The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York recently granted summary judgment in favor of a debtor in his claim that a debt collector violated the FDCPA when the debt collector, in attempting to reach the debtor by telephone, left a message with a third party providing the debt collector’s callback information. The Court held that because the undisclosed nature of the call may induce the debtor to contact a debt collector when he does not wish to do so, the debt collector must refrain from leaving callback information and attempt the call at a later time…
Posts published by “Maurice Wutscher LLP”
The attorneys of Maurice Wutscher are seasoned business lawyers with substantial experience in business law, financial services litigation and regulatory compliance. They represent consumer and commercial financial services companies, including depository and non-depository mortgage lenders and servicers, as well as mortgage loan investors, financial asset buyers and sellers, loss mitigation companies, third-party debt collectors, and other financial services providers. They have defended scores of putative class actions, have substantial experience in federal appellate court litigation and bring substantial trial and complex bankruptcy experience. They are leaders and influencers in their highly specialized area of law. They serve in leadership positions in industry associations and regularly publish and speak before national audiences.
The District Court of Appeal of the State of Florida, Fourth District, recently affirmed a final judgment of foreclosure in plaintiff mortgagee’s favor, holding that the plaintiff mortgagee was not required to send a second notice of default after it voluntarily dismissed its first foreclosure action before filing the second foreclosure action. A copy of the opinion in Michael E. Sill a/k/a Michael Sill v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association is available at: Link to Opinion. In April 2007, the borrower signed a promissory note and mortgage securing the loan, but defaulted on July 1, 2009. Pursuant to paragraph 22 of the mortgage, the mortgagee sent…
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently held that, under California law, a two-year delay in failing to investigate the facts entitling a party to rescind a foreclosure sale transaction barred that equitable remedy, even though there was a genuine issue of material fact as to whether the plaintiff foreclosure buyer could have discovered material defects before the foreclosure sale. A copy of the opinion in DM Residential Fund II v. First Tennessee Bank is available at: Link to Opinion. A mortgagee (“lender”) initiated a non-judicial foreclosure of residential real estate in California, and sold that property at a foreclosure sale to…
The District Court of Appeal of the State of Florida, Fourth District, recently affirmed the dismissal of a mortgage foreclosure action because the mortgagee failed to present competent, substantial evidence that it had standing to foreclose, due to lack of conformity between the name of the plaintiff mortgagee and the names in the transactional documentation by which the plaintiff mortgagee claimed an interest in the note at issue. A copy of the opinion in Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A. v. Dennis M. Conley, et al. is available at: Link to Opinion. A mortgagee filed a foreclosure action. The promissory note contained…
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit recently upheld the dismissal of allegations that two letters sent to the consumer’s counsel violated the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), reiterating that its “competent attorney” standard applies regardless of whether a statement to the consumer’s counsel is false, misleading or deceptive. A copy of the opinion in Bravo v. Midland Credit Management, Inc. is available at: Link to Opinion. In a prior action, the debtor sued a debt collector for alleged violations of the FDCPA. The case settled with the collector settling and releasing two of the debtor’s debts. After settlement,…
The U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon recently granted summary judgment in favor of a debt collector, ruling that the collector’s voice mail messages for the debtor did not unlawfully communicate with a third party under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and related state law, because the collector could not “reasonably foresee” that debtor’s boyfriend and manager would overhear the voicemail messages left on her cell phone. A copy of the opinion in Peak v. Professional Credit Service is available at: Link to Opinion. A debtor’s unpaid account was referred to a debt collector. The debtor negotiated a…
The District Court of Appeal of Florida, Second District, recently held that a notice of assignment of a mortgage loan pursuant to the Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act (FCCPA) is not a condition precedent to filing a mortgage foreclosure action, but certified the question to the Florida Supreme Court for resolution as one of great public importance. A copy of the opinion in Brindise v. U.S. Bank National Association is available at: Link to Opinion. Husband and wife borrowers obtained a mortgage loan in 2005, which was later transferred to a new holder via “blank endorsement,” which under section 673.205(2) of Florida’s…
In an unreported ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently affirmed summary judgment for the defendant in a putative class action for alleged violation of the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). The Court held that the named plaintiff expressly consented to the text message in question when she provided her cell phone number to a third party contracting with the defendant while using the third party’s services. A link to the opinion in Baird v. Sabre, Inc. can be found here: Link to Opinion. The named plaintiff booked flights online for herself and her family…
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit recently held that a finance company properly cured a contractual interest rate provision in excess of the statutory cap, and was not liable under the Maryland Credit Grantor Closed End Credit Provisions (MCLEC). However, the Court also held that the defendant could be liable under the Maryland Consumer Debt Collections Act (MCDCA) if it falsely claimed to have taken legal actions against the debtor. A copy of the opinion in Askew v. HRFC, LLC is available at: Link to Opinion. In 2008, a customer entered into a retail installment sales contract…
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit recently held that a lender that is on inquiry notice that its security interest in the collateral had been fraudulently conveyed may lose its secured status. However, the Court also held that the lender’s negligence here did not amount to “purposeful avoidance of the truth” sufficient to justify application of the doctrine of equitable subordination, which allows a bankruptcy court to reduce the priority of a claim in bankruptcy. A copy of the opinion in In Re Sentinel Management Group, Inc. is available at: Link to Opinion. The bankrupt debtor was a…
In a case that attracted a number of amici for both the borrower and the mortgagee, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit recently affirmed a trial court’s summary judgment ruling against a borrower holding that “the amount of a mortgage loan, by itself, cannot show substantive unconscionability under West Virginia law.” However, the Fourth Circuit allowed the borrower’s claim of “unconscionable inducement,” holding that the applicable West Virginia statute authorized such a claim “even when the substantive terms of a contract are not themselves unfair.” A copy of opinion in McFarland v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. is available at: Link…
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently affirmed a district court’s order denying class certification in a lawsuit alleging violation of the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), holding that the “district court did not abuse its discretion by finding the requirements of Rule 23(b)(3) unsatisfied,” and that the “district court appropriately determined that it would be extremely difficult to ascertain the identities of the individuals who had not consented to receive the messages.” A copy of the Ninth Circuit’s opinion in Gannon v. Network Telephone Services, Inc. is available at: Link to Opinion. A copy of the…