Sucher v Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
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Sucher v Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. 2016 NY Slip Op 30571(U) April 7, 2016 Supreme Court, New York County Docket Number: 653803/14 Judge: Nancy M. Bannon Cases posted with a "30000" identifier, i.e., 2013 NY Slip Op 30001(U), are republished from various state and local government websites. These include the New York State Unified Court System's E-Courts Service, and the Bronx County Clerk's office. This opinion is uncorrected and not selected for official publication. [* 1] SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NEW YORK: IAS PART 42 -----------------------------------------x JOEL SUCHER and LAYLA SUCHER, Plaintiffs, Index No. 653803/14 -againstGOLDMAN SACHS GROUP, INC., and OCWEN FINANCIAL CORPORATION, Defendants. -----------------------------------------x BANNON, J.: Motion sequence numbers 001 and 003 are consolidated for disposition. In motion sequence number 001, defendant Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (Goldman Sachs), moves, pursuant to'tPLR 3211 (a) (5)and (a) (7) and CPLR 3016 (b), to dismiss the complaint insofar as asserted against it. In motion sequence number 003, defendant Ocwen Financial Corporation (Ocwen) moves, pursuant to CPLR 3211 (a) and (a) (7) and 3016 (b), (5) to dismiss the fraud cause of action insofar as asserted against it, which is the only cause of action asserted against it in the complaint. FACTS This plaintiffs, Hartsdale, action arises out of· a loan and encumbering real property known New York, mortgage as 4 60 given by Ridge Road, 10530, as security for the loan obligation. Plaintiffs defaulted on the obligation when they failed to make the 1 2 of 22 [* 2] monthly installment that was due on January 1, Litton Loan Servicing, L.P. November 16, 2006. Wells Fargo Bank, 2006. Nonparty (Litton), began servicing the loan on On July 1, 2009, a foreclosure action entitled N.A. v Sucher, was commenced against the plaintiffs in the Supreme Court, Westchester County, under Index No. 14881/2009. The plaintiffs commenced this action on December 11, 2014, alleging fraud as against Ocwen and Goldman Sachs (first cause of action) and interference with right of contract and/or prospective business advantage against Goldman Sachs (second cause of action). The complaint alleges that Goldman Sachs is the former owner of Litton, having purchased Litton in December 2007. It is in that capacity that plaintiffs sued it. According to the complaint, the mortgage loan was originally owned by Washington Mutual. After plaintiff Joel Sucher declared bankruptcy in 2005, Quantum Servicing Corp. loan from Washington Mutual. (Quantum) Quantum negotiated a bought the forbearance agreement, dated June 21, 2006, with plaintiffs, a copy of which was never sent to plaintiffs. the loan in November forbearance agreement. 2006, Litton became the new servicer of and it, too, did not receive the Litton maintained that the sum outstanding for three months of missed payments was approximately $34, 000. Litton and plaintiffs began negotiating a proposed forbearance agreement and a modification of the mortgage. 2 3 of 22 In May 2007, the [* 3] .. loan modification was allegedly approved, but the legal materials pertaining to the loan modification were not produced. 2007, 1 Litton advised plaintiffs that it would In December not honor the forbearance agreement that Quantum had negotiated with plaintiffs, and a "Notice of Default and Intent to Accelerate" was sent to plaintiffs by letter dated December 8, 2007. That letter also informed plaintiffs that foreclosure would commence in 45 days. In September 2008, Joel Sucher was contacted by an attorney at SJ Baum, asking whether he was interested in reopening negotiations for a loan modification. Upon receiving a positive response, SJ Baum arranged a call between Joel Sucher, SJ Baum's attorney, and Christopher Wyatt of Litton. Litton was arrangement. time committed working out a loan modification Negotiations continued through April 2009, at which SJ Baum' s documentation to SJ Baum's attorney indicated that attorney for promised review. On to July plaintiffs with a foreclosure notice. forward 6, loan 2009, modification Litton served Plaintiffs discovered that Wells Fargo had become the servicer on the loan. Plaintiffs' loan was by then owned by a securitized trust, Asset-Backed Pass-Through Certificates Series 2006-SHLl that was serviced by Litton. Litton's management of the trust was governed 1 The dates of these events as recorded in the complaint appear to be incorrect. The court has attempted to figure out what dates are correct. Any inaccuracies do not affect the outcome of this motion. 3 4 of 22 [* 4] by a special purpose vehicle (SPV), the terms of which required Litton to serve the best interest of the trust. Goldman Sachs was not the owner of plaintiffs' mortgage. It was, however, the parent company of Goldman Sachs Bank, USA, which had made monetary advances to Litton. Litton was required to pay the investors in the trusts their share of principal and interest in connection with mortgages contained in the SPVs, whether or not the homeowner paid Litton. Litton was often also required to make payments for property taxes and other expenses associated with the real properties that were the subject of the loans. Goldman Sachs demanded a return of its advances. Eventually, Litton could thereafter recoup the expenditures financed by Goldman Sachs if the loans were foreclosed by the trustees of the SPVs. Plaintiffs assert that Goldman Sachs is liable for fraud on a respondeat superior basis, because Litton was acting as its agent. They claim that Ocwen is liable for fraud as the successor-ininterest to Litton because it acquired liabilities of Litton in September 2011. that Goldman Sachs interfered with all the assets and Plaintiffs further allege Litton's administration of plaintiffs' loan and directed Litton's actions, thereby depriving plaintiffs of the chance to modify their mortgage. They submit an affidavit of Christopher Wyatt, a former vice president of Litton, in support of their allegations. 4 5 of 22 [* 5] DISCUSSION In motion sequence number 001, Goldman Sachs moves pursuant to CPLR 3211(a) to dismiss the complaint insofar as asserted against it, which alleges fraud and tortious interference causes of action against it. Goldman Sachs points out that it did not originate the mortgage, conduct any of the loan servicing, or have any dealings with plaintiffs. Goldman Sachs maintains that plaintiffs have not alleged facts sufficient to hold it liable for fraud under a theory of respondeat superior, agency, or on any other basis that would result in piercing the corporate veil. Further, Goldman Sachs asserts that plaintiffs' causes of action to recover damages for tortious interference with contract and tortious interference with prospective business advantage are barred by the applicable statute of limitations. In this regard, it argues that plaintiffs have failed to allege that there was any breach of a contract to which the plaintiffs are a party, or that any conduct by Goldman Sachs was improper and without justification. Goldman Sachs also incorporates the arguments made by Ocwen in its motion. In motion sequence number 003, Ocwen moves pursuant to CPLR 3211(a) to dismiss the complaint as against it. It argues that plaintiffs failed to properly plead that Ocwen is a successor-ininterest to Litton, failed to properly plead a fraud cause of action, and that the fraud cause of action is, in any event, timebarred. 5 6 of 22 [* 6] Fraud Cause of Action (against Goldman Sachs and Ocwen) The cause of action to recover damges for fraud against Goldman Sachs is based on the theory of respondeat superior, and alleges that Litton acted as Goldman Sachs's agent. complaint, action plaintiffs against do not Goldman directly assert Sachs. Goldman a Sachs Thus, in their fraud cause of contends that plaintiffs failed to allege facts sufficient to support an agency theory of indirect liability against Goldman Sachs. Rather, avers terms that Goldman plaintiffs Sachs had merely control allege over in Litton conclusory and, in that it that capacity, demanded that Litton deny plaintiffs a loan modification. Plaintiffs' allegation inasmuch as that cause of action against Ocwen is based on its Ocwen Ocwen is the allegedly successor-in-interest acquired all of the to Litton, assets and liabilities of Litton in September 2011. In order to assert a claim sounding in fraud, a plaintiff must allege an intentional misrepresentation of facts, made to induce the other party to rely on it, reasonable reliance of the damaged party on those facts, and damages. Lama Holding Co. v Smith Barney, 88 NY2d 413, 421 (1996). In their opposition papers, plaintiffs maintain that Goldman Sachs and Ocwen misrepresented Wells Fargo's interest in and rights to plaintiffs' mortgage, and that plaintiffs, as laymen, could not be expected to detect the defects in that representation. 6 7 of 22 However, [* 7] the complaint does not raise this issue as the basis for the fraud cause of action. Rather, it asserts that Litton, acting as Goldman Sachs's agent, made modification offers to plaintiffs in bad faith, causing interest and penalties to accrue, and lulling plaintiffs into believing that they would obtain a loan modification. The complaint further alleges that Litton failed to present any of the purported modification offers to the trustees of the trust, allowed penalties and interest to accrue so that plaintiffs could no longer afford to enter into a modification agreement, and misrepresented to plaintiffs the nature and identity of benefit Litton was actually working. the entity for whose Complaint, ~ 30. Ocwen maintains that plaintiffs have not sufficiently pleaded that Ocwen is a successor-in-interest contends that there is only a. general, that effect. allegations Further, in the Ocwen to Rather, it conclusory allegation to maintains complaint Litton. that regarding there any are no specific misrepresentations that Ocwen made to plaintiffs, nor are there any allegations that plaintiffs relied on any such misrepresentations, or that plaintiffs were damaged by them. Ocwen further argues that plaintiffs failed to adequately plead a cause of action sounding in fraud, and such a cause of action is, in any event, time-barred. The defendant met its threshold burden of demonstrating, prima facie, that the complaint was time-barred. In opposition, the plaintiffs failed to raise a question of fact as to whether the 7 8 of 22 [* 8] • statute of limitations was tolled or was otherwise inapplicable, or whether they actually commenced the action within the applicable limitations period. Corp., 84 AD3d 1358, misrepresentation which was more While See Williams v New York City Health & Hosgs. 1359 (2°ct Dept in the complaint than six years plaintiffs correctly 2011). occurred before point the out The in last September complaint that alleged the was 2008, filed. statute of limitations applicable to actions to recover damages for fraud can be extended to two years from the date of discovery of the fraud (CPLR 203 [g]), they do not assert in the complaint, or explain in their opposition papers, when they discovered the fraud, they could not have discovered the fraud earlier. or why Hence, they have failed to allege facts that would enable them to avail themselves of the extension of the statute of limitations for causes of action sounding in fraud. 2003). See Mazella v Markowitz, 303 AD2d 564 (2d Dept Accordingly, the fraud cause of action is time-barred and must be dismissed. In light of the court's determination, it need not address the other grounds for dismissal of the fraud cause of action urged by the defendants. Tortious Interference (against Goldman Sachs) Goldman sounding in Sachs maintains tortious that plaintiffs' interference with causes contract and of action tortious interference with prospective business advantage are both timebarred. These causes of action are subject to a three-year statute 8 9 of 22 [* 9] • of limitations. See CPLR 214 (4); Kronos, Inc. v AVX Corp., 81 NY2d 90, 92 (1993); Andrew Greenberg, Inc. v Svane, Inc., 36 AD3d 1094, 1099 (3rd Dept 2007); American Fed. Group v Edelman, 282 AD2d 279 (1st Dept 2001). The latest that plaintiffs can claim to have lost their chance to modify their mortgage was when Litton served them with a foreclosure notice on July 6, 2009. This action was not commenced until more than five years after that date. Plaintiffs contend that a two-year statute of following discovery should apply to these claims. cite no support for applying such an limitations However, they extension to tortious interference claims; such an extension generally applies only to fraud claims, and not to causes of action sounding in tortious interference with contract or business opportunity. Greenberg, Inc. v Svane, Inc., 36 AD3d at 1099 See Andrew (3rd Dept 2007) American Fed. Group v Edelman, 282 AD2d 279 (1st Dept 2001). In any event, plaintiffs do not make any allegation regarding when they discovered the alleged tortious interference, as they would be required to do in order to avail themselves of a limitations period governed by a date-of-discovery rule. Hillman v City of New York, 263 AD2d 529, 529 (2d Dept 1999). Consequently, the tortious interference causes of action are dismissed, and the court need not examine the other bases raised by defendants for such dismissal. 9 10 of 22 [* 10] CONCLUSION Accordingly, it is hereby ORDERED that the motion of Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (motion sequence no. 001), is granted and the complaint is dismissed with costs and disbursements to said defendant as taxed by the Clerk of the Court; and it is further, ORDERED that the motion of Ocwen Financial Corporation (motion sequence no. 003) is granted and the complaint is dismissed with costs and disbursements to said defendant as taxed by the Clerk of the Court; and it is further, ORDERED that the Clerk is directed to enter judgment accordingly. Dated: /Jqi V\ \ L[ / }o//12 HON. NANCY M. BANNON 10 11 of 22
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