Richardson v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.

873 F. Supp. 2d 800, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 90697, 2012 WL 2511169
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Texas
DecidedJune 29, 2012
DocketNo. 4:11-CV-359-A
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 873 F. Supp. 2d 800 (Richardson v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Richardson v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., 873 F. Supp. 2d 800, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 90697, 2012 WL 2511169 (N.D. Tex. 2012).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION and ORDER

JOHN McBRYDE, District Judge.

Now before the court are the motion for summary judgment and supplemental motion for summary judgment filed in the above action by defendants, Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. (“Wells Fargo”), and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”).1 Plaintiff, Pamela Richardson,2 filed a response to defendants’ first motion, to which defendants filed a reply; plaintiff filed nothing in response to the supplemental motion. Having now considered all of the parties’ filings, the entire summary judgment record, including defendants’ original and supplemental appendices and the appendix submitted by plaintiff with her response, as well as applicable legal authorities, the court concludes that the motions should be granted.

I.

Plaintiff’s Claims

Plaintiff initiated this removed action by the filing on April 19, 2011, of her original petition in the District Court of Tarrant County, Texas, 342nd Judicial District, asserting claims and causes of action related to Wells Fargo’s foreclosure of plaintiffs property and Freddie Mac’s attempts to evict her therefrom. On April 11, 2012, plaintiff filed a first amended complaint that was substantially similar to the original state court petition, asserting claims and causes of action for breach of contract and anticipatory breach of contract, breach of common law tort of unreasonable collection efforts, claims under the Texas Consumer Credit Code/Debt Collection Prac[805]*805tices Act (“TDCPA”), Texas Finance Code §§ 392.001-392.404, negligent misrepresentation, and suit to quiet title and trespass to try title. Plaintiff also alleged “malice,” requested an accounting, and sought a declaratory judgment that: plaintiff did not breach the deed of trust; defendants had no standing, or alternatively, waived their right, to foreclose; defendants wrongfully attempted to foreclose on plaintiffs property; Wells Fargo breached the deed of trust and had no standing to foreclose; and, the lien was invalid.

On May 31, 2012, plaintiff filed her second amended complaint (“Complaint”). The Complaint was virtually identical to the first amended complaint, with the addition of causes of action for wrongful foreclosure and wrongful eviction.3

II.

The Summary Judgment Motions

Defendants argued for summary judgment on the following grounds: all of plaintiffs claims are preempted by the National Bank Act; plaintiffs breach of contract and anticipatory breach of contract claims fail because Wells Fargo sent all notices as required, plaintiff failed to perform her obligations under the loan documents, plaintiff cannot state a claim based on any breach by defendants of an alleged duty of good faith, plaintiff cannot establish her claims based on an alleged unilateral contract or pursuant to any alleged waiver of right to foreclose, and her anticipatory breach of contract claim is unsupported by facts or law.

As to plaintiffs wrongful foreclosure and wrongful eviction claims, defendants argued that plaintiff cannot establish the elements of wrongful foreclosure, and her wrongful eviction claim fails because no evidence shows the foreclosure was wrongful.

Defendants also moved for summary judgment on the grounds that: plaintiffs claim of unreasonable collection efforts fails because defendants did not engage in any egregious or unreasonable collection activity; defendants did not engage in conduct prohibited by the TDCPA; plaintiff cannot show that defendants engaged in any activity as would support a claim of malice; plaintiffs negligent misrepresentation claim fails due to the statute of frauds, the existence of a contract between the parties, and the economic loss rule, as well as due to plaintiffs inability to show detrimental reliance on any alleged misrepresentation; plaintiffs suit to quiet title and trespass to try title claims fail because plaintiff cannot establish the strength of her own title in light of the foreclosure, nor can she show that Freddie Mac’s ownership of the property is improper or that the foreclosure was wrongful.

Defendants also argued that plaintiff cannot show that she is entitled to an accounting because it is a remedy, not a cause of action, and her request for declaratory judgment fails as a result of the failure of her other claims.

III.

Undisputed Facts

The following facts are undisputed in the summary judgment record:

[806]*806On or about December 21, 2006, plaintiff and her then-husband, Grayton Koenig (“Koenig”), executed a deed of trust to secure payment of a promissory note in the amount of $240,950.00. The note and deed of trust secured the refinancing of plaintiffs property located in Grapevine, Tarrant County, Texas. Plaintiff was required to make payments of $2,212.04 on the first of each month. However, due to personal circumstances, plaintiff defaulted on her loan payments. By September 15, 2009, plaintiff had not paid her monthly payments for July, August, and September 2009. Consequently, on September 27, 2009, Wells Fargo sent plaintiff a letter notifying her of the default and informing her of the total amount needed to bring the account current. The letter warned plaintiff that unless she brought the account current by October 27, 2009, Wells Fargo would accelerate the note and pursue remedies permitted in the note and deed of trust.

Plaintiff subsequently applied to Wells Fargo for a loan modification. “Subject to Wells Fargo’s initial review of the financial documents Plaintiff submitted,” she was approved for a “temporary, trial modification payment plan” under a program known as the Home Affordable Modification Program (“HAMP Plan”). App. in Supp. of Defs.’ Mot. for Summ. J. and Br. in Supp. (“Defs.’ App.”) at 4. The HAMP Plan contemplated three monthly-trial payments in the amount of $1,868.17, starting on December 1, 2009, and lasting until February 1, 2010. The October 19, 2009 cover letter included with the HAMP Plan explained that

[i]f you qualify under the federal government’s Home Affordable Modification program and comply with the terms of the Trial Period Plan, we will modify your mortgage loan and you can avoid foreclosure.
The monthly trial period payments are based on the income information that you previously provided to us. They are also our estimate of what your payment will be IF we are able to modify your loan under the terms of the program. If your income documentation does not support the income amount that you previously provided in our discussions, two scenarios can occur:
1) Your monthly payment under the Trial Period Plan may change
2) You may not qualify for this loan modification program.
If you do not qualify for a loan modification, we will work with you to explore other options available to help you keep your home or ease your transition to a new home.

Id. at 58. Pertinent provisions of the HAMP Plan included the following:

D. The Lender will hold the payments received during the Trial Period in a non-interest bearing account until they total an amount that is enough to pay my oldest delinquent monthly payment on my loan in full.

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Bluebook (online)
873 F. Supp. 2d 800, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 90697, 2012 WL 2511169, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/richardson-v-wells-fargo-bank-na-txnd-2012.