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Varma v. Bank of Am.

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT
Feb 26, 2018
No. 17-55639 (9th Cir. Feb. 26, 2018)

Opinion

No. 17-55639

02-26-2018

RAJESH VARMA; MAHIMA VARMA, Plaintiffs-Appellants, v. BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., as successor in interest to America's Wholesale Lender its successors and/or assigns; et al., Defendants-Appellees.


NOT FOR PUBLICATION

D.C. No. 5:16-cv-02653-DOC-DTB MEMORANDUM Appeal from the United States District Court for the Central District of California
David O. Carter, District Judge, Presiding Before: LEAVY, FERNANDEZ, and MURGUIA, Circuit Judges.

This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent except as provided by Ninth Circuit Rule 36-3.

Rajesh Varma and Mahima Varma appeal pro se from the district court's judgment dismissing their action alleging violations of the Truth in Lending Act ("TILA") and state law. We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291. We review de novo a dismissal under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) for failure to state a claim. Daniels-Hall v. Nat'l Educ. Ass'n, 629 F.3d 992, 998 (9th Cir. 2010). We affirm.

The district court properly dismissed the Varmas' claims for violation of the TILA, declaratory relief, violation of the California Homeowner Bill of Rights, quasi-contract, and accounting as barred by the doctrine of res judicata because the Varmas either raised, or could have raised, these claims in their prior action, which involved the same parties or those in privity with them, and resulted in a final judgment on the merits. See Tahoe-Sierra Pres. Council, Inc. v. Tahoe Reg'l Planning Agency, 322 F.3d 1064, 1077-78 (9th Cir. 2003) (setting forth elements of res judicata under federal law and explaining that "[n]ewly articulated claims based on the same nucleus of facts may still be subject to a res judicata finding if the claims could have been brought in the earlier action").

The district court properly dismissed the Varmas' remaining claims premised on the Varmas' allegation that America's Wholesale Lender was never registered as a corporation in California or New York because the Varmas to failed to allege facts sufficient to state any plausible claim for relief. See Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (to avoid dismissal, "a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face" (citation and internal quotation marks omitted); Daniels-Hall, 629 F.3d at 998 ("We are not . . . required to accept as true allegations that contradict . . . matters properly subject to judicial notice . . .".).

The district court did not abuse its discretion in granting judicial notice. See Daniels-Hall, 629 F.3d at 999 (taking judicial notice of information made available by government entities of which neither party disputes the authenticity); United States v. Wilson, 631 F.2d 118, 119 (9th Cir. 1980) (explaining that "a court may take judicial notice of its own records in other cases"); see also United States v. 14.02 Acres of Land More or Less in Fresno Cty., 547 F.3d 943, 955 (9th Cir. 2008) (standard of review).

The Varmas' motion for an extension of time to file a reply brief (Docket Entry No. 16) is denied.

AFFIRMED.


Summaries of

Varma v. Bank of Am.

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT
Feb 26, 2018
No. 17-55639 (9th Cir. Feb. 26, 2018)
Case details for

Varma v. Bank of Am.

Case Details

Full title:RAJESH VARMA; MAHIMA VARMA, Plaintiffs-Appellants, v. BANK OF AMERICA…

Court:UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

Date published: Feb 26, 2018

Citations

No. 17-55639 (9th Cir. Feb. 26, 2018)