Rhodes v. Marix Servicing, LLC

302 F. Supp. 3d 656
CourtDistrict Court, D. New Jersey
DecidedMarch 20, 2018
DocketCivil Action No. 12–1636 (MAS) (DEA)
StatusPublished
Cited by45 cases

This text of 302 F. Supp. 3d 656 (Rhodes v. Marix Servicing, LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. New Jersey primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rhodes v. Marix Servicing, LLC, 302 F. Supp. 3d 656 (D.N.J. 2018).

Opinion

Michael A. Shipp, United States District Judge

This matter comes before the Court on four motions: (1) Plaintiffs Melissa Rhodes ("Mrs. Rhodes") and William Rhodes's ("Mr. Rhodes") (collectively, "Plaintiffs") Motion for Partial Summary Judgment (ECF No. 59), opposed by Marix Servicing, LLC ("Marix") (ECF No. 72), EMC Mortgage Corporation ("EMC") and Residential Credit Solutions ("Residential") (ECF No. 73), and Zucker Goldberg & Ackerman ("Zucker") (ECF No. 76), and to which Plaintiffs replied (ECF No. 80); (2) Zucker's Cross-Motion to Strike Portions of Plaintiffs' Motion for Summary Judgment (ECF No. 76), which Plaintiffs opposed (ECF No. 80); (3) EMC and Residential's Motion for Summary Judgment (ECF No. 58), which Plaintiffs opposed (ECF No. 75), and to which EMC and Residential replied (ECF No. 79); and (4) Zucker's Motion for Summary Judgment (ECF No. 60), which Plaintiffs opposed (ECF No. 74), and to which Zucker replied (ECF No. 78).

The Court has reviewed the parties' submissions and heard oral argument on February 22, 2018. For the reasons set forth below: (1) Plaintiffs' Motion for Partial Summary Judgment is denied; (2) Zucker's Cross-Motion to Strike is denied; (3) EMC and Residential's Motion for Summary Judgment is denied in part and granted in part; and (4) Zucker's Motion for Summary Judgment is denied in part and granted in part.

I. Factual Background

A. Undisputed Facts

The underlying dispute in this matter arises from Plaintiffs' mortgage in the amount of $142,500.00, obtained in November 2001 from SIB Mortgage Corporation. (Pls.' Statement of Undisputed Facts ("Pls.' SUMF") ¶ 1, ECF No. 59-1)1 The loan was thereafter sold to EMC, which also acted as the loan servicer until EMC transferred servicing rights to America's Home Servicing ("AHS") in November 2005. (Id. ¶ 2.)2 Plaintiffs subsequently defaulted on their mortgage payments to AHS. (Zucker's Statement of Material Facts ("Zucker's SUMF") ¶ 5, ECF No. 60-5.) On September 1, 2006, Mrs. Rhodes filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy. (Pls.' SUMF ¶ 3.) AHS retained Zucker to represent *660it in the bankruptcy proceedings as an agent and servicer for EMC. (Id. ¶ 4; Zucker's SUMF ¶ 7; Zucker's Response to Pls.' SUMF ¶ 4, ECF No. 77.)

On February 20, 2007, Plaintiffs' bankruptcy plan was confirmed by the Bankruptcy Court, which entered an Order confirming the plan on March 22. 2007. (Zucker's SUMF ¶ 8.) On October 20, 2010, Mrs. Rhodes certified that all payments under the plan were completed, and two days later, on October 22, 2010, the bankruptcy court entered a discharge order ("Discharge Order"). (Id. ¶ 10; Pls.' SUMF ¶ 8.) While this was occurring, around August 2010 and prior to issuance of the Discharge Order, AHS transferred servicing of the mortgage to Defendant Marix. (Pls.' SUMF ¶ 9.) Marix has maintained that as of the date it began servicing the loan, Plaintiffs were in default. (Id. ¶ 10.) Plaintiffs, however, dispute that they were in default on the loan. In January 2011, Plaintiffs, through their attorney, sent a letter to Marix and Zucker claiming that the loan was not in default. (Id. ¶¶ 11-13; Zucker's Response to Pls.' SUMF ¶ 14.) Marix did not respond. (Pls.' SUMF ¶ 13.) In February 2011, Marix sent another Notice of Default directly to Plaintiffs. (Id. ¶ 15.) Plaintiffs responded, through their attorney, by sending another letter to Marix, dated February 23, 2011, advising Marix that Plaintiffs were represented by counsel and claiming that Plaintiffs were not in default on their loan obligations. (Id. ¶¶ 16-17). In March 2011, Marix again sent a Notice of Default directly to Plaintiffs. (Id. ¶ 18.) Plaintiffs again responded, through counsel, with another letter to Marix, dated March 31, 2011, advising that Plaintiffs were not in default. (Id. ¶ 19; Manx's Response to Pls.' SUMF ¶ 19, ECF No. 72-23.) In April 2011, Marix sent another Notice of Default to Plaintiffs.3 (Pls.' SUMF ¶ 22.) Marix also attempted to communicate with the borrowers telephonically and did not communicate with Plaintiffs' attorney until Plaintiffs executed a letter in December 2011 authorizing Marix to communicate with their attorney. (Id. ¶ 24; Marix's Response to Pls.' SUMF ¶ 24.)

Plaintiffs continued to make payments on their mortgage throughout the relevant period, and all payments were accepted by Marix until December 2011, when Marix rejected the payment and returned it to Plaintiffs. (Pls.' SUMF ¶¶ 27-28; Marix's Response to Pls.' SUMF ¶¶ 27-28.) In January 2012, Marix retained Zucker to represent it with respect to Plaintiffs' loan. (Pls.' SUMF ¶ 29.) In March 2012, Plaintiffs filed their original Complaint against Marix and EMC. (Id. ¶ 31.) On March 20, 2012, Zucker served Plaintiffs with a Notice of Intent to Foreclose ("NOI"). (Id. ¶ 32.) The NOI contained a reproduced facsimile signature of Leonard Zucker. (Id. ¶ 33.) On April 1, 2012, EMC transferred the servicing of the loan from Marix to Residential. (Id. ¶ 37.) Plaintiffs then filed an Amended Complaint adding Residential and Zucker as Defendants on March 23, 2012, (Id. ¶ 39.) On July 17, 2012, Residential served Plaintiffs with a Notice of Intent to Foreclose ("Residential NOI"). (Id. ¶ 41.) During the time that Residential serviced the loan, it reported negative information about Mr. Rhodes to the credit reporting agencies. (Id. ¶ 43.)

B. Disputed Facts

Several facts are in dispute, the most important of which is whether Plaintiffs *661were actually in default on the loan. (Id. ¶¶ 10-11; Marix's Response to Pls.' SUMF ¶¶ 10-11; Zucker's Response to Pls.' SUMF ¶ 10-11; Zucker's SUMF ¶ 16.) In addition, the parties disagree about the contents and implications of the letters sent by Plaintiffs' counsel (Pls.' SUMF ¶¶ 11-14, 16, 18-19; Marix's Response to Pls.' SUMF ¶¶ 11-43, 16, 18-19; Zucker's Response to Pls.' SUMF ¶¶ 11-14, 16, 18-19); the basis for certain fees sought by Defendants (Pls.' SUMF ¶¶ 26, 36; Zucker's Response to Pls.' SUMF ¶¶ 26, 36; Zucker's SUMF ¶¶ 13-15; Pls.' Response to Zucker's SUMF ¶¶ 13-16, ECF No. 74-1); and the amount of oversight that Zucker had over the notices that issued with his signature (Pls.' SUMF ¶¶ 34-36; Zucker's Response to Pls.' SUMF ¶¶ 34-36).

II. Legal Standard

Summary judgment is appropriate if the record shows "that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law." Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a) ; see Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc. , 477 U.S. 242, 250, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986).

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302 F. Supp. 3d 656, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rhodes-v-marix-servicing-llc-njd-2018.