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Posts tagged as “Fourth Circuit”

4th Cir. Vacates Bankruptcy Civil Contempt Order Against Creditor, Holds Taggart Standard Applies  

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit recently held that the "no fair ground of doubt" standard established by the Supreme Court of the United States in Taggart v. Lorenzen, a case involving alleged violation of a Chapter 7 discharge order, governed civil contempt proceedings for violation of a confirmed reorganization plan under Chapter 11.

4th Cir. Holds Non-Mortgage Office Was Not ‘Branch Office’ Under HUD F2F Rule

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit recently held that a mortgagee’s office that was located within 200 miles of the mortgaged property, but did not conduct any mortgage-related business, was not a “branch office” of a “mortgagee” under the HUD rule requiring a face-to-face meeting with mortgage borrowers before filing a mortgage foreclosure action unless the mortgagee does not have a branch office within 200 miles of the borrower's home.

4th Cir. Holds FCRA Furnisher Liability Claim Not Viable Against Federal Gov’t

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit recently held that a trial court lacked jurisdiction over a claim for violation of the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act involving a student loan administered by the U.S. Department of Education because Congress did not waive sovereign immunity for suits under FCRA. A copy of the opinion in Robinson v. U.S. Department of Education is available at:  Link to Opinion. This appeal arose from the plaintiff’s claim that the government agency responsible for administering the federal student loan program violated FCRA, 15 U.S.C. § 1681, et seq. The plaintiff alleged that the government…

4th Cir. Holds Tax Payment Agreement Subject to TILA and EFTA, Plaintiff Had Spokeo Standing

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit held that a tax payment agreement entered into pursuant to Virginia Code section 58.1-3018 was a consumer credit transaction subject to the federal Truth in Lending Act and Electronic Funds Transfer Act. The Court further ruled that the plaintiff had standing to assert his EFTA claim, because the claim was not merely for “a bare procedural violation,” but instead alleged “a substantive violation of the rights conferred by EFTA.” Accordingly, the Fourth Circuit affirmed the trial court’s denial of the company’s motion to dismiss the TILA and EFTA claims. A copy…

4th Cir. Holds Data Breach Victims Have Standing When Fraudulent Accounts Opened

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit recently vacated a judgment of dismissal in consolidated class actions arising from a data breach of personal information, holding that the plaintiffs had standing to sue because fraudulent credit cards were actually opened in the victims’ names. In so ruling, the Court distinguished its 2017 ruling in Beck v. McDonald, which held “a mere compromise of personal information, without more, fails to satisfy the injury-in-fact element in the absence of an identity theft.” A copy of the opinion in Rhonda Hutton v. National Board of Examiners is available at:  Link to…

4th Cir. Holds HPA Does Not Require LPMI Disclosures If LPMI Not Required at Closing

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit recently concluded that lender-paid mortgage insurance (“LPMI”) disclosures under the federal Homeowners Protection Act are only required if LPMI is a condition of the borrower obtaining the loan. In affirming the trial court’s dismissal of the borrowers’ claims, the Fourth Circuit dissected the specific language of the provision in the HPA addressing disclosures related to mortgage insurance, 12 U.S.C. § 4905.  Specifically, the Fourth Circuit determined that the disclosures are only required if LPMI is a condition of the loan at the time of closing. In this case, the lender did not…

4th Cir. Allows Chapter 13 Lien Stripping When No Proof of Claim Filed

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit recently held that a completely unsecured lien may be stripped off in a Chapter 13 bankruptcy proceeding under 11 U.S.C. § 1322(b) even though a proof of claim has not been filed. A copy of the opinion in Edwin Burkhart v. Nancy Spencer Grigsby is available at:  Link to Opinion. Debtors filed a Chapter 13 bankruptcy petition in 2012.  At the time, the debtors’ principal residence was valued at $435,000 and encumbered by four liens. Creditor 1 held the mortgage lien with the highest priority in the amount due of $609,500.  Creditor 2’s two…