Lalli et al v. Bank Of America, N.A. et al
Filing
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ORDER that 14 Motion to Dismiss is GRANTED. The clerk shall enter judgment and close the case. Signed by Judge James C. Mahan on 1/29/14. (Copies have been distributed pursuant to the NEF - MMM)
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
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DISTRICT OF NEVADA
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2:12-CV-1221 JCM (PAL)
KIMBERLY J. LALLI and JOSEPH M.
LALLI,
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Plaintiff(s),
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v.
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BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., et al.,
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Defendant(s).
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ORDER
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Presently before the court is defendants Bank of America’s (“BOA”), U.S. Bank National
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Association’s (“US Bank”), and TD Service Company’s motion to dismiss plaintiffs Kimberly and
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Joseph Lalli’s complaint. (Doc. #14). Plaintiffs have responded (doc. #20), and defendants have
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replied (doc. #21).
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I.
Background Facts
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The instant dispute concerns property located at 735 Fife Street, Henderson, Nevada 89015
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(“the property”). (Doc. #14 at 2). Plaintiff acquired ownership of the property on or around March
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28, 2000, by obtaining a $234,500 loan from Novastar Mortgage Corporation, which was secured
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by a first position deed of trust encumbering the property. (Doc. #14 at 2). Plaintiffs refinanced the
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property in May 2007 with a $592,000 loan from First Franklin Financial Corporation, which was
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secured by a first position deed of trust encumbering the property. (Doc. #14 at 2). Defendant BOA
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acquired plaintiffs’ loan. (Doc. #1, ex. A at 2).
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James C. Mahan
U.S. District Judge
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Plaintiffs defaulted on their property. A notice of default and election to sell was executed
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and recorded on July 8, 2009. (Doc. #14 at 2). A substitution of trustee naming defendant T.D.
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Service Company as trustee was executed on July 8, 2009, and recorded on July 11, 2009. (Doc. #14
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at 2). Defendant US Bank is the successor trustee to defendant BOA. (Doc. #1, ex. A at 2).
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Plaintiffs filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy protection on May 18, 2010. (Doc. #14 at 2).
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Plaintiffs stated it was their intent to surrender the property. (Doc. #14 at 2). Plaintiffs received a
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chapter 7 discharge on September 13, 2010. (Doc. #14 at 2). Plaintiffs admit their default. (Doc. #14,
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ex. I at 7). Plaintiff’s allegations arise after they stated their intent to abandon the property and
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received the chapter 7 discharge.
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US Bank purchased the loan on the property from BOA at a foreclosure trustee sale on June
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24, 2011. (Doc. #1, ex. A at 2). On September 28, 2011, defendants sent plaintiffs a letter for a trial
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period loan modification. (Doc. #1, ex. A at 5). Plaintiffs made three monthly payments under the
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trial plan. (Doc. #1, ex. A at 5). On January 12, 2012, defendants sent plaintiffs an offer for final loan
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modification. (Doc. #1, ex. A at 5). The offer was never signed or agreed upon. (Doc. #14 at 10). In
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the beginning of March 2012, plaintiffs were served with an unlawful detainer complaint, filed by
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US Bank based on the foreclosure sale that occurred on June 24, 2011. (Doc #1, ex. A at 6).
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Plaintiffs filed the instant complaint on July 11, 2012, alleging ten causes of action: (1)
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promissory estoppel, (2) wrongful foreclosure/quiet title, (3) misrepresentation, (4) unjust
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enrichment, (5) breach of contract, (6) injunctive relief, (7) conversion, (8) negligence, (9) negligent
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infliction of emotional distress, and (10) punitive and special damages. (Doc. #1, A at 6-13). In the
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prayer for relief, plaintiffs request: (1) damages, (2) preliminary/permanent injunction staying any
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and all eviction proceedings, (3) declaratory relief quieting title in name of plaintiffs, (5)
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reinstatement of the loan in plaintiffs’ names including a permanent modification with clear
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instructions who the lender is, and (6) fees and costs. (Doc. #1, A at 13-14).
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II.
Legal Standard
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A court may dismiss a plaintiff's complaint for “failure to state a claim upon which relief can
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be granted.” FED. R. CIV. P. 12(b)(6). A properly pled complaint must provide “[a] short and plain
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James C. Mahan
U.S. District Judge
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statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.” FED. R. CIV. P. 8(a)(2); Bell
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Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007). While Rule 8 does not require detailed factual
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allegations, it demands “more than labels and conclusions” or a “formulaic recitation of the elements
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of a cause of action.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 1949 (2009) (citation omitted). “Factual
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allegations must be enough to rise above the speculative level.” Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555. Thus, to
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survive a motion to dismiss, a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter to “state a claim to
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relief that is plausible on its face.” Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. at 1949 (citation omitted).
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In Iqbal, the Supreme Court clarified the two-step approach district courts are to apply when
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considering motions to dismiss. First, the court must accept as true all well-pled factual allegations
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in the complaint; however, legal conclusions are not entitled to the assumption of truth. Id. at 1950.
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Mere recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported only by conclusory statements, do not
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suffice. Id. at 1949. Second, the court must consider whether the factual allegations in the complaint
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allege a plausible claim for relief. Id. at 1950. A claim is facially plausible when the plaintiff's
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complaint alleges facts that allows the court to draw a reasonable inference that the defendant is
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liable for the alleged misconduct. Id. at 1949.
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Where the complaint does not permit the court to infer more than the mere possibility of
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misconduct, the complaint has “alleged – but not shown – that the pleader is entitled to relief.” Id.
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(internal quotations omitted). When the allegations in a complaint have not crossed the line from
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conceivable to plausible, plaintiff's claim must be dismissed. Twombly, 550 U.S. at 570.
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III.
Discussion
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(1)
Promissory Estoppel
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Plaintiffs allege defendants violated the doctrine of estoppel by causing plaintiffs to rely to
their detriment that foreclosure would not occur and the loan on the property would be modified.
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To establish promissory estoppel four elements must exist: (1) the party to be estopped must
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be apprised of the true facts; (2) he must intend that his conduct shall be acted upon, or must so act
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that the party asserting estoppel has the right to believe it was so intended; (3) the party asserting the
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estoppel must be ignorant of the true state of facts; and (4) he must have relied to his detriment on
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James C. Mahan
U.S. District Judge
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the conduct of the party to be estopped. Pink v. Busch, 691 P.2d 456, 459 (Nev. 1984). “The doctrine
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of promissory estoppel, which embraces the concept of detrimental reliance, is intended as a
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substitute for consideration, and not as a substitute for an agreement between the parties.” Vancheri
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v. GNLV Corp., 105 Nev. 417, 421, 777 P.2d 366, 369 (1989).
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In the instant case, the plaintiffs were offered a trial loan modification and assert that they
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detrimentally relied on the belief they would receive a permanent loan modification. Defendants
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offered plaintiffs a permanent loan modification after the conclusion of the trial period. Plaintiffs
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assert they still had questions about the agreement and were unable to contact BOA to clarify their
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issues. The loan modification agreement was never agreed upon, signed, or executed.
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A failed negotiation is not a basis for promissory estoppel. Because no agreement was
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reached on the loan modification, this cause of action must be dismissed.
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(2)
Wrongful foreclosure/quiet title
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Plaintiffs allege they never received notice of foreclosure as required by NRS § 107.080.
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“Nevada recognizes the tort of wrongful foreclosure where a homeowner alleges a lender wrongfully
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exercised the power of sale and foreclosed upon their property when the homeowner was not in
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default on the mortgage loan.” Berilo v. HSBC Mortgage Corp., USA, 2010 WL 2667218, *3 (D.
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Nev. 2010) (emphasis added).
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“An action for the tort of wrongful foreclosure will lie if the trustor or mortgagor can
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establish that at the time the power of sale was exercised or the foreclosure occurred, no breach of
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condition or failure of performance existed on the mortgagor's or trustor's part which would have
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authorized the foreclosure or exercise of the power of sale.” Collins v. Union Fed. Sav. & Loan
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Ass'n, 99 Nev. 284, 304, 662 P.2d 610, 623 (1983).
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In this case, plaintiffs do not dispute they were delinquent on their payments at the time of
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the foreclosure sale. Under Nevada law, the homeowner must not be in default on the mortgage loan
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in order to assert a wrongful foreclosure cause of action. Accordingly, the court must dismiss this
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cause of action.
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...
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James C. Mahan
U.S. District Judge
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(3)
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Misrepresentation
Plaintiffs allege defendants made misrepresentations that plaintiffs’ loan would be modified,
foreclosure would not occur, and the eviction would be placed on hold.
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To establish a claim for intentional misrepresentation: (1) a representation must be made with
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knowledge or belief that it is false or without a sufficient foundation, (2) there must be an intent to
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induce another’s reliance, and (3) damages must result from that reliance. Collins v. Burns, 103 Nev.
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394, 397, 741 P.2d 819, 821 (1987).
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In addition, Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 9(b) provides that all “circumstances constituting
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the fraud. . . shall be stated with particularity.” Berry v. Valence Tech., Inc., 175 F.3d 699, 706 (9th
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Cir.1999). “[A] Plaintiff asserting fraud against a corporate [entity] must allege the names of the
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persons who made the allegedly fraudulent representations, their authority to speak, to whom they
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spoke, what they said or wrote, and when it was said or written.” (internal quotation omitted).
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Roberts v. McCarthy, 2011 WL 1363811, *3 (D. Nev. 2011)
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The complaint does not include the names of the persons who made the allegedly fraudulent
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representations, discuss their authority to speak, identify to whom they spoke, detail what they said
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or wrote, or when it was said or written as required by Nevada law. Plaintiffs do not assert any facts
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more than “defendants made misrepresentations that plaintiffs’ loan would be modified, foreclosure
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would not occur, and that the eviction would be placed on hold.” As such, this cause of action lacks
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the particularity required by Fed. R. Civ. P. 9(b) and must be dismissed.
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(4)
Unjust enrichment
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Plaintiffs allege defendants were unjustly enriched when plaintiffs made three timely
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payments as part of a trial loan modification agreement. Under Nevada law, a claim for unjust
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enrichment lies where “a person has and retains a benefit which in equity and good conscience
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belongs to another.” Leasepartners Corp. v. Robert L. Brooks Trust Dated November 12, 1975, 113
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Nev. 747, 942 P.2d 182, 187 (1997). A cause of action “based on a theory of unjust enrichment is
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not available when there is an express, written contract, because no agreement can be implied when
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there is an express agreement.” Id.
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James C. Mahan
U.S. District Judge
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In the instant case, there is undisputably a written contract from the initial loan agreement
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between the plaintiffs and the defendants. Because the theory of unjust enrichment applies only to
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situations where there is no legal contract, the cause of action must be dismissed.
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(5)
Breach of contract
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Plaintiffs allege defendants breached the trial loan modification agreement by attempting
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eviction, despite plaintiffs’ compliance with said trial agreement. “Nevada law requires the plaintiff
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in a breach of contract action to show (1) the existence of a valid contract, (2) a breach by the
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defendant, and (3) damages as a result of the breach.” Saini v. Int'l Game Tech., 434 F. Supp. 2d 913,
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919-20 (D. Nev. 2006) (citing Richardson v. Jones, 1 Nev. 405, 405 (Nev.1865)).
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Plaintiffs never signed or agreed upon the permanent loan modification that BOA offered to
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them after the three successful trial payments. Plaintiffs assert they had questions about BOA’s
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proposed modification and were unable to speak with a representative to answer their questions.
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Plaintiffs do not dispute they never signed the permanent loan modification agreement. Accordingly,
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no valid loan modification contract exists. Because the first element of breach of contract cannot be
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satisfied, this cause of action must be dismissed.
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(6)
Conversion
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Plaintiffs allege defendants have misappropriated, unlawfully exercised domain, and
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converted for their use and benefit plaintiffs’ loan payments to the detriment of plaintiffs. Plaintiffs
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argue whether a conversion has occurred is an issue to be resolved by the trier of fact.
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Under Nevada law, conversion is a “distinct act of dominion wrongfully exerted over
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another’s personal property in denial of, or inconsistent with his title or rights therein or in
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derogation, exclusion, or defiance of such title or rights.” Wantz v. Redfield, 74 Nev. 196, 326 P.2d
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413, 414 (Nev. 1958).
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Pursuant to the note and deed of trust, the defendants were entitled to collect loan payments
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as a matter of law. Accordingly, this is not inconsistent with title and the cause of action must be
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dismissed.
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...
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James C. Mahan
U.S. District Judge
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(7)
Negligence
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Plaintiffs allege defendants had a duty to provide plaintiffs with effective and accurate
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management of plaintiffs’ loan. This included a duty to consider a loan modification agreement when
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the loan modification was denied based on defendants’ failure to properly review the loan and
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calculate whether a loan modification was appropriate.
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Plaintiff asserts that defendant was negligent for improperly computing eligibility for loan
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readjustment and accordingly denying a loan readjustment. To state a cause of action for negligence,
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a plaintiff must prove that the defendant owed a duty to him, breached that duty, the breach caused
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plaintiff's injuries, and plaintiff suffered damages. See Scialabba v. Brandise Constr. Co., 112, Nev.
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965, 921 P.2d 928 (1996).
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This court has stated before that “as a general rule, a financial institution owes no duty of care
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to a borrower when the institution's involvement in the loan transaction does not exceed the scope
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of its conventional role as a mere lender of money.” Hubel v. BAC Home Loans Servicing, LP, No.
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2:10–cv–1476, 2010 WL 4983456, at *3 (D. Nev. Dec. 2, 2010). In this case, defendants owed no
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legal duty to plaintiffs to negotiate or approve a loan modification agreement. Without such a duty,
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plaintiff's negligence claim must be dismissed.
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(9)
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Negligent infliction of emotional distress
Plaintiffs allege they were emotionally injured and suffered severe mental anguish, conscious
pain, and emotional distress from the actions of defendants.
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In order to state a claim for negligent infliction of emotional distress, plaintiffs must
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demonstrate, inter alia, physical manifestation of their emotional distress. See Betsinger v. D.R.
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Horton, Inc., 126 Nev. 17, at 3-4 (2010). Plaintiffs have not pled any facts demonstrating a physical
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manifestation of emotional distress. Plaintiffs merely plead they were “emotionally injured and
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suffered severe mental anguish, conscious pain, and emotional distress from the actions of
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defendants.” These allegations do not demonstrate a physical manifestation of their emotional
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distress. Under Rule 12(b)(6), the plaintiffs have alleged but not shown they are entitled to relief.
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Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. at 1949. Accordingly, this cause of action must be dismissed.
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James C. Mahan
U.S. District Judge
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(10)
Punitive and special damages
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Plaintiffs allege defendants’ conduct and omissions were extreme and outrageous and thus
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defendants should be subject to punitive damages. Furthermore, plaintiffs allege as a result of the
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actions and conduct of defendants, plaintiffs suffered damages, including, but not limited to,
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attorney’s fees and costs.
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Whereas defendants’ motion to dismiss is granted in its entirety, plaintiff is not entitled to
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the requested relief.
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Accordingly,
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IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that defendants’ motion to
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dismiss (doc. #14) be, and the same hereby is, GRANTED.
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IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the clerk shall enter judgment and close the case.
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DATED January 29, 2014.
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
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James C. Mahan
U.S. District Judge
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