review.

II. STANDARD

To survive a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim under Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure1 a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to “state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007); Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009) (clarifying the plausibility standard articulated in [747]*747Twombly). “A claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. at 1949. The factual allegations of a pleading “must be enough to raise a right to relief above the speculative level .... ” Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955.

III. ANALYSIS

The Horvaths allege the following causes of action in their Counterclaim: (1) promissory estoppel, (2) violations of the Ohio Consumer Sales Practices Act, Ohio Rev.Code § 1345.01, et seq. (“OCSPA”), (3) fraud, (4) breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, (5) violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1681, et seq. (“FCRA”), (6) negligent supervision, (7) violations of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, 12 U.S.C. § 2601, et seq. (“RESPA”), and (8) violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1692, et seq. (“FDCPA”). Chase argues that each of these claims fail because (A) HAMP provides no private cause of action for denials of a requested loan modification, and (B) they fail to state plausible claims for relief.

A. Home Affordable Modification Program

Many courts, including at least two sister district courts in Michigan, have determined whether or not HAMP provides a private right of action for failure to approve a loan modification. See Hart v. Countrywide Home Loans, Inc., 735 F.Supp.2d 741 (E.D.Mich.2010); Hubert v. PNC Bank, No. 10-13831, 2011 WL 4027417, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 102603 (E.D.Mich. Sept. 12, 2011). The Michigan courts, and virtually every court reviewing the issue, have held that HAMP does not provide for a private cause of action. See Hart, supra (noting that there is no express or implied right to sue fund recipients under HAMP because HAMP does not create a private right of action); Hubert, supra (“Virtually every court has held that HAMP does not provide for a private cause of action.”); Singh v. Wells Fargo Bank, No. 1:10-cv-1659, 2011 WL 66167, at *7, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3563, at *23 (E.D.Cal. Jan. 7, 2011) (“[I]t is well established that there is no private cause of action under HAMP.”); Cade v. BAC Home Loans Servicing, LP, No. H-10-4224, 2011 WL 2470733, at *2-3 (S.D.Tex. June 20, 2011) (“HAMP litigation is new and yet emerging; the majority of courts faced with HAMP questions, however, have determined that no private right of action to enforce lender compliance exists under HAMP.”); Inman v. Suntrust Mortg., Inc., No. 1:10-CV-1031, 2010 WL 3516309, at *2, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 91804, at *6 (E.D.Cal. Sept. 3, 2010) (“there is no private right of action provided under HAMP”); Zeller v. Aurora Loan Seros. LLC, No. 3:10-cv-00044, 2010 WL 3219134, at *1, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 80449, at *2 (W.D.Va. Aug. 10, 2010) (determining that HAMP does not create a private right of action for a borrower to recover for an alleged breach of a loan modification); Hoffman v. Bank of Amer., No. CIO-2121 SI, 2010 WL 2635773, *5, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 70455, *6 (N.D.Cal. June 30, 2010) (“Lenders are not required to make loan modifications for borrowers that qualify under HAMP nor does the servicer’s agreement confer an enforceable right on the borrower.”); Simon v. Bank of Am., N.A., No. 10-cv-00300, 2010 WL 2609436, at *10, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 63480, at *26-27 (D.Nev. June 23, 2010) (“Other courts have consistently held that the [HAMP] does not provide borrowers with a private cause of action against lenders.”); Marks v. Bank of Amer., N.A., No. 03:10-cv-08039, 2010 WL 2572988, at *4, [748]*7482010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 61489, at *13-15 (D.Ariz. June 22, 2010) (“Allowing such a large number of potential plaintiffs [by-conferring third-party beneficiary status under HAMP] clearly contravenes the purpose of the HAMP as an administrative tool to effectuate the goals of the [Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, 12 U.S.C. § 5201 et seq.]”).

Many courts rely upon Marks to explain why HAMP does not create a private right of action. The Marks court first concluded that the legislative history of HAMP demonstrates that there is no express private right of action in HAMP:

On October 8, 2008, President Bush signed into law the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (“EESA”). Section 109 required the Secretary of the Treasury (“the Secretary”) to take certain measures in order to encourage and facilitate loan modifications. 12 U.S.C. § 5219. However, Section 109 did not create any private right of action against servicers for grievances relating to the EESA.

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862 F. Supp. 2d 744, 2012 WL 995397, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 40314, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jp-morgan-chase-bank-na-v-horvath-ohsd-2012.