McGrew v. Countrywide Home Loans, Inc.

628 F. Supp. 2d 1237, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 57364, 2009 WL 1803455
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. California
DecidedMay 27, 2009
Docket3:08-cr-01831
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 628 F. Supp. 2d 1237 (McGrew v. Countrywide Home Loans, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McGrew v. Countrywide Home Loans, Inc., 628 F. Supp. 2d 1237, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 57364, 2009 WL 1803455 (S.D. Cal. 2009).

Opinion

628 F.Supp.2d 1237 (2009)

Carlos McGREW, et al., Plaintiffs,
v.
COUNTRYWIDE HOME LOANS, INC., et al., Defendant.

Case No. 08-CV-1831 DMS (BLM).

United States District Court, S.D. California.

May 27, 2009.

*1239 Nicole Rae Gallagher, The Law Office of Nicole R. Gallagher, Chula Vista, CA, for Plaintiffs.

Chaise Richard Bivin, Jane K. Lee, Severson & Werson, Irvine, CA, Darin Lee Wessel, Manning & Marder Kass Ellrod Ramirez LLP, Los Angeles, CA, for Defendant.

ORDER GRANTING IN PART AND DENYING IN PART DEFENDANT'S MOTION TO DISMISS

DANA M. SABRAW, District Judge.

Pending before the Court is a motion to dismiss pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) filed by Defendant Countrywide Home Loans, Inc. ("Countrywide").[1] (Doc. 18.) The Court finds this matter suitable for submission without oral argument. See Civil Local Rule 7.1.d.1. For the following reasons, the motion is granted in part and denied in part.

Plaintiffs Carlos and Laura McGrew purchased a home financed by a negatively-amortizing adjustable-rate mortgage. Plaintiffs contend they were coerced into taking the home loan due to Defendants' false statements and predatory under-writing and lending tactics. Plaintiffs' First Amended Complaint (FAC) alleges, as against Countrywide, six claims for relief: (1) violation of the Truth in Lending Act ("TILA"), 15 U.S.C. § 1641; (2) breach of a fiduciary duty under TILA, 15 U.S.C. *1240 § 1639a; (3) violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 ("TCPA"), 47 U.S.C. § 227 and 47 C.F.R. § 64.1200; (4) violation of California's Unfair Competition Law (" § 17200"), Cal. Bus. & Prof.Code § 17200, et seq.; violation of California's Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ("Rosenthal Act"), Cal. Civ.Code § 1788, et seq.; and (5) a declaration under Cal.Civ.Proc.Code § 1060 of Countrywide's right to foreclose on Plaintiffs' home absent possession of the original note.

I.

LEGAL STANDARDS

A. Motion to Dismiss Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6)

A motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6) tests the legal sufficiency of the claims asserted in the complaint. Navarro v. Block, 250 F.3d 729, 732 (9th Cir.2001). Dismissal of a claim is warranted under Rule 12(b)(6) when the claim lacks a cognizable legal theory or there are insufficient facts alleged to support plaintiff's theory. Balistreri v. Pacifica Police Dep't, 901 F.2d 696, 699 (9th Cir.1990). Although "a complaint need not contain detailed factual allegations ... it must plead `enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.'" Clemens v. DaimlerChrysler Corp., 534 F.3d 1017, 1022 (9th Cir. 2008) (quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955). Resolution of a Rule 12(b)(6) motion requires the court to: (1) construe the complaint in the light most favorable to the plaintiff; (2) accept all well-pleaded factual allegations as true; and (3) determine whether plaintiff can prove any set of facts to support a claim that would merit relief. Cahill v. Liberty Mut. Ins. Co., 80 F.3d 336, 337-338 (9th Cir.1996).

The scope of review under Rule 12(b)(6) is generally limited to the contents of the complaint. Clegg v. Cult Awareness Network, 18 F.3d, 752, 754 (9th Cir.1994). If a complaint fails to state a claim, the court should grant leave to amend unless it determines that the pleading could not possibly be cured by the allegation of other facts. Doe v. United States, 58 F.3d 494, 497 (9th Cir.1995). Leave to amend, however, may be denied where a complaint previously has been amended, or where amendment would be futile. Allen v. City of Beverly Hills, 911 F.2d 367, 373 (9th Cir.1990).

II.

DISCUSSION

Countrywide seeks dismissal for failure to state a claim on the six claims for relief asserted by Plaintiffs against it. Each is addressed in turn.

A. TILA Claim

Plaintiffs concede that their TILA damages claim is time-barred pursuant to TILA's one year limitations period. See 15 U.S.C. § 1640(e); Meyer v. Ameriquest Mortg. Co., 342 F.3d 899, 902 (9th Cir. 2003). Because amendment would be futile, this claim is dismissed with prejudice.

B. Breach of Fiduciary Duty (TILA)

Plaintiffs allege that Countrywide owes them a fiduciary duty under TILA's newly-enacted section 129A(a). Existing contractual obligations notwithstanding, that section provides that a servicer of pooled residential mortgages owes "a duty to maximize the net present value of the pooled mortgages in an investment to all investors and parties having a direct or indirect interest in such investment, not to any individual party or group of parties." 15 U.S.C. § 1639a(a)(1). Read as a whole, *1241 the new provision does not create liability; rather, it protects servicers from claims of a breach of fiduciary duty if they revise or refinance a mortgage that is in default, when the mortgage is part of a mortgage pool. See id., at § 1639a(a)(1)-(2). Moreover, Countrywide correctly argues that there is no evidence that Congress intended to create a private right of action for borrowers under 15 U.S.C. § 1639a. Plaintiffs, as borrowers, do not have an interest in a mortgage pool. See generally Chase Manhattan Mortg. Corp. v. Advanta Corp., No. Civ.A.01-507 KAJ, 2005 WL 2234608, *1 (D.Del. Sept. 8, 2005) (describing typical mortgage securitization and duties of servicers owed to investors). Because Plaintiffs fail to allege facts demonstrating Countrywide owed them a duty by virtue their direct or indirect interest in a residential mortgage pool serviced by Countrywide, Plaintiffs fail to state a claim. Accordingly, the motion is granted with leave to amend as to this claim.

C. TCPA Claim

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Bluebook (online)
628 F. Supp. 2d 1237, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 57364, 2009 WL 1803455, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mcgrew-v-countrywide-home-loans-inc-casd-2009.