Okyere v. Palisades Collection, LLC

961 F. Supp. 2d 508, 2013 WL 1173992, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 40840
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedMarch 22, 2013
DocketNo. 12 Civ. 1453(GWG)
StatusPublished
Cited by35 cases

This text of 961 F. Supp. 2d 508 (Okyere v. Palisades Collection, LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Okyere v. Palisades Collection, LLC, 961 F. Supp. 2d 508, 2013 WL 1173992, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 40840 (S.D.N.Y. 2013).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

GABRIEL W. GORENSTEIN, United States Magistrate Judge.

In this action, plaintiff Johnson Poku Okyere brings claims against defendants Todd Houslanger, Houslanger and Associates, PLLC (collectively, the “Houslanger Defendants”), and Palisades Collection, LLC (“Palisades”) for violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1692 et seq. (the “FDCPA”), and conversion. Okyere has also sued Ronald Moses, a New York City Marshal, for con[510]*510version only. Moses and the Houslanger Defendants have moved to dismiss all claims against them under Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6) for failure to state a claim. Palisades has moved for judgment on the pleadings under Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(c). For the reasons stated below, these motions are granted, and the First Amended Complaint is dismissed with prejudice as to the federal claims and without prejudice as to the state claims.

I. BACKGROUND

We assume the allegations of the amended complaint to be true and summarize them only to the extent necessary to dispose of the defendants’ motions.

A. Factual Background

In 2004, Palisades filed a lawsuit against Okyere in Bronx County Civil Court seeking a judgment on a debt owed to Discover Card, which had been assigned to Palisades. See Summons and Complaint, dated Jan. 12, 2004 (annexed as Ex. A to Plaintiffs First Amended Complaint and Jury Demand, filed June 7, 2012 (Docket # 24) (“Compl.” or “complaint”)). On May 17, 2004, a default judgment was entered against Okyere in the amount of $3954.03. See Judgment on Default, dated May 17, 2004 (annexed as Ex. A to Compl.). This judgment was procured based on a false affidavit of service. Compl. ¶ 12.

Nearly seven years later, on March 30, 2011, Moses restrained Okyere’s bank account in order to execute the judgment. Id. ¶ 14; Computer Records of Marshal Moses related to Mr. Okyere, dated Nov. 17, 2011 (annexed as Ex. E to Compl.) (“Moses Records”), at 000062. Okyere believed the restraint related to a judgment with a different index number, which had been satisfied through a prior income execution. Compl. ¶ 16.

On April 25, 2011, Okyere, acting pro se, filed an order to show cause to vacate the default judgment and return the restrained funds. Id. ¶ 17; Order to Show Cause, dated Apr. 25, 2011 (annexed as Ex. C to Compl.). Okyere stated that he had never been served and requested a stay of further enforcement of the judgment pending resolution of the motion. Compl. ¶ 18. On April 25, 2011, the same day the motion was filed, Judge R. Franco signed the order to show cause and set a hearing date for May 5, 2011. Id. ¶ 19; Order to Show Cause. The order stated that all enforcement proceedings were “stayed” pending the hearing. Id. A copy of the order was mailed “on or before April 28, 2011” to both Moses and Mel S. Harris, the attorney who represented Palisades when the lawsuit was originally filed. Id. ¶¶ 11, 20. On April 29, 2011, Harris received the order to show cause, and on May 2, 2011, he contacted Palisades about representing it at the May 5 hearing. Id. ¶¶ 21-23. On May 3, 2011, Palisades informed Harris that it would arrange for a different attorney to represent it at the May 5 hearing. Id. ¶ 24.

“On or before May 2, 2011,” Moses received a copy of the order to show cause. Id. ¶ 26; Moses Records at 000062. On the same day, a “payout request/reminder” was sent from Moses’s office to Okyere’s bank. Compl. ¶ 27; Moses Records at 000062. On May 11, 2011, the bank issued a check in the amount of $2513.30 to Moses. Compl. ¶ 28. On May 16, 2011, Moses cashed the check and took out his own fee. Id. ¶ 29.

In the meantime, on May 4, 2011, the Houslanger Defendants filed an opposition to the order to show cause, at the direction of Palisades. Id. ¶ 32. At this point, the Houslanger Defendants had possession of the order staying execution of the judgment. Id. ¶ 33. Because no notice of sub[511]*511stitution of counsel was filed during this time period, Okyere did not know who actually represented Palisades. Id. ¶¶ 35, 38.

On May 5, 2011, the court adjourned the hearing on the order to show cause until May 12, 2011. Id. ¶ 39. On May 12, 2011, Judge Lizbeth Gonzalez issued an order vacating the judgment against Okyere. Id. ¶ 41; Decision/Order, dated May 12, 2011 (annexed as Ex. 1 to Plaintiffs Response in Opposition to Motion to Dismiss [DE 27-29] of Houslanger Defendants, filed July 13, 2012 (Docket # 39) (“PL Resp. to Houslanger Defs.’ MTD”)).1 The order stated, “all restraints, levies, liens and executions issued by the plaintiff against the defendant’s bank accounts are lifted. All monies, including fees, in the possession of the plaintiff, City Marshall [sic] or other agent, shall be returned to the defendant forth[with].” Compl. ¶ 41; Decision/Order. At the May 12, 2012, hearing, Palisades was present “through the Houslanger Defendants,” Compl. ¶ 43, yet “[n]one of Defendants complied with the order to return the money ‘forthfwith].’” Id.

On May 13, 2011, Palisades and the Houslanger Defendants, “through Marshal Moses,” took $2513.30 from Okyere’s bank account, and Moses held $2371.78 in trust for Palisades and the Houslanger Defendants. Id. ¶ 45; Moses Records at 000066. On May 18, 2011, Palisades requested, through the Houslanger Defendants, that Moses continue to hold Okyere’s money in trust for 60 additional days. Compl. ¶ 48; Moses Records at 000063. On June 14, 2011, Judge Barbato ordered Palisades to serve discovery on Okyere within 45 days, an order Palisades ignored. Compl. ¶ 49. Okyere then sent a letter to Palisades “via Houslanger Defendants,” which attached a copy of the May 12, 2011 Order and reminded both Palisades and the Houslanger Defendants to return the money. Id. ¶ 50.

On June 28, 2011, Moses asked the Houslanger Defendants about the status of Okyere’s order to show cause. Id. ¶ 51; Moses Records at 000063. The Houslanger Defendants “declined to inform” Moses that the judgement against Okyere had been vacated “or affirmatively misrepresented to the Marshal the status of the court orders.” Compl. ¶ 51. On July 18, 2011, the Houslanger Defendants again asked Moses to continue holding Okyere’s funds in trust for another 60 days. Id. ¶ 52; Moses Records at 000063. On August 23, 2011, the Houslanger Defendants reiterated this request. Compl. ¶ 53; Moses Records at 000063. On August 31, 2011, a notice of “Consent to Change Attorney” was filed, in which Palisades consented to the substitution of the Houslanger Defendants for Harris as Palisades’ attorney. Compl. ¶ 54. Okyere did not receive a copy of this notice. Id. ¶ 55. On September 16, 2011, the Houslanger Defendants again instructed Moses to hold Okyere’s money in trust for 60 additional days. Id. ¶ 58; Moses Records at 000063. The Houslanger Defendants made the same request on November 15, 2011. Compl. ¶ 59; Moses Records at 000063. On November 17, 2011, Moses returned [512]*512$2513.30 to Okyere. Compl. ¶ 61; Moses Records at 000063-64.

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961 F. Supp. 2d 508, 2013 WL 1173992, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 40840, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/okyere-v-palisades-collection-llc-nysd-2013.