Andrea Cannon v. Wells Fargo Bank, National Association , 509 F. App'x 251 ( 2013 )


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  •                             UNPUBLISHED
    UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
    FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
    No. 12-1778
    ANDREA JACKSON CANNON,
    Plaintiff - Appellant,
    v.
    WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, and Affiliate, Wells
    Fargo Insurance Corporation,
    Defendant - Appellee.
    Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of
    Maryland, at Greenbelt. Roger W. Titus, District Judge. (8:12-
    cv-00377-RWT)
    Submitted:   January 31, 2013             Decided:   February 11, 2013
    Before GREGORY, DUNCAN, and DAVIS, Circuit Judges.
    Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion.
    Harry T. Spikes, Sr., Washington, D.C., for Appellant. Russell
    J. Pope, TREANOR POPE & HUGHES, P.A., Towson, Maryland, for
    Appellee.
    Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
    PER CURIAM:
    Andrea   Jackson   Cannon,   a     property   owner   in   Fort
    Washington, Maryland, brought a civil action against Wells Fargo
    Bank, the servicer of her mortgage, alleging breach of contract
    and related tort claims based on Wells Fargo’s procurement of
    Lender Placed Insurance (LPI) on her property.                 The district
    court granted Wells Fargo’s motion to dismiss Cannon’s amended
    complaint for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be
    granted.     Cannon appeals the district court’s order dismissing
    her civil action.       We affirm.
    We review de novo a district court’s grant of a motion
    to dismiss under Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6), Philips v. Pitt Cnty.
    Mem’l Hosp., 
    572 F.3d 176
    , 179–80 (4th Cir. 2009), and note
    that,   to    survive     a   Rule   12(b)(6)    motion,   a    complaint’s
    “[f]actual allegations must be enough to raise a right to relief
    above the speculative level” and have “enough facts to state a
    claim to relief that is plausible on its face.”            Bell Atl. Corp.
    v. Twombly, 
    550 U.S. 544
    , 555, 570 (2007).
    On appeal, Cannon complains that the district court
    considered exhibits outside the pleadings and thereby improperly
    converted the motion to dismiss into one for summary judgment.
    Our review of the record leads us to conclude that the district
    court did not rely upon the challenged exhibits in reaching its
    decision to grant the motion to dismiss.
    2
    Cannon next argues that the district court erroneously
    dismissed      her    tort     claims.          However,      Cannon   alleged      no
    extraordinary        circumstances      that    would    justify     finding   Wells
    Fargo   owed    her    a   duty   in    tort    beyond     the    written   contract
    between the parties.            See Silver Hill Station Ltd. P’ship v.
    HSA/Wexford Bancgroup, LLC, 
    158 F. Supp. 2d 631
    , 640 (D. Md.
    2001); Jacques v. First Nat’l Bank of Md., 
    515 A.2d 756
    , 759
    (Md. 1986).          Moreover, Cannon failed to plead her claims of
    fraud with the required particularity.                     See Fed. R. Civ. P.
    9(b).
    Cannon     contends       that    the   district      court    erred   in
    dismissing her breach of contract claim without considering that
    the doctrine of good faith and fair dealing would require Wells
    Fargo   to   seek     competitive       rates    for    LPI   coverage.        Cannon
    further argues that Wells Fargo was required to provide her with
    notice of its intent to obtain LPI coverage.                     Because the terms
    of the Deed of Trust directly contradict Cannon’s arguments, we
    conclude that her claims lack merit.
    Finally,        Cannon     contests        the      district     court’s
    conclusion that the property at issue was commercial in nature
    and outside the purview of the Maryland Consumer Protection Act.
    However, Cannon offers no facts or argument in support of her
    conclusory claim, and we therefore deem the issue to be waived.
    3
    Based on the foregoing, we affirm the judgment of the
    district    court.     We     dispense    with   oral   argument   because     the
    facts   and    legal   contentions       are   adequately   presented     in   the
    materials     before   this    court     and   argument   would    not   aid   the
    decisional process.
    AFFIRMED
    4
    

Document Info

Docket Number: 12-1778

Citation Numbers: 509 F. App'x 251

Judges: Davis, Duncan, Gregory, Per Curiam

Filed Date: 2/11/2013

Precedential Status: Non-Precedential

Modified Date: 8/6/2023