United States v. McGill

734 F. Supp. 1014, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4175, 1990 WL 42548
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Florida
DecidedApril 3, 1990
DocketNo. 88-8384-CIV-JAG
StatusPublished

This text of 734 F. Supp. 1014 (United States v. McGill) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. McGill, 734 F. Supp. 1014, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4175, 1990 WL 42548 (S.D. Fla. 1990).

Opinion

ORDER

GONZALEZ, District Judge.

THIS CAUSE has come before the court upon the motion for summary judgment filed by the third-party defendant, Chase Manhatten Bank, N.A. (Chase). The third-party plaintiff, William McGill (McGill), has responded and the motion is ripe for disposition. The government has not moved for summary judgment thereby, requiring a trial as to its claims in the complaint against Mr. McGill.

This is a student loan case. The defendant allegedly went into default and the lender, Chase, assigned this loan to the government in exchange for collecting on the loan’s insurance.

The following facts are helpful. In August 1979 and August 1980, the defendant McGill borrowed money from Chase to finance his medical school education. He executed a “Promise to Pay” document for each loan. This document explicitly states, just above the signature line, that, “I shall ;promptly notify the lender or any other holder of this Note in writing, of any change of name, address, [etc.] ...” (emphasis added). Further, on the reverse side of the promissory notes, the following pertinent provisions appear:

BORROWER’S RIGHTS

3. If the lender assigns (e.g. sells) the loan and the right to receive payments, I must be sent a clear notification which spells out my obligations to the new holder. [Also see 42 C.F.R. § 60.8(a)(4) ].

4. I have a right to a 9-month “grace period” before repayment begins after I have completed school attendance (and internship and residency in an accredited program ... [also see 42 U.S.C. § 294d(a)(2)(B); 42 C.F.R. § 60.8(a)(6) and § 60.8(a)(7); 42 C.F.R. § 60.11(a)],

6. I have a right to deferment of principal repayment if certain conditions exist. Under deferment, I am not required to make payments on the loan principal for a period of time ...

7. The lender will provide me with a repayment schedule before the repayment period begins. [Also see 42 C.F.R. § 60.11(e)],

BORROWER’S RESPONSIBILITIES

3. I must immediately notify the lender if any of the following occurs before the loan is repaid:

a. change of address ...

g. cessation of participation in an internship or residency program. [Also see 42 C.F.R. § 60.8(b)(3)(i) ].

5. I must notify the lender of any occurence which may affect my eligibility to [1016]*1016receive or to continue to receive a deferment of principal payment, (emphasis in titles in original).

McGill admits that he received the loan proceeds for his medical tuition. In his 1979 application for a loan, McGill gave a Nashville, Tennessee site as “permanent home residence address” and listed Pennsylvania as his legal state residence. Under the background section, he listed the address of his parents and his brother, both in Philadelphia. The Note contains the Nashville address.

In terms of the 1980 application, McGill gave a different Nashville address as his temporary residence, and changed his "permanent home residence address” to Wynmour, Pennsylvania. The accompanying background information makes it clear that this latter address is his parents’ home. McGill also listed his brother’s address again and placed his Nashville address on the Note.

After graduating from medical school, McGill served in the National Health Service Corps. He finished his service on June 30, 1987. In October 1983, McGill applied for a one-year deferment on his loans which was granted in November 1984. On the deferment application, McGill listed a Maryland address where he allegedly had a temporary residence with his sister. His sister has always lived there and still resides there today. McGill’s parents moved in 1979 or 1980 to the Wynmoor, Pennsylvania address and have resided there to this day.

In January 1985, McGill applied for another deferment and this was also granted. In June 1985, McGill was transferred to West Palm Beach, Florida. He did not send in any more deferment forms.

When Chase did not receive a deferment form for 1986, the bank proceeded to declare the loan in repayment status. McGill had a 9-month grace period before he had to start making payments and the bank attempted to contact him to notify him of the loan’s status and to set up a repayment schedule. Chase telephoned McGill’s brother and he did not return the call. McGill’s parents and sister deny that they were ever called by the bank. The bank apparently tried to telephone McGill’s parents, but they apparently called the wrong number.

Chase also wrote twelve letters to McGill, but none of them ever reached him. In 1986 and 1987, the bank sent five letters to McGill’s parents at an older address in Philadelphia, but each of these letters was sent to an incorrect address at which the parents had never lived. Chase then sent three letters in 1987 to the parents’ old address in Philadelphia, where they had not resided since 1979.

Chase next sent three letters to McGill at his sister’s address but each of these letters were sent to an address different than that given by McGill in his deferment forms. Finally, Chase wrote twice more to the parents’ old address. The bank never wrote to the parents at the Wynmoor address where McGill’s parents have lived from 1980 to the present. The bank also never wrote the defendant at the Maryland address.

McGill admits that he lived at many addresses when he was in school and in the Medical Corps. He explains that he gave the Maryland address rather than giving each temporary address because either he was moving very frequently or the mail service at the temporary addresses was unreliable.

After the grace period expired on the loan, Chase placed the loan in default and applied to the government on June 15, 1987 to claim the insurance protecting the loan. On June 23, 1987, McGill contacted Chase and listed his West Palm address. Because the bank had already called in the loan, they did not work with McGill or Sallie Mae, when that agency contacted the bank regarding a possible consolidation of all McGill’s student loans.

McGill correctly believed that he was entitled to a 3-year deferment after graduation. See 42 U.S.C. § 294d(a)(2)(C) [three years for National Health Service Corps]; § 294d(a)(2)(D) [allowance for deferments in loans]. However, the law also required McGill, as a borrower, to notify the bank [1017]*1017each year that he wished to exercise that option. See 42 C.F.R. § 60.12(c)(1) [“To receive a deferment, ...

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
734 F. Supp. 1014, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4175, 1990 WL 42548, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-mcgill-flsd-1990.