Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_10-cv-00669/USCOURTS-caed-2_10-cv-00669-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 220
Nature of Suit: Foreclosure
Cause of Action: 28:1331(a) Fed. Question: Real Property

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

FAROOQ ALI and ZABEENA N. 

BEGUM,

 Plaintiffs,

v.

GMAC MORTGAGE; EXECUTIVE 

TRUSTEE SERVICES, LLC dba ETS 

SERVICES, LLC; NATIONAL CITY 

BANK OF INDIANA, a national 

Banking Association; NATIONAL 

CITY MORTGAGE; MORTGAGE 

ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION 

SYSTEMS, INC.; DOES 1 through 

10, inclusive, 

 Defendants.

______________________________/

Case No. 10-cv-669-JAM-GGH

ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANTS’ 

MOTION TO DISMISS AND MOTION TO 

EXPUNGE THE LIS PENDENS

This matter comes before the Court on Defendants’ GMAC 

Mortgage and Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. 

(“Defendants’”) Motion to Dismiss (Doc. #6), Motion to Strike

(Doc. #7), and Motion to Expunge the Lis Pendens (Doc. #11). 

Defendants seek to dismiss Plaintiffs’ Farooq Ali and Zabeena N. 

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Begum’s (“Plaintiff’s) Complaint (Doc. #1), for failure to state 

a claim pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). 

Defendants also move to strike the Complaint pursuant to Federal 

Rule of Civil Procedure 12(f). Lastly, Defendants move to 

expunge the lis pendens recorded by Plaintiffs, and ask the 

Court for attorney’s fees associated with expungement of the lis 

pendens. Plaintiffs did not oppose any of the motions.1

Plaintiffs did not file an opposition or statement of nonopposition to any of Defendants’ three motions. Local Rule 

230(c) requires a party responding to a motion to file either an 

opposition to the motion or a statement of non-opposition, no 

less than fourteen (14) days preceding the noticed hearing date. 

Local Rule 110 authorizes the Court to impose sanctions for 

“failure of counsel or of a party to comply with these Rules.” 

Therefore, the Court will sanction Plaintiffs’ counsel, Timothy 

McCandless, $250.00 for each violation unless he shows good 

cause for his failure to comply with the Local Rules. 

I. Motion to Dismiss and Motion to Strike

After carefully considering the papers submitted in this 

matter, the Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss is hereby granted, 

with prejudice. Because the Court is dismissing the Complaint 

with prejudice, the Motion to Strike is moot. 

 

1 These motions were determined to be suitable for decision 

without oral argument. E.D. Cal. L.R. 230(g).

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II. Motion to Expunge the Lis Pendens

Defendants’ argue that the Lis Pendens should be expunged 

because Plaintiffs failed to follow the proper procedures in 

filing and serving the Lis Pendens, the Complaint is not based 

on a “real property claim,” and Plaintiffs have failed to 

establish by a preponderance of the evidence the probable

validity of Plaintiffs’ various claims. Having carefully 

considered the papers submitted in this matter, Defendants’ 

Motion to Expunge the Lis Pendens is granted. 

III. Attorneys Fees and Costs

Defendants’ request an award of attorney’s fees and costs, 

pursuant to California Code of Civil Procedure §405.38. This 

statute states that, “The Court shall direct that the party 

prevailing on any motion under this chapter be awarded the 

reasonable attorney’s fees and costs of making or opposing the 

motion unless the Court finds that the other party acted with 

substantial justification or that other circumstances make the 

imposition of attorney’s fees and costs unjust.” Defendants 

requested a total of $2,340.00, which included estimated fees

for filing a Reply brief and arguing the motion in court. 

Because no Reply brief was filed and Defendants did not appear 

in court, the Court has subtracted those estimated amounts, 

leaving a total of $780.00 in attorney’s fees. Having reviewed 

attorney Kimberly Paese’s declaration, the Court finds that the 

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attorney spent a reasonable number of hours on this motion (a 

total of four hours), and that the rate of $195.00 per hour is 

reasonable. However, given the underlying facts of this case and 

Plaintiffs’ apparent financial hardship, the Court finds that it 

would be unjust to order Plaintiffs to pay Defendants’ 

attorney’s fees. 

Therefore, the Court orders that Plaintiffs shall not pay any 

part of the attorneys’ fees in connection with this motion, 

directly or indirectly. The fees shall be paid by Timothy 

McCandless, Plaintiffs’ attorney of record, under California 

Code of Civil Procedure §128.6, on the grounds that the filing 

of the lis pendens was frivolous and made solely for the purpose 

of delay. See Justo v. Indymac Bancorp, 2010 WL 623715 at *12 

(C.D. Cal. Feb. 19, 2010). Section 128.6 requires notice and the 

opportunity to respond. Accordingly, the Court hereby gives 

notice to Timothy McCandless that unless he shows good cause for 

the recording of the lis pendens, he is required to pay 

Defendants’ attorney’s fees incurred in responding to the lis 

pendens. Within ten (10) days of the date of this Order, Mr. 

McCandless is ordered to either pay Defendants’ attorney’s fees 

of $780.00, or submit a statement of good cause explaining why 

the recording of the lis pendens was not frivolous and not 

solely for the purpose of delay.

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ORDER

For the reasons set forth above, Defendants’ Motion to 

Dismiss is GRANTED, WITH PREJUDICE. Defendants’ Motion to 

Expunge the lis pendens on the property at 3568 Rain Song 

Circle, Rancho Cordova, California is GRANTED. Defendants are 

awarded attorney’s fees and costs in the amount of $780.00. 

Attorney Timothy MCCandless is ordered to pay Defendants $780.00 

in attorneys’ fees, or submit a statement of good cause for the 

recording of the lis pendens, within ten (10) days of this 

Order. 

It is further ordered, within ten (10) days of the date of 

this Order, attorney Timothy McCandless must either (1) submit a 

statement of good cause for his failure to comply with the local 

rules, or (2) pay a sanction in the amount of $750.00 to the 

Clerk of the Court. 

IT IS SO ORDERED. 

Dated: June 3, 2010 

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