Johnnie M. Hayes v. U.S. Bank National Association, 11th Cir. (2016)
Johnnie M. Hayes v. U.S. Bank National Association, 11th Cir. (2016)
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JOHNNIE M. HAYES,
PRISCILLA Y. DAVIS,
Plaintiffs-Appellants,
versus
U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,
as Trustee for Structured Asset Investment Loan Trust
Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates Series 2006-2,
JP MORGAN CHASE, N.A.,
OCWEN LOAN SERVICING LLC,
CHASE FULFILLMENT CENTER,
ROBERTSON, ANSCHUTZ & SCHNEID P.I., et al.,
Defendants-Appellees.
________________________
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Southern District of Florida
________________________
(April 21, 2016)
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Hayes and Davis alleged that the defendants had violated the following
federal and state statutes:
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The district court determined that Hayes and Daviss TILA claim against JP
Morgan Chase N.A. failed because TILA did not impose liability on servicers, and
they alleged that JP Morgan was a servicer. The court further concluded that their
TILA claim against U.S. Bank failed because the claim was time barred. See 15
U.S.C. 1640(e) (claims must be brought within one year of the date of the
occurrence of the violation). Finding that amendment of their TILA claim would
be futile, the court dismissed it without leave to amend.
The district court next concluded that Hayes and Daviss FDCPA claim
failed because they did not adequately allege that Ocwen and U.S. Bank were
debt collectors within the meaning of the act. The court also noted that the
complaint contained only paraphrasing of the statutory language without factual
support. Accordingly, the court dismissed the FDCPA claim with leave to amend.
The court also rejected Hayes and Daviss FCCPA claim because one of the
statutory sections they relied on, Fla. Stat. 559.715, did not provide a private
right of action, and their other allegations were mere recitations of statutory
language unsupported by facts.
Finally, the district court noted that the first amended complaint was a
classic shotgun pleading, warning Hayes and Davis that any future complaint
must contain a short and plain statement of the claims, pursuant to Rule 8 of the
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
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In its dismissal order, the district court granted the plaintiffs leave to amend
their complaint by July 21, 2014. On July 23 or 24, 2014, Hayes and Davis filed a
second amended complaint. Then, without leave of court, the plaintiffs filed a
third amended complaint on October 16, 2014. Both proposed amendments were
opposed by defendants.
On April 14, 2015, the district court issued an order closing the case for lack
of jurisdiction. The court concluded that it was powerless to assert jurisdiction
over their second and third amended complaints because Hayes and Davis failed to
timely amend their complaint by July 21, 2014, making the courts dismissal order
final. After the court entered a final judgment dismissing the action, Hayes and
Davis brought this appeal.
II.
We review de novo a district courts grant of a motion to dismiss for failure
to state a claim under Rule 12(b)(6), accepting the allegations in the complaint as
true and construing them in the light most favorable to the plaintiff. Reese v. Ellis,
Painter, Ratteree & Adams, LLP, 678 F.3d 1211, 1215 (11th Cir. 2012). To
survive a motion to dismiss, the factual allegations in the complaint must be
sufficient to raise a right to relief above the speculative level. Bell Atl. Corp. v.
Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555, 127 S. Ct. 1955, 1965 (2007). In essence, the
complaint must contain enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on
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its face. Id. at 570, 127 S. Ct. at 1974; see also Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662,
678, 129 S. Ct. 1937, 1949 (2009). [A] formulaic recitation of the elements of a
cause of action will not do[.] Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555, 127 S. Ct. at 1965.
We liberally construe the pleadings and briefs of pro se parties. Bingham v.
Thomas, 654 F.3d 1171, 1175 (11th Cir. 2011); Timson v. Sampson, 518 F.3d 870,
874 (11th Cir. 2008). Even though we read pro se filings liberally, however,
issues not briefed on appeal by a pro se litigant are deemed abandoned. Timson,
518 F.3d at 874. An issue may be deemed abandoned where a party fails to
address an issue on appeal or only mentions it in passing, without providing
substantive argument in support. See Sapuppo v. Allstate Floridian Ins. Co., 739
F.3d 678, 680-82 (11th Cir. 2014) (describing the various ways in which appellate
abandonment can occur). When an appellant fails to challenge properly on appeal
one of the grounds on which the district court based its judgment, he is deemed to
have abandoned any challenge of that ground, and it follows that the judgment is
due to be affirmed. Id. at 680.
Hayes and Davis present three main arguments on appeal, all of which
generally relate to the district courts alleged failure to require the defendants to
present evidence showing that they had authority to collect on the mortgage debt
and then foreclose on the house. First, they argue, the district court violated their
constitutional rights under the Contracts Clause of Article I, Section 10, and the
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Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment, by failing to demand that the
defendants produce a contract or assignment showing the existence of a bona fide
obligation. Second, they contend, the court violated Rules 1002 and 1003 of the
Federal Rules of Evidence when it did not demand that the defendants produce
evidence showing the validity of their claims to the mortgage debt. Third, they
assert, the court erred in failing to require the defendants to show both that they
sent notice to the appellants within 30 days of assignment, pursuant to Fla. Stat.
559.715, and that they sent an initial communication to Hayes and Davis
containing the information required by the FDCPA under 15 U.S.C. 1692g(a).
Hayes and Davis also contend that they properly supported their FDCPA, FCCPA,
and RESPA causes of action in their verified second amended complaint and that
the defendants do not qualify for the bona fide error defense, which is an
affirmative defense from liability under the FDCPA. Owen v. I.C. Sys., Inc., 629
F.3d 1263, 1271 (11th Cir. 2011); see 15 U.S.C. 1692k(c).
After careful review of the district courts dismissal order and Hayes and
Daviss appellate brief, we affirm the district courts dismissal of Hayes and
Daviss lawsuit. Most of Hayes and Daviss arguments on appeal misunderstand
the nature of the district courts order, and Hayes and Davis otherwise fail to
challenge the bases of the district courts dismissal of their claims.
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for dismissing each of their claims or for not accepting their second and third
amended complaints. Although Hayes and Davis assert that they cured their
FDCPA, FCCPA, and RESPA claims, they do not challenge the reasons given by
the court for dismissing those claims, nor do they challenge the reason given by the
district court for rejecting their untimely filed second or third amended complaints.
Because Hayes and Davis have not challenged properly the grounds on which the
district court based its judgment, they have abandoned their challenge to those
grounds. See Sapuppo, 739 F.3d at 680. Accordingly, the judgment is due to be
affirmed. Id.
AFFIRMED.