Meyer v. Fay Servicing, LLC

385 F. Supp. 3d 1235
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Florida
DecidedMay 6, 2019
DocketCase No: 2:19-cv-88-FtM-38UAM
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 385 F. Supp. 3d 1235 (Meyer v. Fay Servicing, LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Meyer v. Fay Servicing, LLC, 385 F. Supp. 3d 1235 (M.D. Fla. 2019).

Opinion

SHERI POLSTER CHAPPELL, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

*1238Before the Court is Defendant Fay Servicing, LLC's ("Fay Servicing") Motion to Dismiss (Doc. 7) filed on March 12, 2019, and Defendant McCalla, Raymer, Leibert, Pierce, LLC's ("MRLP") Motion to Dismiss (Doc. 12) filed on April 1, 2019. On March 26, 2019, and April 22, 2019, Plaintiff Paul Meyer ("Meyer") filed Memorandums of Law in Opposition to Defendants' motions and requested a hearing. (Docs. 11; 15). For the following reasons, Defendants' motions are granted in part and denied in part and Plaintiff's motion for a hearing is denied.

BACKGROUND2

This is an action brought under the Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1692, et seq. ("FDCPA"), and Florida's Consumer Collection Practices Act, Fla. Stat. § 559, et. seq. ("FCCPA") for an unlawful debt collection (collectively the "Acts"). (Doc. 1). Fay Servicing, a debt collection company, acquired Meyer's delinquent home mortgage. (Id. at ¶ 9). On October 29, 2018, Meyer, through counsel, requested reinstatement and payoff figures for his loan. (Doc. 1-1). Nine days later, Meyer received a demand letter from MRLP, a law firm providing debt collection services. (Id. ). The letter outlined the amounts required to pay off and reinstate Meyer's mortgage. (Id. ). Meyer alleges the letter fails to properly itemize and disclose all the fees and costs included in the reinstatement amount and fails to specify what fees are included in the "corporate advances" category (Doc. 1 at ¶ 12). He is therefore unable to determine the validity of the amounts alleged to be owed to Fay Servicing. Consequently, Meyer maintains this letter violates the FDCPA and FCCPA.

Defendants move to dismiss the Complaint under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1) and (6). First, Defendants argue Plaintiff lacks standing and, therefore, this Court should dismiss the Complaint for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. (Docs. 7 at 8-9; 12 at 3-5). Next, Defendants argue Meyer fails to state a claim for relief under the FCCPA and FDCPA. (Docs. 7 at 4-7; 12 at 3-7). Lastly, MRLP contends this Court should refrain from exercising supplemental jurisdiction over Plaintiff's FCCPA counts. (Doc. 12 at 7-8). The Court addresses these arguments below.

STANDARDS OF REVIEW

Motions to dismiss based upon lack of standing "attack the court's subject matter jurisdiction, and are therefore considered pursuant to Rule 12(b)(1)." Honeywell v. Harihar Inc , No. 218CV618FTM29MRM, 2018 WL 6304839, at *2 (M.D. Fla. Dec. 3, 2018) (citing *1239Finstad v. Fla., Dep't of Bus. & Prof'l Regulation , 2007 WL 3451000, *1 (M.D. Fla. Nov. 14, 2007) ; Doe v. Pryor , 344 F.3d 1282, 1284 (11th Cir. 2003) ). A defendant's attack on subject matter jurisdiction occurs in two forms: facial and factual. See Garcia v. Copenhaver, Bell & Associates, M.D.'s PA , 104 F.3d 1256, 1260 (11th Cir. 1997) (citing Lawrence v. Dunbar , 919 F.2d 1525, 1528-29 (11th Cir. 1990) ). When there is a facial attack, like Defendants raise here, the Court takes the allegations in the complaint as true in deciding the motion. See Morrison v. Amway Corp. , 323 F.3d 920, 924 n.5 (11th Cir. 2003) ).

When considering a motion to dismiss under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6), the court must accept all factual allegations as true and view them in a light most favorable to the plaintiff. See Ashcroft v. Iqbal , 556 U.S. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009). This preferential standard of review, however, does not permit all pleadings adorned with facts to survive to the next stage of litigation. The Supreme Court has been clear on this point - a district court should dismiss a claim where a party fails to plead facts that make the claim facially plausible. See Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly , 550 U.S. 544, 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007). A claim is facially plausible when the court can draw a reasonable inference, based on the facts pled, that the opposing party is liable for the alleged misconduct. See Iqbal , 556 U.S. at 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937. This plausibility standard requires "more than a sheer possibility that a defendant has acted unlawfully." See id. (citing Twombly , 550 U.S. at 557, 127 S.Ct. 1955

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385 F. Supp. 3d 1235, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/meyer-v-fay-servicing-llc-flmd-2019.