Lamaack v. Rocket Mortgage, Inc.

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedJune 23, 2025
Docket1:22-cv-00634
StatusUnknown

This text of Lamaack v. Rocket Mortgage, Inc. (Lamaack v. Rocket Mortgage, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lamaack v. Rocket Mortgage, Inc., (E.D. Cal. 2025).

Opinion

6 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 7 EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 8 9 10 CELIA P. LAMAACK, Case No. 1:22-cv-00634-KES-EPG 11 Plaintiff, FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS RECOMMENDING THAT DEFENDANT’S 12 v. MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT BE 13 GRANTED AND THIS CASE BE DISMISSED ROCKET MORTGAGE, INC., BASED ON SUMMARY JUDGMENT AND 14 FAILURE TO PROSECUTE Defendant.

15 (ECF No. 16)

17 18 This civil rights case arises from a loan issued to Plaintiff Celia P. Lamaack (“Plaintiff”) 19 by Rocket Mortgage, Inc. (“Defendant”). Plaintiff alleges that the loan was issued fraudulently 20 because, she contends, her late husband signed the loan documents without her permission. 21 Defendant has filed a motion for summary judgment on all of Plaintiff’s claims.1 (ECF 22 No. 16). Plaintiff has failed to fail any opposition to Defendant’s motion or otherwise indicate 23 she intends to prosecute this case. 24 \\\ 25 \\\ 26

27 1 On March 21, 2025, Defendant’s motion was referred to the undersigned to issue Findings and Recommendations. (ECF No. 25). 1 For the reasons stated below, the Court recommends granting Defendant’s motion for 2 summary judgment and issuing judgment for Defendant based on summary judgment and failure 3 to prosecute. 4 I. PLAINTIFF’S COMPLAINT Plaintiff Celia P. Lamaack commenced this action by filing a Complaint with the Clerk of 5 the Court for the State of California, County of Fresno on March 17, 2022. (ECF No. 1 at 7). 6 Thereafter, on May 25, 2022, the Defendant removed this case to the United States District Court 7 for the Eastern District of California on the basis of diversity jurisdiction. (Id. at 3). 8 Plaintiff’s Complaint asserts two causes of action: one claim for Financial Elder Abuse 9 and a second claim for Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress (“NIED”). (Id. at 3, 4). As to 10 her first claim, Plaintiff alleges that unbeknownst to her on or about September 30, 2015, 11 Defendant approved and funded a second mortgage in the amount of $118,650.00. Plaintiff 12 claims that her late husband signed her signature on all the documents without her permission. 13 As to her second claim, Plaintiff alleges that she suffered as a result of Defendant’s 14 outrageous, wrongful actions. 15 II. DEFENDANT’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT 16 On October 11, 2022, Defendants filed a motion for summary judgment. (ECF No. 16). 17 In its motion, Defendant asserts that Plaintiff was not the victim of fraud, but rather personally 18 took out the loan at issue with her late husband. (ECF No. 16-1 at 12-13). Defendant further 19 argues that both of Plaintiff’s claims are barred by the respective statutes of limitation. (Id. at 14- 20 15, 16-17). Defendant argues alternatively that Plaintiff has failed to establish that Defendant 21 committed fraud. (Id.at 15-16). Lastly, Defendant argues that Plaintiff’s NIED claim fails 22 because Defendant had no duty of care to Plaintiff. 23 In support of the motion for summary judgment, Defendant submits its telephone records from a conversation with Celia Lamaack August 8, 2022 (ECF No. 14-2), a Declaration from 24 Rocket Mortgage officer Scott King (ECF No. 14-4), the Uniform Residential Loan Application 25 signed by Celia Lamaack on September 1, 2025 (ECF 14-5), a Certification & Authorization, 26 Deposit Agreement, Property Disclosure, Loan Disclosure Summary forms from September 1, 27 2015 (ECF 14-6), a September 3, 2015 letter notifying Plaintiff that her loan was approved (ECF 28 1 14-7), a final copy of the Uniform Residential Loan Application signed by Celia Lamaack on 2 September 30, 2015 (ECF No. 14-8), a Promissory Note signed by Celia Lamaack on September 3 30, 2015 (ECF 14-9), a notarized Deed of Trust, signed by Celia and Hans Lamaack on 4 September 30, 2015 (ECF No. 14-10), a notarized affidavit from Celia Lamaack, certifying that her legal signature is contained on the aforementioned documents (ECF No. 14-11), a notarized 5 identify verification and acknowledgment certification for Celia and Hans Lamaack (ECF No. 14- 6 12), a Settlement Statement signed by Celia Lamaack on September 30, 2015 (ECF No. 14-13), a 7 TSI Title Company of California record of Payment to Celia Lamaack (ECF No. 14-14, ECF No. 8 14-15), records of nineteen checks paid from Celia Lamaack’s bank account from December 1, 9 2016 to October 2, 2017 (ECF No. 14-16), a COVID-19 Forbearance Plan approval for Celia 10 Lamaack’s loan (ECF No. 14-17), a Supplemental Delinquency Notice from October 16, 2020, 11 notifying Plaintiff that her loan payment was overdue (ECF No. 14-18), a letter from Celia 12 Lamaack to Quicken Loans dated September 15, 2020, disputing the loan as fraudulent (ECF No. 13 14-19), and Quicken Loans’ response letter dated November 2, 2020 (ECF No. 14-20). 14 Plaintiff never filed an opposition to this motion. Local Rule 230 states that “[a] failure to 15 file a timely opposition may also be construed by the Court as a non-opposition to the motion.” 16 On November 1, 2022, Defendant filed a “Notice of Non-Receipt of Opposition to Motion 17 for Summary Judgment of Defendant Rocket Mortgage, LLC,” within which Defendant notified 18 the Court that Plaintiff failed to file an opposition. (ECF No. 18). On January 9, 2024, Defendant 19 filed a Response, stating its belief that “the case has been abandoned.” (ECF No. 23 at 2). 20 On March 31, 2025, United States District Judge Kirk E. Sherriff referred the motion for 21 summary judgment to the undersigned for Findings and Recommendations. (ECF. 25). On April 22 1, 2025, the Court ordered Plaintiff to file a status report stating whether she intends to prosecute 23 this case or request for voluntary dismissal by May 1, 2025. (ECF No. 26). Plaintiff did not file a status report or otherwise respond to the minute order. 24 III. UNDISPUTED FACTS 25 Unless otherwise indicated, the facts set forth in this section are drawn from facts asserted 26 by Defendants in their statement of the undisputed facts, which are not opposed by Plaintiff. 27 28 1 On or about June 5, 2014, Rocket Mortgage extended a mortgage loan to Plaintiff, (“Loan 2 3991”), which was secured by her primary residence. On or about September 1, 2015, Plaintiff 3 submitted a “Uniform Residential Loan Application” to Rocket Mortgage bearing the “lender 4 case number” XXXXXX9016 (“Loan 9016”). Plaintiff sought Loan 9016 as a second mortgage 5 loan for the purpose of refinancing her first loan, Loan 3991. 6 On September 30, 2015, Plaintiff attended the closing of Loan 9016 at a Starbucks coffee 7 shop located at 4441 W. Ashlan Avenue, Fresno, California 93722. During the closing, Plaintiff 8 executed a “Note” in the principal amount of $118,650.00, with the first payment due to Rocket 9 Mortgage on December 1, 2015. Furthermore, Plaintiff and her late husband Hans Lamaack both 10 executed a “Deed of Trust,” which granted Rocket Mortgage a security interest in their residence. 11 On Page 18 of the Deed of Trust, Notary Public Loren G. Lewis certified under penalty of perjury that on September 30, 2015, Celia P. Lamaack personally appeared before her and 12 presented evidence of her identity. That same date, the Notary also executed an “Identity 13 Verification and Acknowledgment Certification,” within which she attested that both Celia and 14 Hans Laamack appeared before her and presented government issued identification. Also on that 15 date, Plaintiff executed a “Signature/Name Affidavit” on which the Notary attested to Plaintiff’s 16 identity and signature. 17 During the September 30 closing, Plaintiff also executed a “Settlement Statement,” which 18 states that upon closing Loan 9016, Plaintiff would receive $5,179.45. On October 7, 2015, TSI 19 Title issued a check payable to Celia P. and Hans Lamaack in that amount. Later, TSI Tile issued 20 a check to the Lamaacks on October 27, 2015 in the amount of $68.43 for a refund of collected 21 taxes. The check is endorsed by Celia P.

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Lamaack v. Rocket Mortgage, Inc., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lamaack-v-rocket-mortgage-inc-caed-2025.