Johnson v. Federal Housing Administration
Johnson v. Federal Housing Administration
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
Frank R. Johnson and Berdie Lee Johnson brought suit against defendants in error and one Hummel. From
It is then alleged that the defendant Federal Housing Administration and its commissioner “violated” said duties in many respects as therein set out, and were guilty of negligence therein consisting of a reckless and wilful disregard of the rights and safety of plaintiffs, wherefore actual and exemplary damages are sought, together with protection of plaintiffs from their liability on their note and mortgage to the bank. Upon motion of the defendants in error, judgment of dismissal was entered as to them, of which plaintiffs seek reversal.
In argument here it is asserted that “Hummel entered into a contract with the Federal Housing Administration whereby he applied for an FHA loan.” In fact, the Farmers State Bank of Fort Morgan, Colorado, as mortgagee, made mortgagee’s application for mortgage insurance by the Federal Housing Administration under section 203 of the National Housing Act, reciting that it proposed to make a mortgage loan on said property, and Hummel signed a mortgagor’s statement attached thereto. There
There was no contract between either Hummel or plaintiffs and Federál Housing Administration. The only contract apparent is that resulting from acceptance by Federal Housing Administration of the application by the bank for insurance of the mortgage which it proposed to take on the property, and that is the extent of the authority of the commissioner under section 203 of the National Housing Act.
Neither plaintiffs nor Hummel were parties to this agreement and it was not made for their benefit, but for protection of the bank as their mortgagee. Any inspection of the premises thereunder was neither for their benefit nor that of the bank, but for protection of the Federal Housing Administration as insurer of the mortgage. The Federal Housing Administration was not in privity with plaintiffs; they paid it for no service; it owed them no duty. Stanbury, Inc. v. Massachusetts Bonding & Insurance Co, 90 F. Supp. 545; Saligman v. United States, 56 F. Supp. 505.
Plaintiffs rely on Sheridan v. Aetna Casualty & Surety Co., 3 Wash. (2d) 423, 100 P. (2d) 1024. There, liability of insurer of an elevator wás predicated on the fact that it had agreed to perform for the owners the duty of inspecting the elevator and periodically reporting its condition to the building department of the city, and was negligent therein. Here no such agreement exists or is within the corporate authority of defendant Federal Housing Administration.
The judgment is affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.