Free Notice of Removal - District Court of Delaware - Delaware

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EXHIBIT "A"
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Filed 04/21/2008 Page 2 of 20 EFiled: Mar 13 2008 6:00PM EDT Transaction ID 18983427 Case No. 08C-03-011 RFS DEBT/BREACH OF CONTRACT PLAINTIFFS

CATHERINE CALLOWAY AND MICHAEL CALLOWAY v. GREEN TREE SERVICING LLC

CATHERINE AND MICHAEL CALLOWAY through Maggie Clausell, Esq. Attorney for Plaintiffs COMPLAINT X

MAGGIE CLAUSELL 4532 LAW OFFICE OF MAGGIE CLAUSELL LLC 9 E. LOOCKERMAN ST. STE. 205 DOVER, DE 19901 3026787644 3026780771 [email protected]

NONE

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IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE IN AND FOR SUSSEX COUNTY

Filed 04/21/2008 Page 3 of 20 EFiled: Mar 13 2008 6:00PM EDT Transaction ID 18983427 Case No. 08C-03-011 RFS

CATHERINE CALLOWAY and MICHAEL CALLOWAY, Plaintiffs, v. GREEN TREE SERVICING, LLC Defendants.

* * C.A. No. * * Non Arbitration * Jury Trial Demanded *PLAINTIFF REQUIRES THAT DEFENDANT
*ANSWER ALL ALLEGATIONS OF THE *COMPLAINT*BY AFFIDAVIT SETTING *FORTH THE SPECIFIC *NATURE AND CHARACTER OF ANY *DEFENSE AND THE FACTUAL BASIS *THEREFORE PURSUANT TO *10 DEL. C. §3901

COMPLAINT COME NOW, the Plaintiffs, CATHERINE CALLOWAY and MICHAEL CALLOWAY, by and through their attorney Maggie Clausell, to make the following complaint: 1. 2. Catherine and Michael Calloway, are adult individuals, husband and wife, who are both residents of the State of Delaware, residing at 514 King Street, Laurel DE 19956. Greentree Servicing LLC is a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Delaware whose principal place of business is 332 Minnesota Street, St. Paul, MN 55101, whose registered agent is The Corporation Company, Corporation Trust Center, 1209 Orange Street, Wilmington, DE 19801. Greentree Servicing LCC (hereinafter, "Green Tree") is a loan servicing company which conducts business nationwide, including services provided in the State of Delaware. Plaintiffs refinanced their residence at 514 King Street (hereinafter, "the Residence") on or about October 9, 1996. Plaintiffs are the current record owners of the Property as evidence by the deed recorded with the Recorder of Deeds for Sussex County Delaware at Book 1206, Page 261, a true and correct copy of which is attached hereto and incorporated herein as Exhibit "A". On October 9, 1996 Plaintiffs executed a note with Green Tree Financial Services (hereinafter "Green Tree Mortgage"), agreeing to pay $125,000 plus interest. A copy of the Note is attached hereto and incorporated herein as Exhibit "B".

3. 4. 5.

6.

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7.

Additionally, Plaintiffs executed a mortgage (hereinafter, "Mortgage") with Green Tree on or about October 9, 1996. A copy of the Mortgage is attached hereto and incorporated herein as Exhibit "C". The monthly payment and interest was $1285.98 with the first payment due on November 14, 1996. Plaintiff commenced payments under the terms of the note and mortgage on November 14, 1996. Green Tree Servicing LLC serviced the note from October 11, 1996 to 1999 when Conseco began servicing the loan. Conseco serviced the loan from serviced the loan from 1999 to June 2003. Green Tree resumed servicing the loan from 2003 to present. At all times Defendant acted through its authorized agents and employees. COUNT I VIOLATION OF THE REAL ESTATE SETTLEMENT AND PROCEDURES ACT

8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.

14. 15.

Paragraphs 1-13 are incorporated by reference as if fully set out herein. The Plaintiffs issued written requests to Green Tree on several occasions including information in compliance with the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Action (hereinafter, "RESPA"). The Defendants either failed to response to Plaintiffs or the responses provided less than full and fair disclosure of information, or failed to address the questions presented in the request. By failing to respond to the Plaintiffs' request for information regarding the servicing of their mortgage, Green Tree violated RESPA. As a result of Green Tree's violation, Plaintiffs have been unable to determine the true and correct balance and owing on their mortgage and have been subjected to repeated collections efforts from Green Tree. Plaintiffs also believe and aver that Green Tree has assessed unwarranted late fees, forced place insurance, and escrow advances to their account. Without a true and accurate accounting and payment history from Green Tree, Plaintiffs are unable to determine the extent of the actual damages they have incurred as a result of Green Tree's failure to respond to their qualified written requests.

16.

17. 18.

19. 20.

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COUNT II BREACH OF CONTRACT 21. 22. 23. 24 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. Paragraphs 1-20 are set out as if fully set out herein. Plaintiffs made mortgage payments for the months of November 1996, December 1996, January 1997, February, March, April, May, and June 1997. Defendant failed to credit Plaintiffs for any of these payments totaling $10287.64 (Exhibit D) Defendant failed to credit Plaintiffs mortgage payments of August 1997 and October 1997. Defendant wrongfully alleged that Plaintiffs were two months behind in their mortgage payments for August and September 1997. Plaintiffs entered into an extension agreement on October 8, 1997 and paid $424.37 for the extension agreement and $321.46 in late fees. Defendant failed to credit Plaintiff's check number 3658 for $1086.27 Defendant failed to credit Plaintiffs' Western Union payment of May 15, 2001. On May 28, 2001 Plaintiffs executed forbearance agreement with Conseco. Plaintiffs paid an extension charge of $108.00 and late fees totaling $1471.94, and a return check fee of $143.54. On February 28, 2002 Plaintiffs paid a total of $1962.80 for an extension agreement. In February 2006 Plaintiffs learned that Green Tree had major errors in calculating the interest payments reported on the Form 1098 creating a significant potential tax liability (Exhibit E). In February 2006 Defendant advised Plaintiffs that all their Form 1098 from 1996 to 2005 would have to be revised after the Plaintiffs had filed their taxes for each of those years.. Defendant purchased forced place insurance for Plaintiffs even though Plaintiffs had insurance at all times. Upon information and belief, Defendant has failed and refused to apply the amounts paid by the Plaintiffs accurately and timely. As a result of Defendant's failure to accurately and timely apply payment made, the Plaintiffs have been subjected to foreclosure notices and additional fees being added to their account. Green Tree's actions and inactions as outlined above constitute a breach of the contract

30. 31.

32. 33. 34. 35.

36.

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between the parties. 37. 38. 39. Green Tree had an obligation under the contract to accept and apply payments as they became due. Green Tree's breach was material as it failed to perform a material obligation under the contract. As a result of said breach, the Plaintiff's have incurred damages for payments and assessments to their account of unwarranted fees, foreplaced insurance, escrow advances and extension fees. Plaintiff's damages were foreseeable as a result of Defendant's breach. In addition to the missing payments, and the accrued interest on those funds, without a true accounting and payment history from Green Tree, Plaintiffs are unable to determine the extent of the damages they have incurred as result of Green Trees failure to apply al payments and imposition of unwarranted fees and forced extensions by the Defendant. COUNT III VIOLATION OF DELAWARE CONSUMER FRAUD ACT 42. 43. Paragraphs 1-41 are incorporated by reference as if fully set out herein. Plaintiffs allege that Defendant violated 6 Del. C. § 2513 by failing to respond to Plaintiffs' request for information on their account, by failing to properly credit payments to their account, and by fraudulently representing that they were behind in payments that had not been properly credited. COUNT IV CONVERSION 44. 45. Paragraphs 1-43 are incorporated by reference as if fully set out herein. Plaintiffs allege that Defendant wrongfully converted its mortgage payments to its own use when it failed to properly apply those payments to Plaintiff account after Plaintiffs made such a demand on the Defendant.

40. 41.

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COUNT V NEGLIGENCE 46. 47. 48. 49. Paragraphs 1-45 are incorporated by reference as if fully set out herein. Plaintiffs allege that Defendant had a duty to properly credit all payments made toward the loan. Plaintiffs allege that Defendant breached that duty when it failed to credit all the payments made by Plaintiffs. As a result of Defendant's breach, Plaintiffs incurred late fees, were subjected to abusive debt collection practices, were coerced into expensive extension agreements which added significantly to the cost of the loan, and suffered humiliation and embarrassment as a result of negative or derogatory information being reported by Green Tree to the credit reporting agencies. As a result of Defendant's breach, Plaintiffs' rating suffered and Plaintiff has not been able to refinance their home. COUNT VI BREACH OF THE COVENANT OF GOOD FAITH AND FAIR DEALING 46. Plaintiffs allege that Defendant breached the covenant of good faith and fair dealing implicit in all Delaware contracts when it failed to properly credit all of the Plaintiffs' payments.

50.

WHEREFORE NOW, the Plaintiffs request the Court to enter judgment in the amount of $125,000 in actual damages, attorney fees, costs, and $2,000,000 in punitive damages. LAW OFFICE OF MAGGIE CLAUSELL, LLC /s / Maggie Clausell _____________________________ Maggie Clausell, Esq. Bar ID #4532 9 E. Loockerman Street, Ste. 205 Dover, DE 19901 302-678-7644 (voice) 302-678-0771 (fax) Date: March 13, 2008

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EXHIBIT "A"
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EXHIBIT "A"
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