Polidori v. Bank of America, N.A.

977 F. Supp. 2d 754, 2013 WL 5651432, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 147914
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Michigan
DecidedOctober 15, 2013
DocketNo. 13-13074
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 977 F. Supp. 2d 754 (Polidori v. Bank of America, N.A.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Michigan primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Polidori v. Bank of America, N.A., 977 F. Supp. 2d 754, 2013 WL 5651432, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 147914 (E.D. Mich. 2013).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANT’S MOTION TO DISMISS

PATRICK J. DUGGAN, District Judge.

Plaintiff Dwayne Polidori commenced this action against Defendant Bank of America, N.A. (“BANA”) in state court seeking to redress alleged improprieties in the foreclosure of his home. After removing the action to this Court, Defendant filed a motion seeking dismissal of Plaintiffs Complaint pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). Having determined that oral argument would not significantly aid the decisional process, the Court dispensed with oral argument pursuant to Eastern District of Michigan Local Rule 7.1(f)(2). For the reasons stated herein, the Court grants Defendant’s Motion and dismisses this action with prejudice.

I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

A. The Note, Mortgage, and Eventual Foreclosure

On March 31, 2005, Plaintiff Dwayne Polidori accepted a $118,500 loan from Quicken Loans, Inc. (“Quicken”), and, in exchange, executed a promissory note secured by a mortgage on real property located at 721 Champaign, Lincoln Park, Michigan (the “Property”). (Compl. ¶ 1; Note, Def.’s Mot. Ex. 1; Mortgage, Def.’s Mot. Ex. 2.) The mortgage, executed in favor of Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. (“MERS”) “solely as nominee for [Quicken (the Lender) ] and [Quicken’s] successors and assigns[,]” (Mortgage, Def.’s Mot. Ex. 2), was recorded with the Wayne County Register of Deeds on April 11, 2005, at Liber 41443, page 1201. On April 6, 2005, soon after completion of the mortgage transaction, Quicken transferred the loan servicing rights to Countrywide Home Loans, Inc. (Letter, Def.’s Mot. Ex. 3.) On September 21, 2011, MERS assigned the mortgage to BANA, successor by merger to BAC Home Loans Servicing, LP, formerly known as Countrywide Home Loans Services, LP. (Assignment, Def.’s Mot. Ex. 4.) This assignment was recorded. (Id.)

Sometime after obtaining the loan and executing the mortgage, “Plaintiff contacted [BANA] to advise that he was facing financial hardship” and to inquire about the possibility of obtaining a loan modification. (Compl. ¶ 8.) BANA’s representative informed Plaintiff that in order to modify the loan, he would have to stop making his monthly mortgage payments. (Id. at ¶ 9.) The representative did not, however, explain that failure to remit these monthly payments would cause Plaintiff to default under the terms of the loan agreement. (Id. at ¶ 10.) While “uneasy with the idea of not making his regularly scheduled payments, [Plaintiff] acquiesced[ because h]e was led to believe that as long as he followed [BANA’s] directions, he would be helped.” (Id. at ¶ 11.)

Once Plaintiff ceased making his payments, BANA mailed Plaintiff a loan modification package. (Id. at ¶ 12.) Plaintiff submitted all paperwork requested by BANA and even submitted some documents several times. (Id. at ¶ 13.) Despite his compliance with and reliance on BANA’s instructions, BANA did not approve Plaintiff for a loan modification. (Id. at ¶ 14.) Instead, BANA initiated foreclosure by advertisement proceedings pursuant to Michigan law.

BANA, acting through its agent, the law firm of Trott & Trott, published a notice of [758]*758foreclosure in the Detroit Legal News for four consecutive weeks on October 19, October 26, November 2, and November 9 and posted notice of the foreclosure sale on Plaintiffs door on October 20, 2012. (Aff. of Publication attach. Sheriffs Deed, Def.’s Mot. Ex. 5.) A sheriffs sale took place on December 20, 2012 and BANA purchased the Property for $150,501.83.1 (Sheriffs Deed, Def.’s Mot. Ex. 5.) The statutory redemption period expired on June 20, 2013, with Plaintiff failing to redeem.

B. Court Proceedings

On June 18, 2013, two days prior to the expiration of the statutory redemption period, Plaintiff initiated this action by filing a complaint in the Circuit Court for Wayne County in Wayne County, Michigan.2 (Compl. attach. Notice of Removal, Ex. 1 (hereinafter “Compl.”).) BANA timely removed the action to this Court on the basis of federal question and diversity jurisdiction on July 17, 2013. On July 23, 2013, the parties stipulated to extend BANA’s time to file an answer or otherwise respond to Plaintiffs Complaint until August 16, 2013 and on that date, BANA filed “Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss Complaint” pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). Defendant’s Motion, which is presently before the Court, seeks dismissal of each of the following counts contained in Plaintiffs Complaint: (1) Count I — Fraudulent Misrepresentation; (2) Count II — Estoppel; (3) Count III— Negligence; (4) Count TV — “Violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (State)”; and (5) Count V — “Violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (Federal).”

II. STANDARD OF REVIEW

A motion to dismiss pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) allows the Court to make an assessment as to whether a plaintiffs pleadings have stated a claim upon which relief may be granted. Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6). Under the Supreme Court’s articulation of the Rule 12(b)(6) standard in Bell Atlantic Corporation v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555-56, 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 1964-65, 1974, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007), the Court must construe the complaint in favor of the plaintiff and determine whether plaintiffs factual allegations present claims plausible on their face. This standard requires a claimant to put forth “enough fact[s] to raise a reasonable expectation that discovery will reveal evidence of’ the requisite elements of their claims. Id. at 557, 127 S.Ct. at 1965. Even though the complaint need not contain “detailed” factual allegations, its “factual allegations must be enough to raise a right to relief above the speculative level.” Ass’n of Cleveland Fire Fighters v. City of Cleveland, 502 F.3d 545, 548 (6th Cir.2007) (citing Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555, 127 S.Ct. at 1965) (internal citations omitted); see also Fed.R.Civ.P. 8(a)(2) (“A pleading that states a claim for relief must contain ... a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief[.]”).

In determining whether a plaintiff has set forth a “claim to relief that is plausible on its face,” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 1949, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009) (quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 570, 127 S.Ct. at 1974), courts must accept the factual allegations in the complaint as true, Twombly, 550 U.S. at 556, 127 S.Ct. [759]*759at 1965. This presumption, however, does not apply to legal conclusions. Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678, 129 S.Ct. at 1949.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
977 F. Supp. 2d 754, 2013 WL 5651432, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 147914, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/polidori-v-bank-of-america-na-mied-2013.