McNEIL et al v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. et al

Filing 23

ORDER by Judge Samuel Conti granting in part and denying in part 13 Motion to Dismiss (sclc1, COURT STAFF) (Filed on 7/1/2014)

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 8 FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA TROY L. McNEIL and TRICIA A. McNEIL, 10 For the Northern District of California United States District Court 9 11 Plaintiffs, 12 v. 13 WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A., U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, CAL-WESTERN RECONVEYANCE, LLC, and DOES 1-10, inclusive, 14 15 16 Defendants. 17 18 ) Case No. 13-5519 SC ) ) ORDER GRANTING MOTION TO ) DISMISS ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) 19 20 I. 21 INTRODUCTION This is a mortgage foreclosure dispute. Defendants Wells 22 Fargo Bank, N.A. ("Wells Fargo") and U.S. Bank National Association 23 ("U.S. Bank") (collectively, "Defendants") now move to dismiss. 24 ECF No. 14 ("MTD"). 25 motion, ECF No. 18 ("Opp'n"), 1 and Defendants have declined to file Plaintiffs Troy and Tricia McNeil oppose the 26 27 28 1 Plaintiffs' opposition brief exceeds the page limit set forth in the Civil Local Rules. In the interest of fairness, the Court considers the excess pages filed by Plaintiff. However, Plaintiffs are advised to comply with the Local Rules going forward. 1 a reply brief. The Court held a hearing on the Motion on April 4, 2 2014. 3 part and DENIED in part. For the reasons set forth below, the Motion is GRANTED in 4 5 II. BACKGROUND Plaintiffs are residents of the property at issue in this 6 7 case, which is located on Senger Street in Livermore, California 8 (the "subject property"). 9 April 2004, Plaintiffs borrowed $536,000 from Wells Fargo Home ECF No. 1 Ex. A ("Compl.") ¶ 3. In United States District Court For the Northern District of California 10 Mortgage, which later merged into Wells Fargo. Compl. Ex. A. 11 loan was secured by a deed of trust on the subject property. 12 The deed of trust included an "Adjustable Rate Rider," which 13 allowed for an increase in the interest rate on the loan. The Id. Id. In 2011, Wells Fargo transferred its beneficial interest in 14 15 the deed of trust to U.S. Bank through a Corporate Assignment Deed 16 of Trust (the "Corporate Assignment"). 17 allege that the Corporate Assignment shows that the deed of trust 18 was transferred to a mortgage backed security trust, and that this 19 trust was governed by a Pooling Services Agreement ("PSA"). 20 ¶ 21. 21 Defendants lack standing to foreclose on the deed of trust because 22 Plaintiffs' promissory note was not transferred to the investment 23 trust prior the trust's closing date. 24 Compl. Ex. B. Plaintiffs Compl. Plaintiffs further allege, upon information and belief, that Id. ¶ 23. In December 2011, a notice of default was recorded against the 25 subject property, indicating that Plaintiffs were $24,848.53 in 26 arrears. 27 trust recorded a notice of trustee's sale, scheduling the sale for Compl. Ex. C. In March 2012, the trustee on the deed of 28 2 1 April 4, 2012. 2 unpaid balance on the loan was $522,493.45. 3 Compl. Ex. D. The notice indicates that the total In May 2012, Plaintiffs entered into a loan modification 4 agreement with Wells Fargo. Compl. ¶ 26. The modification 5 agreement created a secondary principal balance of $34,212.59, on 6 which no interest accrues, and dropped the interest rate on the 7 remaining balance to 2.5 percent for six years. 8 Ex. 6 ¶¶ 1-2. 9 make monthly principal and interest payments of $2,424.62 starting ECF No. 14 ("RJN") Pursuant to the agreement, Plaintiffs promised to United States District Court For the Northern District of California 10 on July 1, 2012. Id. ¶ 2. Plaintiffs also promised to make 11 monthly escrow deposits "as defined in the Note." 12 agreement states that escrow deposits may be subject to change in 13 the future. Id. The Id. 14 Plaintiffs allege that the monthly escrow charges initially 15 amounted to $800, bringing Plaintiffs' total monthly payments to 16 $3,224.62. 17 Plaintiffs for additional charges, increasing the total monthly 18 payments to $4,400. 19 brief, Plaintiffs asserted that Defendants improperly applied 20 Plaintiffs' payments, resulting in the additional charges. 21 Complaint itself is silent on the issue. 22 do allege that they could not afford the additional monthly charges 23 assessed by Defendants. Compl. ¶ 85. Id. Defendants subsequently assessed At the hearing and in their opposition The In any event, Plaintiffs 24 On February 4, 2013, the substituted trustee on the deed of 25 trust recorded yet another notice of default against the subject 26 property, indicating that Plaintiffs were $29,644.95 in arrears. 27 Compl. Ex. F. 28 6, 2013, setting the sale date for May 28, 2013. Another notice of trustee's sale was recorded on May 3 At the hearing, 1 Plaintiffs suggested that the foreclosure was the direct result of 2 the unauthorized charges assessed by Defendants after they executed 3 the first loan modification agreement. In June 2013, Plaintiffs contacted Wells Fargo about obtaining 4 5 a second loan modification. Compl. ¶ 31. 6 on the grounds that the "investor" lacked contractual authority to 7 modify the loan and Plaintiffs had exceeded the number of 8 modifications allowed by the investor. 9 that neither reason is accurate. Id. Id. The request was denied Plaintiffs contend Wells Fargo subsequently United States District Court For the Northern District of California 10 denied Plaintiffs' appeal of the denial of the modification 11 request. Id. ¶ 33. The trustee's sale was apparently delayed during the 12 13 application process for the second loan modification, and a new 14 notice of trustee's sale was later recorded, setting the sale date 15 for October 16, 2013. 16 trustee's sale was postponed yet again to April 14, 2014. RJN Ex. 11. According to Defendants, the Based on these facts, Plaintiffs assert causes of action for 17 18 (1) lack of standing to foreclose, (2) violation of California 19 Civil Code section 2923.55, (3) promissory estoppel, (4) breach of 20 the implied covenant of good faith, (5) intentional 21 misrepresentation, (6) violation of the Unfair Competition Law 22 ("UCL"), Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17200, and (7) cancellation of 23 instruments. Defendants now move to dismiss pursuant to Federal Rule of 24 25 Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). 26 /// 27 /// 28 /// 4 1 III. LEGAL STANDARD A motion to dismiss under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 2 3 12(b)(6) "tests the legal sufficiency of a claim." Navarro v. 4 Block, 250 F.3d 729, 732 (9th Cir. 2001). 5 on the lack of a cognizable legal theory or the absence of 6 sufficient facts alleged under a cognizable legal theory." 7 Balistreri v. Pacifica Police Dep't, 901 F.2d 696, 699 (9th Cir. 8 1988). 9 should assume their veracity and then determine whether they "Dismissal can be based "When there are well-pleaded factual allegations, a court United States District Court For the Northern District of California 10 plausibly give rise to an entitlement to relief." Ashcroft v. 11 Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 679 (2009). 12 must accept as true all of the allegations contained in a complaint 13 is inapplicable to legal conclusions. 14 elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory 15 statements, do not suffice." 16 Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007)). However, "the tenet that a court Threadbare recitals of the Id. (citing Bell Atl. Corp. v. Claims sounding in fraud are subject to the heightened 17 18 pleading requirements of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 9(b), 19 which requires that a plaintiff alleging fraud "must state with 20 particularity the circumstances constituting fraud." See Kearns v. 21 Ford Motor Co., 567 F.3d 1120, 1124 (9th Cir. 2009). "To satisfy 22 Rule 9(b), a pleading must identify the who, what, when, where, and 23 how of the misconduct charged, as well as what is false or 24 misleading about [the purportedly fraudulent] statement, and why it 25 is false." 26 Inc., 637 F.3d 1047, 1055 (9th Cir. 2011) (quotation marks and 27 citations omitted). 28 /// United States ex rel Cafasso v. Gen. Dynamics C4 Sys., 5 1 IV. DISCUSSION 2 A. Lack of Standing 3 Plaintiffs allege, upon information and belief, that 4 Defendants lack standing to foreclose because their promissory note 5 was not transferred to the mortgage backed security trust prior to 6 the closing date established by the PSA. 7 argue that Plaintiffs lack standing to enforce the terms of the PSA 8 because they are third parties to the agreement. 9 (citing Jenkins v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., 216 Cal. App. 4th Compl. ¶ 44. Defendants MTD at 4-5 United States District Court For the Northern District of California 10 497, 511 (Cal. Ct. App. 2013)). Defendants further argue that 11 Plaintiffs may not bring a preemptive action challenging their 12 authority to foreclose. Id. Plaintiffs respond that the promissory note and deed of trust 13 14 are inseparable, and that production of the note is essential to 15 determining whether Defendants are entitled to exercise the power 16 of sale. 17 have consistently rejected the theory that California's nonjudicial 18 foreclosure scheme (Cal. Civ. Code §§ 2924-2924k) requires a 19 foreclosing party to have a beneficial interest in or physical 20 possession of the note. 2 21 Code are also unavailing, as the California nonjudicial foreclosure 22 scheme controls in this context. 23 Nat. Tr. Co., 204 Cal. App. 4th 433, 440-41 (Cal. Ct. App. 2012). However, California appellate courts Plaintiffs' citations to the Commercial See Debrunner v. Deutsche Bank Moreover, Plaintiffs' theory is barred by the California Court 24 25 Opp'n at 12-13. of Appeal's decision in Jenkins. As in this case, the plaintiff in 26 27 28 2 See, e.g., Shuster v. BAC Home Loans Servicing, LP, 211 Cal. App. 4th 505, 511 (Cal. Ct. App. 2012); Debrunner, 204 Cal. App. 4th at 440-41; see also Lane v. Vitek Real Estate Indus. Grp., 713 F. Supp. 2d 1092, 1099 (E.D. Cal. 2010). 6 1 Jenkins challenged the defendants' standing to foreclose because 2 her home loan was pooled with other loans in a securitized 3 investment trust without compliance with the trust's PSA. 4 App. 4th at 505. 5 promissory note was not transferred to the trust with an unbroken 6 chain of endorsements and that the trustee did not have actual 7 physical possession of the note prior to the closing date of the 8 trust. 9 dismissed, reasoning that even if the nonjudicial foreclosure 216 Cal. Specifically, the plaintiff alleged that the Id. at 510. The court found that the claim was properly United States District Court For the Northern District of California 10 statute was interpreted broadly, it did not provide a right to 11 bring such a preemptive action. 12 Id. at 513. As Plaintiffs point out, another California Court of Appeal 13 reached a contrary holding in Glaski v. Bank of Am., N.A., 218 Cal. 14 App. 4th 1079, 1099 (Cal. Ct. App. 2013), where the court found 15 that the plaintiff could state a claim for wrongful foreclosure 16 where he alleged that the entity claiming to be the noteholder was 17 not the true owner of the note. 18 District, including the undersigned, have held that Glaski is the 19 minority view, and have joined with the majority view set forth in 20 Jenkins. 21 2014 WL 718463, at *3 (N.D. Cal. Feb. 23, 2014) (Tigar J.); 22 Subramani v. Wells Fargo Bank N.A., C 13-1605 SC, 2013 WL 5913789, 23 at *3 (N.D. Cal. Oct. 31, 2013) (Conti J.). 24 However, many judges in this See, e.g., Gieseke v. Bank of Am., N.A., 13-CV-04772-JST, In light of the weight of authority, the Court once again 25 adopts the reasoning of Jenkins. For these reasons, Plaintiffs' 26 claim for lack of standing is DISMISSED with prejudice to the 27 extent that it is predicated on a violation of the PSA. 28 7 The Court 1 grants Plaintiffs leave to amend to extent that they can plead an 2 alternative theory. 3 B. Civil Code Section 2923.55 4 Section 2923.55 provides that a mortgage servicer may not 5 record a notice of default until a number of requirements are met 6 and sets forth a list of information that the mortgage servicer 7 must send to the borrower in writing. 8 Plaintiffs' claim for violation of section 2923.55 fails because 9 the Complaint does not specify how Defendants ran afoul of the Defendants argue that United States District Court For the Northern District of California 10 statute or which particular provisions are at issue. 11 The Court agrees. 12 verbatim, without highlighting any particular provisions, and then 13 recites some general facts without explaining how those facts 14 relate to the claim. 15 MTD at 6. The Complaint merely quotes the statute See Compl. ¶¶ 56-68. In their opposition brief, Plaintiffs suggest that Defendants 16 violated section 2923.55(b)(1) (though Plaintiffs do not cite to 17 this particular subsection), Opp'n at 16-17, which provides that a 18 mortgage servicer may not record a notice of default until it has 19 "contact[ed] the borrower in person or by telephone in order to 20 assess the borrower's financial situation," Cal. Civ. Code § 21 2923.55(b)(1). 22 they spoke with Defendants about a loan modification before either 23 of the notices of default were recorded. 24 Plaintiffs argue that the loan modification discussions did not 25 satisfy the statute. 26 California Civil Code 2923.5 includes a similar provision requiring 27 a lender to contact a borrower about his or her financial 28 situations prior to the recording of a notice of default, and However, according to Plaintiffs' own pleading, Opp'n at 17. 8 Compl. ¶¶ 26, 31. The Court disagrees. 1 California courts have held that this requirement may be satisfied 2 through loan modification discussions. 3 Am., N.A., 219 Cal. App. 4th 1481, 1494-95 (Cal. Ct. App. 2013). See Rossberg v. Bank of 4 Plaintiffs further argue that Defendants violated section 5 2923.55(c) "by using incompetent and unreliable evidence which the 6 mortgage servicer claimed to review to substantiate the borrower's 7 default and right to foreclose." 8 to be asserting that Defendants violated the statute because their 9 denial of Plaintiffs' application for a second loan modification Opp'n at 17. Plaintiffs appear United States District Court For the Northern District of California 10 was in error and because Defendants lacked standing to foreclose. 11 As to the first theory, Section 2923.55 merely requires that the 12 lender "explore options" to avoid foreclosure. 13 the borrower to a loan modification, even if he or she is well 14 qualified. 15 entitles a borrower to challenge the standing of a foreclosing 16 entity. It does not entitle As to the second theory, nothing in Section 2923.55 Accordingly, Plaintiffs' second claim for violation of 2923.55 17 18 is DISMISSED with leave to amend. The amended complaint shall 19 explain exactly how Defendants allegedly violated the statute. 20 C. Promissory Estoppel 21 "Promissory estoppel applies whenever a promise which the 22 promissor should reasonably expect to induce action or forbearance 23 on the part of the promisee or a third person and which does induce 24 such action or forbearance would result in an injustice if the 25 promise were not enforced." 26 4th 1179, 1185 (Cal. Ct. App. 1998). 27 must be clear and unambiguous." 28 /// Lange v. TIG Ins. Co., 68 Cal. App. Id. 9 "To be binding, the promise 1 Plaintiffs copy and paste a number of general factual 2 allegations into their promissory estoppel section, but fail to 3 explain how these allegations have anything to do their claim. 4 Court DISMISSES the promissory estoppel claim to the extent that it 5 is based on these allegations. 3 6 dismiss to the extent that the claim is premised on Plaintiffs' 7 allegation that Defendants breached the loan modification 8 agreement. 9 modification contract specifies that Plaintiffs were to make Compl. ¶ 86. The However, the Court declines to Plaintiffs allege that the loan United States District Court For the Northern District of California 10 monthly payments of $2,424.62, plus escrow deposit payments which 11 initially totaled $800 per month. 12 allege that Wells Fargo later added other previously undisclosed 13 monthly charges, raising Plaintiffs' monthly payments from $3,224 14 to approximately $4,400 per month. 15 be clearer, it appears that Plaintiffs are alleging that they 16 relied on the agreement to their detriment, resulting in the 17 foreclosure proceedings at issue now. Id. ¶ 77. Id. Plaintiffs further Though the pleading could Defendants argue that the promise lacks sufficient 18 19 definitiveness and clarity to justify the application of promissory 20 estoppel. 21 Plaintiffs is set out in the terms of the modification agreement. 4 22 3 23 24 25 26 27 28 MTD at 7. The Court disagrees. The promise alleged by In their opposition brief, Plaintiffs also claim that their promissory estoppel cause of action is based on the theory that Defendants promised Plaintiffs a fixed interest rate at loan origination, and later raised that interest rate. Opp'n at 18-19. The argument lacks merit. As an initial matter, Plaintiffs did not plead this theory. More importantly, an adjustable rate rider was attached to the deed of trust. Plaintiffs cannot state a claim for promissory estoppel based on actions that were entirely consistent with the terms of the loan. 4 The Complaint does make vague reference to oral representations made by Defendants. Compl. ¶ 70. The Court agrees that these oral representations cannot form the basis of Plaintiffs' claim for 10 1 Next Defendants argue that the claim fails because Plaintiffs have 2 not alleged that they made all their modified payments. 3 However, Plaintiffs allege that the payments assessed by Defendants 4 added charges not agreed to through the loan modification 5 agreement. 6 the additional charges were merely the escrow payments disclosed in 7 the agreement. 8 based on the facts alleged or the judicially noticeable documents 9 provided by Defendants. United States District Court For the Northern District of California 10 Compl. ¶ 27. Id. at 8. At the hearing, Defendants suggested that But the Court cannot make such a determination Accordingly, Plaintiffs' claim for promissory estoppel remains 11 undisturbed to the extent it is based on Defendants' alleged 12 violation of the executed loan modification. 13 leave to amend in all other respects. 14 D. Breach of the Implied Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Dealing 15 16 It is DISMISSED with Plaintiffs' claim for breach of the implied covenant is hardly 17 a model of clarity. Plaintiffs merely recite the definition of the 18 term and then copy and paste factual allegations from other 19 portions of the Complaint, without explaining how they relate. 20 Plaintiffs' opposition does nothing to clarify the matter, and it 21 appears to assert new legal theories that are not alleged in the 22 pleading. 23 theory that Defendants assessed them for additional charges in 24 violation of the executed loan modification agreement, the claim 25 remains undisturbed. 26 Defendants breached the PSA or that Defendants were under some To the extent Plaintiffs' claim is premised on the To the extent it is based on the theory that 27 28 promissory estoppel, since the representations are neither clear nor definitive. 11 1 obligation to offer Plaintiffs a second loan modification, it is 2 DISMISSED with prejudice. 3 Plaintiffs lack standing to enforce the terms of the PSA. 4 Moreover, the Court is aware of no authority or contractual 5 provision that would require Defendants to grant Plaintiffs' second 6 request for a loan modification. 7 DISMISSED with leave to amend. 8 Defendants and the Court with clarity as to the basis for the 9 claim. As set forth in Section IV.A supra, The rest of the claim is The amended pleading shall provide United States District Court For the Northern District of California 10 E. Intentional Misrepresentation 11 The elements of intentional misrepresentation, also known as 12 fraud, are: "(1) misrepresentation (false representation, 13 concealment, or nondisclosure), (2) knowledge of falsity (or 14 'scienter'), (3) intent to defraud (i.e., to induce reliance), (4) 15 justifiable reliance, and (5) resulting damage." 16 Ct., 12 Cal. 4th 631, 638 (Cal. 1996). 17 impermissibly vague as to the basis for their fraud claim. 18 again, Plaintiffs merely copy and paste random factual allegations 19 from other parts of their complaint and leave Defendants and the 20 Court to guess at their legal theory. 21 Plaintiffs assert several new grounds for fraud, all of which have 22 a tenuous connection to the fraud claim actually pleaded in the 23 Complaint. Lazar v. Sup. Plaintiffs' pleading is Once In their opposition brief, 24 To provide some guidance, the Court addresses the various 25 theories of fraud raised in Plaintiffs' opposition brief and at the 26 hearing. 27 fact that their interest rate was adjustable, Opp'n at 22, but the 28 deed of trust attached to the pleading includes an adjustable rate Plaintiffs assert that Defendants willfully concealed the 12 1 rider which discloses that Plaintiffs' interest rate might 2 increase. 3 did not make any reasonable responses to Plaintiffs' request for 4 explanations of the terms and other repayment plan [sic]"; 5 Defendants mishandled mortgage payments; the deed of trust was 6 flawed at the outset; Defendants did not comply with legal 7 requirements for securitizing the loan; and Defendants failed to 8 give Plaintiffs' loan modification agreement a good faith review. 9 Id. at 23. Plaintiffs' other theories of fraud are that "Defendants To the extent that any of the conduct identified above United States District Court For the Northern District of California 10 is actionable, it is not actionable as fraud. Plaintiffs have yet 11 to identify, among other things, a misrepresentation or reasonable 12 reliance. At the hearing, Plaintiffs argued that their fraud claim is 13 14 premised on theory that Defendants misrepresented that they had a 15 beneficial interest in the loan, even though the loan had been 16 transferred to an investment trust. 17 had a duty to disclose that the loan had been securitized or how 18 the securitization harmed Plaintiffs, as it did not affect 19 Plaintiffs' obligations under the loan agreement. 20 allegations regarding damages and reasonable reliance, this theory 21 also fails. It is unclear why Defendants Absent plausible 22 For the reasons set forth above, Plaintiffs' claim for 23 intentional misrepresentation is DISMISSED with leave to amend. 24 The amended complaint shall specifically identify the basis for 25 Plaintiffs' claim and allege specific facts to support the claim in 26 compliance with Rule 9(b). 27 /// 28 /// 13 1 F. Violation of the UCL 2 The UCL prohibits acts of "unfair competition," including any 3 "unlawful, unfair or fraudulent business act or practice." Cal. 4 Bus. & Prof. Code § 17200. 5 disjunctive, it establishes three varieties of unfair competition— 6 acts or practices which are unlawful, or unfair, or fraudulent." 7 Berryman v. Merit Prop. Mgmt., Inc., 152 Cal. App. 4th 1544, 1554 8 (Cal. Ct. App. 2007). "Because [the UCL] is written in the Plaintiffs do not specify which prongs of the UCL form the 9 United States District Court For the Northern District of California 10 basis of their suit, though it appears they are alleging unlawful 11 and unfair practices. 12 engaged in deceptive business practices by: (1) instituting 13 improper foreclosure proceedings, (2) executing and recording false 14 and misleading documents, (3) executing and recording documents 15 without authority to do so, (4) failing to comply with California 16 Civil Code section 2923.5, and (5) failing to comply with the Home 17 Affordable Modification Program ("HAMP"). Initially, Plaintiffs allege that Defendants Defendants argue that Plaintiffs cannot predicate their UCL 18 19 claim on violations of section 2923.5 or HAMP because they have yet 20 to allege what those violations are. 21 opposition brief entirely ignores their section 2923.5 claim. 22 to HAMP, Plaintiffs generally argue that Defendants misrepresented 23 their eligibility for the program, but decline to go into any 24 specifics. 25 impermissibly vague. 5 26 5 27 28 Opp'n at 26. MTD at 11. Plaintiffs' The Court finds that both claims are As Plaintiffs' citation to Loftis v. Homeward Residential, Inc., SACV 13-00467-CJC, 2013 WL 4045808 (C.D. Cal. June 11, 2013) is unavailing. In that case, the defendant lender offered the plaintiffs a loan modification and then initiated foreclosure proceedings. Id. at *1. The plaintiffs asserted a claim for 14 As to the other UCL violations alleged in the Complaint, 1 2 Defendants argue that Plaintiffs lack standing because they have 3 failed to allege causation. 4 cite to Jenkins, where the court rejected a similar UCL claim. 5 Cal. App. 4th at 520-24. 6 plaintiff defaulted on her loan prior to the alleged wrongful acts, 7 she could not assert that the impending foreclosure of her home was 8 caused by the defendants' conduct. 9 yet to allege the basic elements of causation with respect to their United States District Court For the Northern District of California 10 MTD at 11. In support, Defendants 216 The court reasoned that because the Likewise, here, Plaintiffs have theory that Defendants breached the PSA. Id. at 523. Plaintiffs' UCL claim also appears to be predicated on their 11 12 allegation that Defendants raised their monthly loan payments in 13 violation of the executed loan modification agreement. 14 124. 15 finds that it can support a claim for unfair practices under the 16 UCL. 17 it is predicated on this allegation, but is DISMISSED in all other 18 respects. 19 deficiencies identified above. Compl. ¶ Defendants do not address this allegation, and the Court Plaintiffs' UCL claim remains undisturbed to the extent that The Court grants Plaintiffs leave to amend to cure the 20 G. Cancellation of Instruments 21 Plaintiffs' final claim seeks to cancel the notices of 22 default, notice of trustee's sale, and other instruments recorded 23 in connection with the foreclosure proceedings commenced against 24 the subject property. 25 Defendants' violation of the PSA, it is DISMISSED with prejudice To the extent that this claim is premised on 26 27 28 breach of contract, which the court declined to dismiss because there was an offer and acceptance. Id. at 2. Here, Plaintiffs appear to be asserting a UCL violation in connection with a rejected loan modification application. 15 1 for the reasons set forth in Section IV.A supra. To the extent 2 that it is based on the allegation that Defendants assessed 3 Plaintiffs additional monthly charges in violation of the loan 4 modification agreement, it remains undisturbed. 5 6 V. CONCLUSION Defendants' motion to dismiss is GRANTED in part and DENIED in 7 8 part. 9 • Plaintiffs' claim for lack of standing is DISMISSED with United States District Court For the Northern District of California 10 prejudice to the extent is predicated on a violation of the 11 PSA and otherwise DISMISSED with leave to amend. 12 • is DISMISSED with leave to amend. 13 14 Plaintiffs' claim for violation of Civil Code Section 2923.55 • Plaintiffs' claim for promissory estoppel remains undisturbed 15 to the extent it is predicated on violation of the loan 16 modification agreement and is otherwise DISMISSED with leave 17 to amend. 18 • Plaintiffs' claim for breach of the implied covenant remains 19 undisturbed to the extent it is predicated on violation of the 20 loan modification agreement and is otherwise DISMISSED with 21 leave to amend. 22 • DISMISSED with leave to amend. 23 24 Plaintiffs' claim for intentional misrepresentation is • Plaintiffs' claim for violation of the UCL remains undisturbed 25 to the extent it is predicated on violation of the loan 26 modification agreement and is otherwise DISMISSED with leave 27 to amend. 28 /// 16 1 • Plaintiffs' claim for cancellation of instruments is DISMISSED 2 with prejudice to the extent it is predicated on a violation 3 of the PSA and remains undisturbed to the extent that it is 4 predicated on a breach of the executed loan modification 5 agreement. 6 As set forth above, the amended pleading shall clearly 7 8 identify the basis for each claim asserted. 9 shall be filed within thirty (30) days of this Order's signature United States District Court For the Northern District of California 10 date. 11 The amended pleading Failure to do so may result in dismissal with prejudice of certain claims. 12 13 IT IS SO ORDERED. 14 15 16 July 1, 2014 UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 17

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