Showing 3 posts from February 2019.

U.S. Supreme Court Agrees to Resolve Circuit Split on When the Limitations Period for FDCPA Claims Should Start

As we predicted last year, the United States Supreme Court earlier this week granted Plaintiff's petition for certiorari in Rotkiske v. Klemm to resolve a split in the circuits on whether the statute of limitations for a Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) claim begins when the alleged violation occurred (known as the "occurrence rule") or when the consumer discovers the alleged violation (known as the "discovery rule"). More ›

First Circuit Concludes that "Potentially Deceptive" Language Added to Default Notice May Void Foreclosure Sale in Massachusetts

In Thompson v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, the First Circuit Court of Appeals held a foreclosure was potentially void where terms in the lender's default notice arguably conflicted with terms in Paragraph 19 of the Mortgage. Although Chase's notice of default provided the Thompsons with the disclosures required under Paragraph 22 of the Mortgage, Chase's default notice further stated that the Thompsons "could still avoid foreclosure by paying the total past-due amount before a foreclosure sale takes place." The First Circuit interpreted this additional language as potentially misleading, because advising borrowers that they could make payment up to the time of the foreclosure sale differed from the Mortgage's Paragraph 19, which only allowed a reinstatement payment five days before the sale of the Property. More ›

A New Bright-Line Rule in New York Courts: Plead or Move, But a Borrower Can't Just Deny Standing to Challenge Foreclosure

In US Bank N.A. v. Nelson, the New York Appellate Division for the Second Department held that to raise a challenge to a foreclosing lender's standing it is not sufficient merely to deny the lender's allegations. In prior decisions, the Second Department allowed borrowers to raise a standing defense by mere denial of the allegation in the mortgagee's complaint that the plaintiff was the owner and holder of the note and mortgage being foreclosed. Under Nelson, the Second Department overturned its prior decisions and provided a bright line rule for practitioners in that Department. More ›