After March 2014, Mrs. Robinson was primarily responsible for communicating with Nationstar and PaCE. Robinson et al v. Nationstar Mortgage LLC - law360.com 3d at 1014. P. 56(a); Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322 (1986). Where Accrued Financial addresses a different scenario with a different remedy, the Court does not find that it requires that the testimony of an expert witness paid on contingency fee basis must be excluded. Id. 15-05811, 2016 WL 3055901 (N.D. Cal. They do not seek damages in the Amended Complaint for emotional distress or include such a claim in their itemized list of damages submitted in discovery. Mich. 2016), at least one district court has held that loan servicers need not comply with Regulation X if the borrower had previously submitted a loss mitigation application before the January 10, 2014 effective date, see Trionfo v. Bank of America, N.A., No. Co., 350 F.3d 1018, 1023 (9th Cir. Once an underwriter is assigned, that employee double-checks whether the application contains all required documentation and is complete. 14-3667, 2015 WL 4994491, at *1-2 (D. Md. If the named plaintiff satisfies each of these requirements under Rule 23(a), the Court must still find that the proposed class action fits into one of the categories of class action under Rule 23(b) in order to certify the class. To the extent that, as Nationstar claims, such a determination could not be fully accomplished through computerized analysis alone, the resources needed to resolve this question would be even greater, such that the importance of having it resolved in a common fashion for all claims would be heightened. Moreover, because borrowers often submit multiple loan modification applications, and because Nationstar's data is stored at the loan level, not at the application level, Nationstar claims that it is not possible to tell from the data alone, without reviewing the files, whether a status or code change is in response to a specific loan modification application. See id. . Id. Likewise, he concluded that for approximately 53 percent of sampled loans, Nationstar failed to comply with the requirement of acknowledging receipt of the application within five days. Robinson v. Nationstar Mortg. LLC, Civil Action No. TDC-14-3667 Any additional updates will be posted here. ("Opp'n') 13, ECF No. 2d 452, 468 (D. Md. Fed. Law 13-301 and 303. Rules Prof'l Conduct 3.4 cmt. Check out:Covid-19 pandemic is the first time 40% of Americans have experienced food insecurity, Don't miss:Amex Blue Cash Preferred is offering an elevated welcome bonus for a limited time, Get Make It newsletters delivered to your inbox, Learn more about the world of CNBC Make It, 2023 CNBC LLC. See Tagatz, 861 F.2d at 1042. See McGraw, 646 F.2d at 176. Ballard v. Blue Shield of S.W. Ward, 595 F.3d at 180 (quoting Gunnells, 348 F.3d at 430). 1984), and has upheld the certification of a class with as few as 18 members, Cypress v. Newport News Gen. & Nonsectarian Hosp. Where the Robinsons may be able to show that they have suffered actual damages, their claim for statutory damages, upon a showing that Nationstar has engaged in a pattern or practice of violating Regulation X, remains viable. Nationstar argues that summary judgment should be granted against Mrs. Robinson because she is not a "borrower" within the meaning of RESPA. Nationstar asserts that Oliver's testimony should be stricken because this fee arrangement includes an unethical contingency fee. 1024.41(a). Id. . In the case of Tony Robinson and Debra Robinson vs Nationstar Mortgage, LLC, the appeals court ruled that the lender did not actually have the right to foreclose on the property. 2015). McLean I, 595 F. Supp. First, as a threshold matter, the Court notes that in ruling on Nationstar's Motion for Summary Judgment, it will grant judgment in favor of Nationstar as to Mrs. Robinson's claims, Mr. Robinson's RESPA claims under 12 C.F.R. A plaintiff has the burden to show that all of the necessary prerequisites for a class action have been met. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. At this stage of the proceedings, the Court must rely on facts in the record, and not assertions in the pleadings. If the loan servicer denies a loan modification application where the complete application was received more than 90 days before a foreclosure sale, the servicer must allow the borrower to appeal and must respond to the appeal within 30 days of receiving it by stating in writing whether the appeal was granted and a loan modification will be offered. While she is trained as a bookkeeper, at the time of the Robinsons' 2014 application for a loan modification and in the subsequent months, Mrs. Robinson was not employed in any capacity. In its complaint, filed in federal district court in the District of Columbia, the Bureau alleges that Nationstar engaged in unfair and deceptive acts and practices in violation of the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010, violated the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), and violated the Homeowner's Protection Act of 1998 (HPA). 2005))). You will not receive a payment if you fail to timely submit a completed Claim Form, and you will give up your right to bring your own lawsuit against the Defendant about the claims in this case. Sept. 2, 2015). Id. 14-cv-10457, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division.. Join a Free TCPA Class Action Lawsuit Investigation. Law 13 . The Court will not revisit this determination. Nationstar's Motion to Strike will be DENIED. In Accrued Financial, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit held that where commercial real estate tenants assigned their potential claims against their landlords to a commercial real estate auditor under an arrangement through which the auditor would receive a percentage of any recovery in litigation, the assignments violated public policy because where the auditor's employees could testify in such litigation, the assignments "provide for supplying expert testimony for a contingent fee." A Division of NBC Universal. For example, it was undisputed that on May 30, 2014, Mr. Robinson, in response to Nationstar's requests for additional information, resubmitted the same information sent with his March 2014 loan modification application. 12 C.F.R. James Robinson v. National Student Clearinghouse Toggle navigation Home Commonly Asked Questions Documents The Court approved the settlement at the July 7, 2020 Fairness Hearing. 1024.41(b)(2)(B), which requires that an acknowledgment letter be sent within five days of receipt of a loan modification application; or 12 C.F.R. 218. Id. Thus, Mrs. Robinson is not "obligated" to pay the amount due on the Note and therefore is not a "borrower" for purposes of RESPA. To calculate damages, Oliver stated that he would look to data from the LSAMS application, including data tables that contain fee information, to identify fees that would not have been charged but for Nationstar's various RESPA violations, but that he was not able to evaluate this data in his report because it had not been provided to him. In support of this argument, Nationstar contends that the ethical rules for attorneys prohibit contingency fee arrangements with expert witnesses. The Class is represented by Rafey S. Balabanian of Edelson PC. 1976). Sept. 29, 2021). 3d 1011, 1015 (W.D. Code Ann., Com. at 151. Bouchat, 346 F.3d at 522. Lembach v. Bierman, 528 F. App'x 297 (4th Cir. The Fourth Circuit has stated that 74 members is "well within the range appropriate for class certification," Brady v. Thurston Motor Lines, 726 F.2d 136, 145 (4th Cir. Fed. 1024.41(i). R. Evid. In analyzing this question, a court compares the class representative's claims and defenses to those of the absent class members, considers the facts needed to prove the class representative's claims, and assesses the extent to which those facts would also prove the claims of the absent class members. 12 U.S.C. See Lierboe v. State Farm Mut. A borrower may enforce violations of these provisions through a private cause of action pursuant to 12 U.S.C. The Magistrate Judge ordered Nationstar to run those scripts and return the electronic data to the Robinsons. However, the burden is on the plaintiffs to show that other class members exist and that their joinder is impracticable; a court may not rely on mere speculation that numerosity has been satisfied. The Motion will be otherwise denied. A "borrower" may enforce the provisions of Regulation X pursuant to 12 U.S.C. Class Action Claims Nationstar Mortgage Unlawfully Failed to Pay In support of these claims, Mr. Robinson testified in his deposition that the $141,000 in interest represents the amount that the Robinsons have been overcharged over the life of the loan. Notably, Oliver's analysis did not consider foreclosure information because the data produced did not include dates of foreclosure sales. WASHINGTON, D.C. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today ordered Nationstar Mortgage LLC to pay a $1.75 million civil penalty for violating the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) by consistently failing to report accurate data about mortgage transactions for 2012 through 2014. Nationstar filed a notice of settlement and a joint motion to proceed before a magistrate . See Farmer v. Ramsay, 159 F. Supp. HARRISBURG Attorney General Josh Shapiro, as part of a multistate effort, today announced that his office obtained an $86.3 million settlement from Nationstar Mortgage, the country's fourth-largest mortgage servicer. 15-3960, 2017 WL 623465, at *8 (D. Md. If the application is denied, a notice to that effect is sent to the borrower. Subsequent Loss Mitigation Application. A conflict of interest will not defeat the adequacy requirement when "all class members share common objectives[,] the same factual and legal positions, and . This is not the first time Nationstar has been the subject of federal and state investigations. More importantly, while a determination of an individual violation would not require extensive analysis, specific proof of a pattern or practice of RESPA violations in any individual case would be a substantial undertaking, likely requiring the same type of complex analysis proposed here: a sampling of Nationstar files, compilation of all relevant data for such files, expert analysis to identify violations, and an assessment whether the identified violations are sufficient to establish a pattern or practice of violations. 8:2014cv03667 - Document 18 (D. Md. Whether an application is complete depends on the requirements of the investor who holds the loan. Although this data was not provided to Oliver, there is no reason it could not be produced and used to make determinations on the timeliness of decisions on loss mitigation applications. In their Motion for Class Certification, the Robinsons seek certification of two classes. Robinson v Nationstar - Home Nationstar claims that manual review of each file would take about 60 to 90 minutes per file. 222. The Robinsons do not address this argument in their Opposition. And given that the class includes all borrowers who have submitted an application since January 10, 2014, joinder of all members is eminently impractical. Plaintiff and Class Representative Demetrius Robinson, along with Class Counsel Tycko & Zavareei LLP and The Bestor Law Firm, respectfully move this Court for an award of $1,300,000 in reasonable attorneys' fees and expenses, as well as a $5,000 service award for Mr. Robinson. Id. Rule 702 permits an expert to testify if the testimony "will help the trier of fact to understand the evidence or to determine a fact in issue," "is based on sufficient facts or data," and "is the product of reliable principles and methods," and if the expert has "reliably applied the principles and methods to the facts of the case." (quoting 7AA Charles Allan Wright et al., Federal Practice and Procedure 1778 (3d ed. Id. As of November 22, about 2.8 million homeowners were in a forbearance plan, according to the latest research from the Mortgage Bankers Association. Nationstar sent Mr. Robinson two letters denying his loan modification application on July 17, 2014 and September 9, 2014, but there is no evidence in the record that the Robinsons submitted an appeal to either of those letters. That provision provides, in parallel, that a loan servicer which does not comply with Regulation X is liable "to the borrower." As a result, the Robinsons' claim that Nationstar violated certain Regulation X procedures with respect to their loan modification application and those of the class members. See Stillmock v. Weis Markets, Inc., 385 F. App'x 267, 275 (4th Cir. 1024.41(f), (g). 2012). For the claims that rely on the timing of a response, Oliver and the Robinsons propose using changes in the Remedy Star substatus or LSAMS codes and documents stored in FileNet to identify the date a loan modification application was received or marked as complete, to identify the date a response was sent, and to count the number of days between events. Although each class member must individually show that they suffered "actual damages" under 12 U.S.C. See supra parts I.B.1, I.B.3, I.C.1. Robinson v. Nationstar Mortgage, LLC: Complaint with jury demand Law 13-301 and 13-303, because the Robinsons do not have standing to bring those claims. 1024.41(c) and (d) impose obligations on a loan servicer once it receives a "complete loss mitigation application" and once the completed application is denied. 120. The fee arrangement will be considered as an issue potentially affecting the credibility, rather than the admissibility, of the expert testimony. The trial court granted the motion over the Robinsons' objection, noting in its order that Nationstar had now waived its claim for attorney feesthe claim that had been the sole impediment to a final judgment being entered after the trial court granted Nationstar's request to reopen the evidence after entry of the initial final judgment. See 12 C.F.R. If the settlements are approved by the D.C. district court, Nationstar will be required to immediately set aside about $15.6 million to pay borrowers it has not yet remediated. As a result, on January 29, 2018, the Magistrate Judge granted the Robinsons' Motion to Compel in which the Robinsons had sought to have the Court order Nationstar to accept and run scripts created by the Robinsons' expert to extract the relevant data from Nationstar's databases on the sample of loans from which they could test their methodology for identifying members of the proposed classes. Courts have wide discretion to certify a class based on their familiarity with the issues and potential difficulties arising in class action litigation. In Washington v. Am. While Demetrius Robinson did appeal Nationstar's March 15, 2014 offer of an in-house modification, the requirements of subsection (h) were not triggered because the offer was not a denial of a loan modification application. R. Evid. . In their memorandum in opposition to the Motion for Summary Judgment ("Opposition"), the Robinsons admit that they "do not have evidence that Nationstar dual tracked them" or began foreclosure proceedings while a loan modification application was pending. This Court previously held that a loan modification application can be an inquiry under the MCPA that triggers a duty to respond, and that in the case of the Robinsons, the loan modification application that was "submitted at the request of Nationstar[] necessarily seeks a response." 2010) (holding that a plaintiff who "was not a borrower or otherwise obligated on the . First, to the extent that there was a period of time during which Nationstar failed to implement procedures to comply with RESPA, the facts establishing such a gap would be highly relevant to a pattern or practice determination and would be common in every case. In Robinson v., Under the RESPA, civil liability is limited to "borrowers": "[w]hoever fails to comply with any provision of, Full title:DEMETRIUS ROBINSON and TAMARA ROBINSON, Plaintiffs, v. NATIONSTAR MORTGAGE, Court:UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF MARYLAND. Tagatz v. Marquette Univ., 861 F.2d 1040, 1042 (7th Cir. 2605(f)(1)(A)). or misleading oral or written statement . "We will be watching the mortgage interest industry to ensure they are treating homeowners fairly and fulfilling their obligations.". Id. See Johnson v. Ocwen Loan Servicing, 374 F. App'x 868, 873 (11th Cir. Nationstar's reliance on Accrued Financial Services v. Prime Retail, Inc., 298 F.3d 291 (4th Cir. RESPA's implementing regulations, codified at 12 C.F.R. 2d 873, 883 (D. Md. . For example, Nationstar's own internal procedures reveal that when a loss mitigation application is received, a processor reviews it to determine if all required information and documents have been received, and enters one code, specifically "code HMPC" in LSAMS signifying "Financial Application Complete," and a different code, specifically "code HMPA," signifying "Financial Application Incomplete." See Tyson Foods v. Bouaphakeo, 136 S. Ct. 1036, 1045 (2016) ("When 'one or more of the central issues in the action are common to the class and can be said to predominate, the action may be considered proper under Rule 23(b)(3) even though other important matters will have to be tried separately, such as damages or some affirmative defense peculiar to some individual class members.'" "Since then, we have continued to invest in technology, people, and leadership to ensure that our compliance and risk management programs not only meet our regulators' expectations but also support sustainable growth and maintain our position as an industry leader.". In contrast, the Court finds that there is a genuine issue of material fact whether the administrative costs and fees incurred by the Robinsons resulted from Nationstar's RESPA violations. Since it is the plaintiff's burden to establish that the requirements of Rule 23 have been met and Mr. Robinson has failed to do so, the Motion for Class Certification will be denied as to any claims that Nationstar violated 12 C.F.R. Opp'n Mot. Potentially eligible class members for all of these provisions can be identified through the LSAMS and Remedy data that marks that an application was received, identified as complete, and denied. The Robinsons' Motion for Class Certification will be GRANTED IN PART and DENIED IN PART. Wesleyan Coll. 1988) (distinguishing between a rule of professional conduct and admissibility of evidence); cf. Furthermore, to the extent that the Robinsons' claim is that Nationstar falsely stated that it would evaluate the Robinsons for all available loss mitigation plans, the Robinsons point only to statements in letters that the Robinsons "may" be eligible for certain non-HAMP loan modification programs. See, e.g. Since Mrs. Robinson may not bring a claim under Regulation X, she may not be a named class representative. PDF Motion for Fees - Robinson v Nationstar - Home Since the Court already considered and ruled on these issues, see supra part I.B, it will not revisit those arguments here. The relevant rule prohibits an attorney from "offer[ing] an inducement to a witness that is prohibited by law." Instead, he analyzed certain data fields that were returned by the scripts written by a different expert. Robinson, 2015 WL 4994491, at *4 (citing Marchese v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., 917 F. Supp. She alleges Nationstar was sent multiple disputes by both Experian and Equifax with documentation showing the debt was forgiven, yet Nationstar persisted in reporting the debt as valid. This assertion mischaracterizes the burden of proof in a civil case. Some courts have held that administrative costs that predate the alleged RESPA violation cannot constitute "actual damages." 12 C.F.R. 12 U.S.C. Moreover, whether Nationstar engaged in a "pattern or practice" of Regulation X violations, within the meaning of 12 U.S.C. Although Nationstar argues that Mr. Robinson has a conflict of interest because he wishes to avoid foreclosure and to delay payments on his mortgage, the record does not reflect that proposition. 1024.41(c)(1)(ii), which requires a servicer to respond to a loan modification application within 30 days of receipt of a complete loss mitigation application and provide notice of appeal rights; 12 C.F.R. Co, 445 F.3d 311, 318 (4th Cir. On November 21, 2014, the Robinsons filed suit against Nationstar on behalf of themselves and a class of similarly situated individuals nationwide. 12 U.S.C. On June 16, 2017, the Magistrate Judge bifurcated discovery to focus initially on the merits of the Robinsons' individual claim and the question of class certification, ordered Nationstar to disclose electronic records so that the Robinsons could sample Nationstar's data for purposes of a motion for class certification, and limited the discovery of such records to a sample of 400 loans from the period from January 10, 2014 to June 30, 2014 and "to areas which inform" the Court's decision on class certification, namely whether Nationstar was in compliance with Regulation X. Mot. 2014))). Am. Summ. For the following reasons, the Motion for Summary Judgment will be GRANTED IN PART and DENIED IN PART; the Motion to Strike will be DENIED; and the Motion for Class Certification will be GRANTED IN PART and DENIED IN PART. Indeed, Nationstar does not seriously contest the commonality prong. Bouchat v. Balt. Where a contingency fee arrangement for expert witnesses is not expressly prohibited by the Maryland Rules of Professional Conduct, the Court declines to find that the fee arrangement here constituted an ethical violation. Code Ann., Com. 2601-2617 (2012), specifically RESPA's implementing regulations known as "Regulation X," 12 C.F.R. See 12 C.F.R. If a borrower is experiencing issues or not getting the help needed, contact your state attorneys general. 10696, 10836. Docket for Robinson v. Nationstar Mortgage LLC, 8:14-cv-03667 Brought to you by the RECAP Initiative and Free Law Project, a non-profit dedicated to creating high quality open legal information. Although similar to Rule 23(a)'s commonality requirement, the test for predominance under Rule 23(b)(3) is "far more demanding" and "tests whether proposed classes are sufficiently cohesive to warrant adjudication by representation." Make your practice more effective and efficient with Casetexts legal research suite. Home [robinsonsettlement.com] An "unfair or deceptive" trade practice includes a "false . Nationstar's claim that the above-described coding is not dispositive, because an underwriter could subsequently determine that more information was needed after all, is not persuasive. The commonality requirement is also met. Broussard v. Meineke Discount Muffler Shops, Inc., 155 F.3d 331, 344 (4th Cir. Nationstar, the fourth-largest mortgage servicer in the U.S., is set to pay $91 million to settle claims brought by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and state attorneys general alleging that the company failed to honor mortgage forbearance agreements and unfairly foreclosed on homeowners. Relevant factual and procedural background is set forth in the Court's prior Memorandum Opinion granting in part and denying in part Nationstar's partial Motion to Dismiss. At the time, Nationstar had not completed the process of updating its systems to conform to those requirements. After attempts to modify their loan failed, the Robinsons filed a Class Action Complaint against Defendant Nationstar Mortgage, LLC ("Nationstar") for alleged violations of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act ("RESPA"), 12 U.S.C. Since the MCPA and Regulation X allow recovery only of "economic damages," Md. The one-time consulting fee was paid in August 2013 to PaCE, a forensic loan auditor, to advise the Robinsons on how to communicate with Nationstar and to handle their loan. 2010). 1967). Id. MSJ JR 0284. "); cf. The fact that each borrower must individually show damages under 12 U.S.C. On February 10, 2022, the Court of Appeals issued a decision affirming the Final Approval Order. Write to the Court if you do not like the Settlement. 2013) (holding that the plaintiff sufficiently pleaded actual injury or loss under the MCPA where he alleged that he suffered "bogus late fees," damage to his credit, and attorney's fees); see also Cole v. Fed'l Nat'l Mortg. PDF NATIONSTAR MORTGAGE LLC, D/B/A MR. COOPER, Defendant. Eligible consumers will be contacted by Nationstar or the settlement administrator about refunds under the settlement. 2011) ("[T]he possibility that a well-defined class will nonetheless encompass some class members who have suffered no injury . v. Nationstar Mortgage LLC. Finally, where Nationstar has offered no specific argument in its brief, beyond those addressed above, to refute Oliver's proffered analysis for identifying RESPA violations arising from the failure to notify borrowers of their appeal rights or the failure to exercise diligence in requesting documents based on repeated requests for the same documents, 12 C.F.R. The record is undisputed that as of September 25, 2017, Nationstar had neither started foreclosure proceedings nor moved for foreclosure judgment on the Robinsons' home. Law 13-316(c). "[A] trial court should consider the specific factors identified in Daubert where they are reasonable measures of the reliability of expert testimony." MCC JR 318, 530-531. These claims do not have to be factually or legally identical, but the class claims should be fairly encompassed by those of the named plaintiffs. 1024.41(f), (g), and (h), and Mr. Robinson's MCPA claim under sections 13-301 and 13-303. At least one court has found a similar expert report by Oliver to meet the Daubert standard. In addition, Nationstar asserts that not all loan modification applications referred to an underwriter are complete. Finally, to the extent that Oliver did not execute his stated methodology for identifying damages, that limitation is again based in part on Nationstar's failure to make relevant data available to him. Since the Court has already concluded that Nationstar is entitled to summary judgment on the Robinsons' claims under 12 C.F.R. The cases cited by the Robinsons do not alter the Court's conclusion. Nov. 12, 2011), the court held that a plaintiff who signed a deed of trust on a property and was a joint tenant with her son, but did not sign the promissory note, had constitutional standing to bring a RESPA claim because she stood to be injured if a default on her son's loan led to the loss of her equitable interest in the property. Johnson, 374 F. App'x at 873; Keen v. Ocwen Loan Servicing, LLC, No. 1024.41(f), (g), and (h), and Md. Since the parties do not argue that the Nationwide Class and the Maryland Subclass differ for the purposes of the class certification analysis, the Court will analyze them together. Similarly, though the precise nature of the fees imposed was not specified, it is reasonable to infer that some were attributable to delays linked to RESPA violations. 1976) (holding that while it may be unethical for a lawyer to testify on behalf of a client as an expert, "it does not necessarily follow that any alleged professional misconduct" would require exclusion of the testimony because the rules of professional conduct do "not delineate rules of evidence"); United States v. Fogel, 901 F.2d 23, 26 (4th Cir. According to Oliver, to determine that certain disclosures or specific information were conveyed to borrowers, the "objectid" field used in FileNet can be used to identify the type of letter sent. Here, Mrs. Robinson signed the Deed but did not sign the Note. The CFPB estimates about 40,000 borrowers were harmed by Nationstar's allegedly unfair and deceptive practices, according to a statement released Monday. Since Regulation X explicitly does not require a loan servicer to provide a loan modification, the Robinsons' claim that they suffered damages because they did not receive a loan modification is not cognizable under the statute. Reg. Between July 2010 and November 2013, the Robinsons submitted and Nationstar denied three applications for a loan modification under the Home Affordable Modification Program ("HAMP"). Nationstar ultimately became the servicer of the Robinsons' loan. The Deed specifies that a person who signs it but "does not execute the note" is a co-signer of the Deed in order to mortgage and convey that person's interest in the Property under the terms of the Deed, but "is not personally obligated to pay the sums secured by this Security Instrument," and her consent is not required to alter the terms of the Deed or the Note. 1024.41(i). 2601-2617 (2012), specifically RESPA's implementing regulations known as "Regulation X," 12 C.F.R. A dispute of material fact is only "genuine" if sufficient evidence favoring the nonmoving party exists for the trier of fact to return a verdict for that party. As the Supreme Court noted in Kumho Tire Co. v. Carmichael, 526 U.S. 137 (1999), Daubert "made clear that its list of factors was meant to be helpful, not definitive," and it is not always the case that an expert witness's claim will have been subjected to peer review.