Yerion v. Branch Banking & Trust Co.

27 F. Supp. 3d 677, 2014 WL 2885244, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 87345
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Virginia
DecidedMarch 5, 2014
DocketCivil Action No. 2:13cv374
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 27 F. Supp. 3d 677 (Yerion v. Branch Banking & Trust Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Yerion v. Branch Banking & Trust Co., 27 F. Supp. 3d 677, 2014 WL 2885244, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 87345 (E.D. Va. 2014).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

RAYMOND A. JACKSON, District Judge.

Before the Court is Defendant Branch Banking & Trust Company’s (“Defendant” or “BB & T”) Motion to Strike or, in the Alternative, Motion to Dismiss Plaintiff Mary Anne Yerion’s (“Plaintiff’) First Amended Complaint (ECF No. 14). Having carefully considered the parties’ pleadings, this matter is now ripe for disposition. For the reasons set forth herein, the Motion to Strike is DENIED and the Motion to Dismiss is GRANTED-IN-PART and DENIED-IN-PART.

I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

. According to the Amended Complaint, on April 20, 2005, Plaintiff conveyed a property she inherited in Onancock, Virginia (“the Property”) to herself and her son. Roland Dale Yerion, Jr., as joint tenants with the right of survivorship. PL’s Am. Compl. ¶ 5. In September 2005. Plaintiff moved to Marion, Kansas. Id. at ¶ 6. On May 6, 2008. Roland Yerion received a $30,000 business loan from Defendant using the Properly as collateral without notifying his mother. Id. at ¶¶ 9, 13. A Deed [679]*679of Trust was prepared and filed by Roland Yerion and Defendant’s employee. Patricia Roberts. Id. at ¶¶ 13-15. The Deed of Trust included a notarized signature for a “Mary Anne Yerion.” Id. at ¶ 20. Plaintiff maintains that the Deed of Trust is fraudulent because she never appeared before Patricia Roberts to sign any document. Id. at ¶¶ 20-26. On March 26, 2013, after Roland Yerion defaulted on his business loan, Defendant foreclosed on the Property and sold it to a third party. Id. at ¶¶28, 40. Before the foreclosure and sale, Defendant sent notices of its intent to foreclose to Plaintiffs attention at the Property’s address in Onancock, Virginia. Id. at ¶ 38. However, Defendant did not send notices to Plaintiffs address in Kansas despite the fact that Defendant regularly mailed bank statements unrelated to the loan to Plaintiff in Kansas. Id. at ¶¶ 37-38.

Plaintiff filed a Complaint against Defendant in the Circuit Court for the County of Accomack, Virginia. On June 6, 2013, Defendant filed a Notice of Removal to remove the case to federal court. On July 12, 2013, Defendant filed a Motion to Dismiss Plaintiffs Complaint for Failure to State a Claim. This Court granted Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss on October 17, 2013, finding that Plaintiffs Complaint failed to provide legal allegations or discuss the application of governing law to distinct causes of action against Defendant. Mem. Op. Order, Oct. 17, 2013 (ECF No. 10). This Court also granted Plaintiff leave to- amend her Complaint. Id.

Plaintiff filed an Amended Complaint in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Norfolk Division, on November 4, 2013 (ECF No. 11). The Amended Complaint alleges causes of action for wrongful foreclosure based on insufficient notice under Virginia Code § 55-59.1 and slander of title under Virginia common law. Defendant filed the instant Motion to Strike or, in the Alternative, Motion to Dismiss the Amended Complaint (ECF No. 14) along with a supporting memorandum (ECF No. 15) on November 21, 2013. Plaintiffs Response Memorandum in Opposition to Defendant’s Motion to Strike or Dismiss (ECF No. 21) was received on December 12, 2013. Defendant then filed a Reply in support of its Motion to Strike or Dismiss (ECF No. 24) on January 13, 2014.

II. LEGAL STANDARD

A. Computation of Filing Deadline

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 6 governs the computation of time for complying with court deadlines. For deadlines given in numbers of days, the day of the triggering event is excluded from the period. Fed.R.Civ.P. 6(a)(1)(A). Then, every day is counted forward including weekends and holidays. Fed.R.Civ.P. 6(a)(1)(B). Rule 6(d) grants three extra days to the computation of time dictated under Rule 6(a) as follows:

When a party may or must act within a specified time after service and service is made under Rule 5(b)(2)(C) [relating to service by mail], (D) [relating to service by court clerk], (E) [relating to service by electronic means], or (F) [relating to service by consented means], 3 days are added after the period would otherwise expire under Rule 6(a).

Fed.R.Civ.P. 6(d). Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5(b)(2)(E) specifies one of the situations where Rule 6(d) applies: “A paper is served under this rule by ... (E) sending it by electronic means if the person consented in writing.”. Fed.R.Civ.P. 5(b)(2)(E).

B. Dismissal for Failure to State a Claim

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8(a)(2) requires that, in addition to a statement of [680]*680the court’s jurisdiction and a demand for relief, a complaint must contain a “short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.” Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) provides for dismissal of -actions that fail to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. “To survive a motion to dismiss, a Complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009) (quoting Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007) (internal quotations omitted)); Francis v. Giacomelli, 588 F.3d 186, 193 (4th Cir.2009); Giarratano v. Johnson, 521 F.3d 298, 302 (4th Cir.2008). Specifically, “[a] claim has facial plausibility when the pleaded factual content allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937. A complaint’s “factual allegations must be enough to raise a right to relief above the speculative level on the assumption that all the allegations in the complaint are true (even if doubtful in fact).” Field v. GMAC LLC, 660 F.Supp.2d 679, 684 (E.D.Va.2008) aff'd, 328 Fed.Appx. 873 (4th Cir.2009). Also, “determining whether a complaint states a plausible claim is context-specific, requiring the reviewing court to draw on its experience and common sense.” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 663-64, 129 S.Ct. 1937. During its context-specific analysis, the Court’s focus is on whether the facts asserted in the complaint demonstrate the plaintiff is entitled to relief pursuant to a legally cognizable claim.

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27 F. Supp. 3d 677, 2014 WL 2885244, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 87345, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/yerion-v-branch-banking-trust-co-vaed-2014.