Judge Valerie Caproni

RMBS Trustee Wins Partial Dismissal of Investor Claims

On September 29, 2015, Judge Valerie Caproni of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York partially granted RMBS trustee Bank of New York Mellon’s (“BNYM”) motion to dismiss claims brought by Phoenix Light SF Ltd., and certain other RMBS investors (together, the “Plaintiffs”).  Judge Caproni dismissed Plaintiffs’ breach of fiduciary duty claims as duplicative of Plaintiffs’ breach of contract claims, whose viability Judge Caproni also appeared to doubt in her decision, noting that “[t]he low bar at the motion to dismiss stage salvage[d] Plaintiffs’ claims for now.”  Judge Caproni explained that to survive summary judgment, Plaintiffs would need to demonstrate that BNYM possessed actual knowledge of events of default on a loan-by-loan basis.  Judge Caproni denied BNYM’s motion to dismiss Plaintiffs’ negligence, gross negligence, and negligent misrepresentation claims.  Order.