Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_09-cv-00405/USCOURTS-caed-2_09-cv-00405-5/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 371
Nature of Suit: Truth in Lending
Cause of Action: 15:1601 Truth in Lending

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

VICTORIO R. BALAGAPO, 

 Plaintiff, 

 v. 

GMAC MORTGAGE, LLC, et al., 

 Defendants. 

______________________________/

 

Case No. 2:09-cv-00405-JAM-GGH

ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANTS’ 

MOTION TO EXPUNGE LIS PENDENS

This matter comes before the Court on Defendants GMAC 

Mortgage, LLC (“GMAC”) and Mortgage Electronic Registration 

Systems, Inc.’s (“MERS”)(collectively “Defendants”) motion to 

expunge the Lis Pendens filed by Plaintiff Victorio R. Balagapo 

herein. (Doc. # 40.) Plaintiff opposes the motion. (Doc. # 

42.) For the reasons set forth below, Defendants’ motion is 

GRANTED. 

Federal courts look to state law regarding matters 

pertaining to lis pendens. See 28 U.S.C. § 1964. “A lis 

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pendens is recorded by someone asserting a real property claim, 

to give notice that a lawsuit has been filed which may, if that 

person prevails, affect title to or possession of the real 

property described in the notice.” Federal Deposit Ins. Corp. 

v. Charlton, 17 Cal. App. 4th 1066, 1069 (Cal. App. 2d Dist. 

1993) (citing Cal. Code Civ. Pro. §§ 405.2, 405.4, 405.20). 

“Its effect is that anyone acquiring an interest in the property 

after the action was filed will be bound by the judgment . . . 

Once a lis pendens is filed, it clouds the title and effectively 

prevents the property’s transfer until the litigation is 

resolved or the lis pendens is expunged.” BGJ Associates, LLC 

v. Superior Court of Los Angeles, 75 Cal. App. 4th 952, 966-67 

(Cal. App. Dist. 1999). 

A motion for expungement may be brought at any time after 

notice of pendency has been recorded. Cal. Code Civ. Pro. § 

405.30. The party who recorded the notice of lis pendens bears 

the burden of proof in opposing expungement. Id. A lis pendens

shall be expunged if the court finds either that the pleading on 

which the notice is based does not contain a real property 

claim, id. § 405.31, or that the claimant failed to establish by 

a preponderance of the evidence the probable validity of the 

real property claim, id. § 405.32. See Hunting World, Inc. v. 

Superior Court of San Francisco, 22 Cal. App. 4th 67, 70-71 

(Cal. App. 1st Dist. 1994). 

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Here, Plaintiff’s Complaint was dismissed with prejudice 

pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(b). (Doc. # 26.) 

Plaintiff failed to demonstrate the probable validity of any 

real property claim and does not have leave to amend his 

Complaint. As such, Plaintiff cannot establish by a 

preponderance of evidence the probable validity of any real 

property claim as required under CCP § 405.32. Accordingly, 

there is no remaining basis for the lis pendens filed by 

Plaintiff herein. 

Further, Plaintiff’s untimely opposition to Defendants’ 

motion to expunge lis pendens simply argues that the Court 

should grant Plaintiff’s Rule 60(b) motion for relief from 

judgment. Currently, however, Plaintiff has not properly 

noticed a Rule 60(b) motion with the District Court and thus, no 

such motion is before the Court. 

 For the reasons set forth above, Defendants’ motion to 

expunge lis pendens is GRANTED. The Court hereby orders the 

expungement of the lis pendens, document number 2009-0010567-00, 

that was recorded in the Placer County records by Plaintiff 

Victorio R. Balagapo on February 13, 2009. 

IT IS SO ORDERED. 

Dated: January 8, 2010 

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