On their third attempt to state a claim for mortgage services fraud pursuant to the Real Estate Services Settlement and Procedures Act (“RESPA”), Plaintiffs in a putative class action overcame defendants’ motion to dismiss on the grounds that plaintiffs claims were untimely because they were brought outside of RESPA’s one-year statute of limitation. Linda Menichino, on behalf of herself and others similarly situated (“Plaintiffs”), sued various primary mortgage insurers (“PMI’s”) for mortgage fraud arising from alleged unlawful fee-splitting and kickback arrangements in connection with their mortgages. Specifically, Plaintiffs alleged that the portions of their monthly mortgage premiums that were supposed to pay for reinsurance services were actually disguised kickbacks remitted by the captive PMI’s to the mortgagees in exchange for the mortgagees’ continual flow of business back to the PMI’s. In an earlier opinion the court dismissed the case, holding that Plaintiff had not adequately alleged the basis for tolling the running of the limitation period, but permitted Plaintiff to amend to attempt to cure that deficiency. Conceding that the suit fell outside RESPA’s one year statute of limitation, Plaintiffs argued their factual allegations sufficiently alleged grounds for equitable tolling by showing how Plaintiffs were prevented from learning of the existence of their claims as a result of the PMI’s fraudulent concealment of the true purpose of their arrangement with the mortgagees. This decision follows a line of other decisions earlier reported in Reinsurance Focus on the recent developments in the cases involving RESPA violations and its one-year statute of limitations.

The Menichino Court agreed, further finding that Plaintiffs had now sufficiently alleged (1) they were not on inquiry notice of the possible existence of the claim during the limitations period; and (2) their ignorance of the true facts was not due to lack of reasonable due diligence. The Court also refused to dismiss Plaintiffs’ substantive claims of illegal kickbacks under RESPA as well as Plaintiffs’ claims for unjust enrichment under the laws of the six states where the Plaintiffs reside. Linda Menichino v. Citibank, N.A., et. al., Civil Action No. 2:12-cv-00058 (USDC W.D. Pa. Feb. 5, 2014).