Professional Documents
Culture Documents
No. 11-1197
REGINALD JONES,
Plaintiff - Appellant,
v.
HSBC BANK USA, N.A.; HOME EQUITY LOAN TRUST, SERIES ACE
2005-HE5;
WELLS
FARGO
BANK
NA;
MORTGAGE
ELECTRONIC
REGISTRATION SYSTEMS INC.; BUONASSISSI, HENNING & LASH,
P.C.,
Defendants Appellees,
and
ONE CALL LENDER
CORPORATION,
SERVICES,
LLC;
SUPERIOR
HOME
MORTGAGE
Defendants.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of
Maryland, at Greenbelt. Roger W. Titus, District Judge. (8:09cv-02904-RWT)
Submitted:
July 7, 2011
Decided:
PER CURIAM:
This
proceeding.
appeal
arises
out
of
Maryland
foreclosure
N.A.
(HSBC),
Fremont
Reorganizing
Corporation
Loan
Superior
Trust),
Home
Wells
Mortgage
Fargo
Bank,
Corporation
NA
(Wells
(Superior),
Fargo),
Mortgage
Defendants removed to
entered
contained
in
dismissal
his
without
proposed
as
prejudice
amendment.
For
to
the
the
claims
reasons
that
follow, we affirm.
I.
In 2005, Jones took out an $825,200 home mortgage loan
from
Fremont.
The
loan
was
secured
by
deed
of
trust
on
Wells Fargo
As a
proceedings
County, Maryland.
in
the
Circuit
Court
for
Montgomery
Joness
objection
was
pending,
foreclosure
of
his home proceeded, and a sale of the property was scheduled for
October 7, 2009.
as
Joness
scheduled,
and
lawsuit,
HSBC
the
purchased
foreclosure
the
sale
property
on
October
7.
The
state
court
retained
jurisdiction
over
the
Jones
sought
to
prevent
HSBC
from
taking
possession
of
the
of
the
property.
In
both
the
state
and
federal
With
the
present
action
moved
on
October
21,
2010
filed
for
leave
to
dismiss
Joness complaint.
One
week
later,
Jones
as
to
defendants
convert
only
the
HSBC,
suit
the
Wells
into
from
Fargo,
class
and
BHL,
action.
and
Raising
of
Wells
Fargo
signed
It alleged that
affidavits
supporting
therein.
seven
Based
causes
of
on
this
action,
conduct,
including
the
complaint
fraud,
wrongful
motion
dilatory,
for
futile,
Additionally,
the
leave
and
to
amend,
would
district
prejudice
court
6
explaining
the
dismissed
that
it
was
defendants.
the
original
complaint
in
its
entirety,
finding
that
Joness
claims
were
II.
On
denial
of
appeal,
his
Jones
motion
for
challenges
leave
to
the
amend
district
courts
and
courts
the
We consider
A.
Jones first argues that the district court erred by
refusing to grant his motion for leave to amend his complaint.
We review a district courts denial of a plaintiffs motion to
amend for abuse of discretion.
724, 729 (4th Cir. 2010).
denial
lies
of
leave
to
amend
within
the
district
Though
courts
district
court
did
not
abuse
7
Id.
its
As we explain below,
discretion
by
finding
1.
Jones disputes the finding that his motion to amend
was dilatory.
false
affidavits.
However,
the
record
contains
ample
Joness
concerns
about
the
accuracy
of
defendants
accuracy
of
signed
by
Wells
Fargo
employees.
the
extent
that
Joness
complaint
cites
new
in a timely manner.
was taken in March, Jones did not file his motion to amend until
that October.
2.
Jones also disputes the district courts finding that
his
amended
complaint
was
futile.
In
assessing
whether
Davis v. Piper
litigation;
(2)
the
claim
presented
in
the
current
Jones
and
BHL
were
the
sole
parties
to
the
on
behalf
of
HSBC.
With
respect
to
the
proposed
Because the
BHL
represented
in
the
state
10
court
action,
the
privity
See Anyanwutaku v.
Fleet Mortg. Group, Inc., 85 F. Supp. 2d 566, 571 (D. Md. 2000)
(finding privity, under Maryland law, between substitute trustee
who filed prior foreclosure action and successor holders of the
underlying mortgage note); see also FWB Bank, 731 A.2d at 930.
In deciding whether the claims are the same, so as to
satisfy
the
second
transaction test.
element,
Maryland
courts
employ
the
when
the
they
arise
transactions.
out
of
same
transaction
or
series
of
This holds
the
proposed
amendment,
Jones
alleges
that
the
In both
In Maryland, a foreclosure
When the
mortgagor
however,
voluntarily
appears
and
raises
objections,
suits
in
response
to
wrongful
foreclosures,
foreclosures
12
themselves
cannot
However,
the
be
statute
intended
simply
to
have
addresses
preclusive
actions
effect.
brought
in
See
the
merits
of
prior
foreclosure
judgment
in
loses
the
resulting
opportunity
judgment.
See
to
later
id.
at
collaterally
1272
attack
(explaining
the
that
the
were
filed
flows
from
the
mortgagors
voluntary
The
Thus,
the
final
state-court
foreclosure
constitutes
13
an
in
personam
delay present, the district court did not abuse its discretion
by denying Jones leave to amend.
B.
Jones also appeals the district courts dismissal with
prejudice of his original complaint.
Coleman v. Maryland
dismissal
amended
complaint.
without
Joness
prejudice
concern
with
appears
respect
to
be
to
his
that
the
14
Jones
Because
the
misinterprets
district
court
the
denied
district
Jones
courts
leave
to
order.
file
his
III.
For the foregoing reasons, we affirm the decision of
the district court.
facts
and
materials
legal
before
contentions
the
court
are
adequately
and
argument
presented
would
not
in
the
aid
the
decisional process.
AFFIRMED
15