The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in a recent unpublished opinion in Casault v. One West Bank, FSB, et al., U.S.C.A. 9th Cir. Case No. 14-55494 (Aug. 4, 2016), affirmed the dismissal of the borrowers’class action complaint against various banks, servicers and trustees. The borrowers in Casault claimed that they relied upon offers to modify loans that were allegedly contained in advertisements, websites and mailings, as well as actions taken after they started the loan modification process, and attempted to assert claims for fraud and improper foreclosure under California law.
The 9th Circuit found that the borrowers had failed to properly allege their claims. First, the Court determined that it was not reasonable for the borrowers to rely on the loan modification offers, because those offers did not promise or guarantee a loan modification. Second, the Court found that the foreclosures were based upon the borrowers’ failure to pay, not due to reliance upon misrepresentations or omissions that were allegedly made after they started the loan modification process. Finally, the appellate court outright rejected the borrowers’ argument that the loan servicer had taken over the loans because it had made advances while the loans were delinquent.
Many recent appellate opinions throughout the country have made it more difficult for lenders to foreclose mortgages and have even awarded damages to borrowers. The Casault opinion shows that there is, in fact, a limit to this trend.
David Greene is a commercial litigation partner in Fox Rothschild’s West Palm Beach office. His practice focuses primarily on banking litigation, real estate litigation, title insurance litigation, and construction litigation. You can reach David at 561-804-4441 or dgreene@foxrothschild.com.