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Case dismissals for lack of standing to Foreclose |
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Updated 4/20/12 |
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MSFraud Forum Crosslinks, Findings and Case citations add to Ohio Federal Court Case Discussions by William A. Roper Jr.
FORECLOSURE DEFENSE Winter 2011
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“A party must have standing to file suit at its inception and may not remedy this defect by subsequently obtaining standing.” Venture Holdings & Acquisitions Grp.,LLC v. A.I.M. Funding Grp., LLC, 75 So. 3d 773, 776 (Fla. 4th DCA 2011). |
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New cases |
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Gonzalez v. Deutsche Bank (Florida-4/12) There is genuine issue of material fact as to when the note was assigned to Deutsche Bank. In this case, Deutsche filed an original complaint containing the infamous "Lost Note" count. Several months later, they dropped the lost note count and filed the original note and mortgage. The original note was endorsed in blank but the endorsement was not dated. Approximately a year after filing the original complaint, Deutsche filed an assignment. Reversed
U.S. Bank v. Moore (Standing-Okla. Sup Ct.)(4/12) Standing refers to a person's legal right to seek relief in a judicial forum. The three threshold criteria of standing are (1) a legally protected interest which must have been injured in fact— i.e., suffered an injury which is actual, concrete and not conjectural in nature, (2) a causal nexus between the injury and the complained-of conduct, and (3) a likelihood, as opposed to mere speculation, that the injury is capable of being redressed by a favorable court decision. The doctrine of standing ensures a party has a personal stake in the outcome of a case and the parties are truly adverse.
U.S. Bank v. Dellarmo (Standing-NY Sup.Ct.)(4/12) "In a mortgage foreclosure action, a plaintiff has standing where it is both the holder or assignee of the subject mortgage and the holder or assignee of the underlying note at the time the action is commenced" (Bank of N.Y. v Silverberg, 86 AD3d 274, 279; see Countrywide Home Loans, Inc. v Gress, 68 AD3d 709). Where a defendant raises the issue of standing, the plaintiff must prove its standing to be entitled to relief (see CitiMortgage, Inc. v Rosenthal, 88 AD3d 759; U.S. Bank, N.A. v Collymore, 68 AD3d 752, 753). Moreover, while assignment of a promissory note also effectuates assignment of the mortgage (see Bank of N.Y. Silverberg, 86 AD3d at 280; U.S. Bank, N.A. v Collymore, 68 AD3d at 753-754; Mortgage Elec. Registration Sys., Inc. v Coakley, ), the converse is not true: since a mortgage is merely security for a debt, it cannot exist independently of the debt, and thus, a transfer or assignment of only the mortgage without the debt is a nullity and no interest is acquired by it (see Deutsche Bank Natl. Trust Co. v Barnett, 88 AD3d 636; Bank of N.Y. v Silverberg, 86 AD3d at 280). The failure to record an assignment prior to the commencement of the action is not necessarily fatal since "an assignment of a note and mortgage need not be in writing and can be effectuated by physical delivery" (Bank of N.Y. v Silverberg, 86 AD3d at 280; see Deutsche Bank Natl. Trust Co. v Barnett, 88 AD3d 636; U.S. Bank, N.A. v Collymore, 68 AD3d at 754; LaSalle Bank Natl. Assn. v Ahearn, 59 AD3d 911, 912).
RIGBY v. WELLS FARGO BANK (4/12)(Florida) Original complaint only had a mortgage in favor of Option One attached. Later, Wells Fargo presented an assignment of mortgage and an undated original note with special endorsement to Wells Fargo and the trial court entered summary judgment in favor of Wells Fargo. Fourth DCA opined that Wells Fargo has to have standing at the inception of the lawsuit. Reversed and remanded.
Byrd v. MorEquity, Inc (3/12) The court ruled that the foreclosing lender may have lacked standing to initiate the foreclosure process when it did which would have rendered the foreclosure deed void. Meanwhile, the evidence showed that the foreclosing lender accelerated the debt as of December 11, 2009, and that the notice of the foreclosure sale was first published on December 15, 2009, prior to the date the mortgage was acquired by the lender according to its affidavit.
Sturdivant v. BAC (12/11) A judgment entered in an action commenced by a party lacking standing is a nullity. Vance v. Cook, 989 So. 2d 556, 559 (Ala. Civ. App. 2008); see also Blevins v. Hillwood Office Ctr. Owners' Ass'n, 51 So. 3d 317, 321 (Ala. 2010) (same). Because BAC lacked standing to bring the ejectment action, the trial court never acquired subject-matter jurisdiction over this dispute. Accordingly, the summary judgment is void and is hereby vacated. Blevins, 51 So. 3d at 321; and Cadle Co., 950 So. 2d at 280. Additionally, because a void judgment will not support an appeal, Gallagher Bassett Servs., Inc. v. Phillips, 991 So. 2d 697, 701 (Ala. 2008), this appeal must be dismissed for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction. Blevins, 51 So. 3d at 323.
Pennsylvania: Beneficial Mortgage v. Vukmam (1/12) Homeowner's Emergency Mortgage Act. "When a mortgagee provides to a mortgagor a deficient Act 91 notice and then files a mortgage foreclosure action, the court lacks subject matter jurisdiction to entertain the action." "the court properly set aside the sheriff's sale, vacated the judgment, and dismissed Appellant's complaint without prejudice. Accordingly, we affirm the court's order."
New York: Wells Fargo v McNee(11/11) As the First Department held in Katz v. East-Ville Realty Co., (249 AD2d 243, 243), a “[p]laintiff’s attempt to foreclose upon a mortgage in which he had no legal or equitable interest [is] without foundation in law or fact” (see Kluge v. Fugazy, 145 AD2d 537). Hence, Wells Fargo’s attempt to foreclose upon the subject mortgage must be denied, the complaint dismissed, and McNee’s cross-motion(s) to dismiss for lack of standing pursuant to CPLR 3211(a)(3) granted.
Oklahoma: DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST v. BRUMBAUGH(1/12) (Reversed) To commence a foreclosure action in Oklahoma, a plaintiff must demonstrate it has a right to enforce the note and, absent a showing of ownership, the plaintiff lacks standing.
DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY v. BYRAMS(1/12)(Reversed) The assignment of a mortgage is not the same as an assignment of the note. If a person is trying to establish it is a nonholder in possession who has the rights of a holder it must bear the burden of establishing its status as a nonholder in possession with the rights of a holder. Appellee must establish delivery of the note as well as the purpose of that delivery.
ALABAMA: Patterson v. GMAC (1/12) GMAC Mortgage lacked authority to foreclose the mortgage when it initiated the foreclosure proceedings, and, therefore, the foreclosure and the foreclosure deed upon which GMAC based it ejectment claim are invalid. Moreover, under our holding in Sturdivant, because GMAC Mortgage did not own any interest in the house, it lacked standing to bring its ejectment action against the Pattersons. Because GMAC Mortgage lacked standing to bring the ejectment action, the trial court never acquired subject-matter jurisdiction over the ejectment action. Accordingly, the judgment of the trial court is void and is hereby vacated. Moreover, because a void judgment will not support an appeal, we dismiss this appeal. |
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California Cases |
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Caporale v. Saxon, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley - Judge Weissbrodt - Order Preliminary Injunction - Daughter-in-law letter to judge - Caporale Memo in Opposition to Motion to Lift Stay - Docket
In Re: Vargas - MERS (relief from stay Denied) Judge Bufford (explains authenticity of documents)
Dimrock v. Emerald Properties (Opinion: unlawful detainer/quiet title)
SAXON
MORTGAGE SERVICES, INC., Rickie Walker v. BAC, EMC Mortgage, Bear Stearns, Citibank, MERS (Full bankruptcy docs) (2010) Lack of Standing.
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Florida Cases |
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Brevard County Mortgage Foreclosure Procedures RIGBY v. WELLS FARGO BANK (4/12) Original complaint only had a mortgage in favor of Option One attached. Later, Wells Fargo presented an assignment of mortgage and an undated original note with special endorsement to Wells Fargo and the trial court entered summary judgment in favor of Wells Fargo. Fourth DCA opined that Wells Fargo has to have standing at the inception of the lawsuit. Reversed and remanded.
Duke
V. HSBC (11/11)"The Dukes argued that at the time the foreclosure complaint was
filed, the mortgage was held by First NLC, not appellee, HSBC. In its complaint, HSBC alleged it owned and held the note and mortgage at the
time the complaint was filed. “W h e n exhibits are attached to a complaint, the contents of the exhibits control over the allegations of the Feltus v. U.S. Bank (10/11) (Lost Note) We reverse because material issues of fact as to which entity holding the promissory note executed by Feltus existed at the time the trial court entered summary judgment. - U.S. Bank's reply to Feltus's affirmative defenses asserting that it was now in possession of the original note, which it attached to the reply. But the note attached to the complaint showed the lender to be Countrywide Bank, N.A. Khan v. Bank of America: (4/11) Because the exhibit to Bank of America’s amended complaint conflicts with its allegations concerning standing, Bank of America did not establish that it had standing to foreclose the mortgage as a matter of law. As a result, the trial court acted prematurely in entering the final summary judgment of foreclosure in favor of Bank of America. We, therefore, reverse the final summary judgment of foreclosure and remand for further proceedings. Bank of America v. Nebraska Investments (1/28/11) This case is DISMISSED without prejudice. No other pleadings by the plaintiff will be permitted in this case, other than a request for rehearing if appropriate. It is confiscatory of the Court's time to have to address this matter.
Deutsche Bank v. Lippi (2/2010) (Defendant's Amended Motion to Dismiss the Pleadings of Plaintiff is GRANTED with prejudice because over a two year period Plaintiff failed to allege or provide documents demonstrating its right to bring this action. Independently, Defendant's Amended Motion to Dismiss the Pleadings of Plaintiff is GRANTED as a sanction under the dictates of the Ham decision and its progeny.
DLJ MORTGAGE CAPITAL, INC., NEW CENTURY MORTGAGE CORPORATION, SELECT PORTFOLIO SERVICING, INC. and FLORIDA DEFAULT LAW GROUP v. Thornberry - ORDER REGARDING PLAINTIFF'S MOTION TO RE-ESTABLISH NOTE - DLJ Mortgage's mortgage foreclosure Complaint (Update from Thornberry: 10/17/10 - The bank continued to come back and the 5th judge in the matter REVERSED the Dismissed with Prejudice that I won. I am still fighting this injustice!!!! The first judge DWP without a hearing for lack of standing - no note due to FL STAT 71.011. but bank got latest judge to overturn BECAUSE the DWP was done sua sponte, w/o a hearing but quotes no FL STAT or code that states a hearing is mandatory when dealing with dismissal due to lack of SMJ.)
Deutsche Bank's Summary Judgment Denied
IndyMac v. Rogers (Rogers Motion to Dismiss GRANTED), March 2010, PINELLAS COUNTY
Bac Funding Consortium v. Jacques, U.S. Bank, C-Bass (U.S. Bank failed to establish its status as legal owner and holder of the note and mortgage. App. Court reversed SJ) - Bac Initial Brief in Jacques
VERIZZO v. Bank of New York MERS (Summary Judgment REVERSED & REMANDED, late notice, flawed chain of assignments)
- Verizzo v. Bank of New York (Order of Dismissal against BONY) ("based on the late service and filing of the summary judgment evidence and the existence of a genuine issue of material fact, we reverse the final summary judgment and remand for further proceedings.")
Wells Fargo v. Chesney [While "non-negotiable" instruments may also be assigned, there is no assignment attached to the Complaint. The Note and Mortgage attached to the Compliant are made in favor of Washington Mutual, not the current Plaintiff, Wells Fargo.]
Wells Fargo v. Cirigliano (3/10) (No evidence to show a chain of title of how the note got transferred to Wells Fargo.)
U.S. Bank v. Harpster (3/10) (Notary fraud, assignment fraud, fraud upon the court, dismissed with prejudice) Judge Tepper
GMAC v. Visicaro (4/10) (Hearing, judge sets aside his previous grant of summary judgment) Judge Rondolino
Riggs v. Aurora Loan Servicing (4/21/2010) (Court of Appeals the endorsement in blank is unsigned and unauthenticated, creating a genuine issue of material fact as to whether Aurora is the lawful owner and holder of the note and/or mortgage. As in BAC Funding Consortium, Inc. ISAOA/ATIMA v. Jean-Jacques, 28 So. 3d 936 (Fla. 2d DCA 2010), there are n o supporting affidavits or deposition testimony in the record to establish that Aurora validly owns and holds the note and mortgage, no evidence of an assignment to Aurora, no proof of purchase of the debt nor any other evidence of an effective transfer. Thus, we reverse the summary judgment and remand for further proceedings.
U.S. Bank v. McLeod (May 7, 2010 - Judge Traynor) (Order Vacated - Dismissed w/prejudice, possible sanctions)
HSBC Bank v. Eslava - (Transcript on Hearing To Show Cause on May 7, 2010 - Judge Jennifer Bailey) (The note, which was canceled by this court pursuant to a final judgment is null and void. Mr. Eslava is relieved of the debt. The title shall be conveyed back to Mr. Eslava by the bank -- by the trust, as the legal liability for the note no longer exists.
BAC v. Box (6/3/2010) (Arthur B. Federman - Bankruptcy Judge) (Trustee opposed BAC's request for relief from automatic stay. BAC's motion is DENIED.)
U.S. Bank v. Troche (May/2010) (Order setting aside judgment and sale.)
HSBC v Ruscalleda (June 9 2010) (Based on the unique circumstances of this case, we conclude that the trial court abused its discretion by denying the motion to continue the final summary judgment hearing and by failing to grant the motion to transfer the foreclosure action to the division where a separate foreclosure action was pending in which another bank was simultaneously seeking to foreclose the same mortgage.
Aurora, MERS v. Da Costa (4/2010) ("[T]he plaintiffs lack of standing at the inception of the case is not a defect that may be cured by the acquisition of standing after the case is filed." There is no evidence of record that establishes that MERS was authorized to assign anything to Plaintiff, and therefore, the assignment was invalid. Even if the assignment were valid, it was not executed until after the complaint was filed. Therefore, Plaintiff s standing at the inception of the case was based entirely on the complaint and the exhibits attached thereto. It appears on the face of those exhibits that an entity other than Plaintiff has standing, and those exhibits control over contrary allegations contained in either version of the complaint. Plaintiff lacks standing now based on the substantive deficiencies with an assignment from MERS. Plaintiff lacked standing at the inception of the case based on those substantive deficiencies and the timing of the execution of the assignment. Absent standing, there is no justiciable controversy between the parties, and this case must be dismissed.)
IndyMac v. Keyser (June 2010) (Judgment and sale set aside.)
M&T BANK v. Smith - A CASE OF SPECIAL INTEREST TO FLORIDA FORECLOSURE DEFENSE LAWYERS. BY LYNN E. SZYMONIAK (June 2010) [t]he Court finds the plaintiff lacks standing and is not a proper party to the suit. The Court has been misled by the Plaintiff from the beginning. In its initial Complaint, the Plaintiff alleged it owned the note that was lost. Then Plaintiff alleged that not only was the lost Note found, but the Plaintiff actually owned the Note by Assignment. After both of these Complaints were dismissed, Plaintiff then alleged that Wells Fargo owned the Note, while the Plaintiff was merely a servicer of the loan. Moreover, the Assignment on which Plaintiff relied in its First Amended Complaint postdates the filing of this foreclosure action and is inconsistent with the Mortgage, Note, stamps allegedly affixed to the Note, and the Allonge.
BAC/Countrywide v. Stentz - (12/10) (6th Circuit, Pasco County, Florida) Motion to Dismiss Granted with a redo option. "A thief who steals a check payable to bearer becomes the holder of the check… but does not become the owner of it.” - Judge Tepper
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New York / New Jersey Cases |
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Supplemental research by William A. Roper Jr. U.S. Bank v. Dellarmo (Standing-NY Sup.Ct.)(4/12) "In a mortgage foreclosure action, a plaintiff has standing where it is both the holder or assignee of the subject mortgage and the holder or assignee of the underlying note at the time the action is commenced" (Bank of N.Y. v Silverberg, 86 AD3d 274, 279; see Countrywide Home Loans, Inc. v Gress, 68 AD3d 709). Where a defendant raises the issue of standing, the plaintiff must prove its standing to be entitled to relief (see CitiMortgage, Inc. v Rosenthal, 88 AD3d 759; U.S. Bank, N.A. v Collymore, 68 AD3d 752, 753). Moreover, while assignment of a promissory note also effectuates assignment of the mortgage (see Bank of N.Y. Silverberg, 86 AD3d at 280; U.S. Bank, N.A. v Collymore, 68 AD3d at 753-754; Mortgage Elec. Registration Sys., Inc. v Coakley, ), the converse is not true: since a mortgage is merely security for a debt, it cannot exist independently of the debt, and thus, a transfer or assignment of only the mortgage without the debt is a nullity and no interest is acquired by it (see Deutsche Bank Natl. Trust Co. v Barnett, 88 AD3d 636; Bank of N.Y. v Silverberg, 86 AD3d at 280). The failure to record an assignment prior to the commencement of the action is not necessarily fatal since "an assignment of a note and mortgage need not be in writing and can be effectuated by physical delivery" (Bank of N.Y. v Silverberg, 86 AD3d at 280; see Deutsche Bank Natl. Trust Co. v Barnett, 88 AD3d 636; U.S. Bank, N.A. v Collymore, 68 AD3d at 754; LaSalle Bank Natl. Assn. v Ahearn, 59 AD3d 911, 912).
Wells Fargo v McNee(11/11) As the First Department held in Katz v. East-Ville Realty Co., (249 AD2d 243, 243), a “[p]laintiff’s attempt to foreclose upon a mortgage in which he had no legal or equitable interest [is] without foundation in law or fact” (see Kluge v. Fugazy, 145 AD2d 537). Hence, Wells Fargo’s attempt to foreclose upon the subject mortgage must be denied, the complaint dismissed, and McNee’s cross-motion(s) to dismiss for lack of standing pursuant to CPLR 3211(a)(3) granted.
Downey v. Trujillo (8/11)(Schack) Dismissed with prejudice. Schack was angered after lawyer Margaret Carucci said in a sworn affidavit that a Downey Savings & Loan officer on Dec. 24, 2010 claimed to have personally reviewed and could vouch for the accuracy of the paperwork underlying Trujillo's foreclosure -- although Downey had long ceased to exist.
Deutsche Bank v. Mitchell(8/11) Summary judgment reversed - sale vacated. The assignment was not perfected until after the filing of the complaint, and plaintiff presented no evidence of having possessed the underlying note prior to filing the complaint. If plaintiff did not have the note when it filed the original complaint, it lacked standing to do so, and it could not obtain standing by filing an amended complaint. We vacate the sheriff's sale, the final judgment and the order granting summary judgment and remand to the trial court.
Deutsche
Bank v. Francis (Dismissed
With Prejudice-Schack)(3/11): I discovered that there is no record of plaintiff DEUTSCHE BANK ever owning the subject mortgage and note. A want of "standing to sue," in other words, is just another
way of saying that this particular plaintiff is not involved in a genuine
controversy, and a simple syllogism takes us from there to a "jurisdictional"
dismissal: (1) the courts have jurisdiction only over controversies; (2) a
Johnston v. HSBC** ((complaint), (extrinsic fraud, real party) (3/11) Extrinsic Fraud: Because the fraud is extrinsic in nature, HSBC is precluded from raising the
doctrine of-- res judicata --as a defense against this Courts obligation to verify first and
foremost that the claimant has federal jurisdiction “real party in interest” status. ALE v. U.S. Bank (Expunge Mortgage and Assignment*)(1/11) American Brokers Conduit v. ZAMALLOA - Judge SCHACK 11Sep2007 EMC Mortgage v. Wink - (1/07) MERS, which is not itself the owner and holder of the note and mortgage, does not have the authority to assign the ownership of the note and mortgage to plaintiff. Judgment of foreclosure and sale is denied Countrywide Home Loans, Inc. v Taylor - Mayer, J., Supreme Court, Suffolk County / Sept. 2007 American Brokers Conduit v. ZAMALLOA - Judge SCHACK 28Jan2008 Aurora Loan Services v. MACPHERSON - Judge FARNETI 11Mar2008 Bank of New York v. SINGH - Judge KURTZ 14Dec2007 Bank of New York v. TORRES - Judge COSTELLO 11Mar2008 Bank of New York v. OROSCO - Judge SCHACK 19Nov2007 CitiMortgage Inc. v. BROWN - Judge FARNETI 13Mar2008 Countrywide Mortgage v. BERLIUK - Judge COSTELLO 13Mar2008 Deutsche Bank v. Barnes-Judgment Entry Deutsche Bank v. Barnes-Withdrawal of Objections and Motion to Dismiss Deutsche Bank v. ALEMANY Judge COSTELLO 07Jan2008 Deutsche Bank v. Benjamin CRUZ - JudgeKURTZ 21May2008 Deutsche Bank v. Yobanna CRUZ - Judge KURTZ 21May2008 Deutsche Bank v. CABAROY - Judge COSTELLO 02Apr2008 he Bank v. CASTELLANOS / 2007NYSlipOp50978U/- Judge SCHACK 11May2007 HE Bank v. CASTELLANOS/ 2008NYSlipOp50033U/ - Judge SCHACK 14Jan2008 HSBC v. Valentin - Judge SCHACK calls them liars and dismisses WITH prejudice ** Deutsche Bank v. CLOUDEN / 2007NYSlipOp51767U/ Judge SCHACK 18Sep2007 Deutsche Bank v. EZAGUI - Judge SCHACK 21Dec2007 Deutsche Bank v. GRANT - Judge SCHACK 25Apr2008 Deutsche Bank v. HARRIS - Judge SCHACK 05Feb2008 Deutsche Bank v. LaCrosse,Cede,DTC Complaint Deutsche Bank v. NICHOLLS - Judge KURTZ 21May2008 Deutsche Bank v. RYAN - Judge KURTZ 29Jan2008 Deutsche Bank v. SAMPSON - Judge KURTZ 16Jan2008 Deutsche v. Marche - Order to Show Cause to VACATE Judgment of Foreclosure - 11June2009 GMAC Mortgage LLC v. MATTHEWS - Judge KURTZ 10Jan2008 GMAC Mortgage LLC v. SERAFINE - Judge COSTELLO 08Jan2008 HSBC Bank USA NA v. CIPRIANI Judge COSTELLO 08Jan2008 HSBC Bank USA NA v. JACK - Judge COSTELLO 02Apr2008 IndyMac Bank FSB v. RODNEY-ROSS - Judge KURTZ 15Jan2008 LaSalle Bank NA v. CHARLEUS - Judge KURTZ 03Jan2008 LaSalle Bank NA v. SMALLS - Judge KURTZ 03Jan2008 PHH Mortgage Corp v. BARBER - Judge KURTZ 15Jan2008 Property Asset Management v. HUAYTA 05Dec2007 Services LLC v. SATTAR / 2007NYSlipOp51895U/ - Judge SCHACK 09Oct2007 U.S. Bank NA v. AUGUSTE - Judge KURTZ 27Nov2007 U.S. Bank v. Emmanuel - (Judge Schack May 2010) Dismissed with prejudice. “foreclosure of a mortgage may not be brought by one who has no title to it and absent transfer of the debt, the assignment of the mortgage is a nullity". U.S. Bank NA v. GRANT - Judge KURTZ 14Dec2007 U.S. Bank NA v. ROUNDTREE - Judge BURKE 11Oct2007 U.S. Bank NA v. VILLARUEL - Judge KURTZ 01Feb2008 Wells Fargo Bank NA v. HAMPTON - Judge KURTZ 03Jan2008 Wells Fargo, Litton Loan v. Farmer WITH PREJUDICE Judge Schack June2008 Plaintiff has renewed its application for an order of reference for the subject premises, but - Two invalid assignments of the instant mortgage and note took place, with ARGENT assigning the note and mortgage to AMERIQUEST, and then AMERIQUEST assigning the note and mortgage to plaintiff WELLS FARGO. Both of these assignments were not recorded for more than fourteen months, until February 21, 2006, when they were both recorded at that same time.
Wells Fargo v. Reyes WITH PREJUDICE, Fraud on Court & Sanctions Judge Schack June2008 No defendant answered in this foreclosure action. WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION AS TRUSTEE AND CUSTODIAN FOR MORGAN STANLEY ABS CAPITAL1 INC., MSAC 2007-HE4, lacks standing and has never been the mortgagee in this foreclosure action, the instant complaint, Index No. 5516/08, is dismissed with prejudice; and it is further ORDERED, that the Notice of Pendency filed with the Kings County Clerk on February 21, 2008, by purported plaintiff, WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION AS TRUSTEE AND CUSTODIAN FOR MORGAN STANLEY ABS CAPITAL1 INC., MSAC 2007-HE4, in an action to foreclose a mortgage for real property located at 379 Lincoln Avenue, Brooklyn New York (Block 4173, Lot 6, County of Kings), is cancelled. Deutsche Bank v. Peabody Judge Nolan (Regulation Z) Indymac Bank,FSB v. Boyd - Schack J. January 2009 Indymac Bank, FSB v. Bethley - Schack, J. February 2009 (The tale of many hats) Indymac Bank, v. Yano-Horoski -Judge Blasts Bank's Foreclosure Conduct and Cancels Mortgage. LaSalle Bank Natl. Assn. v Ahearn - Appellate Division, Third Department (Pro Se)\ NEW JERSEY COURT DISMISSES FORECLOSURE FILED BY DEUTSCHE BANK FOR FAILURE TO PROVIDE DISCOVERY AS TO OWNER AND HOLDER OF NOTE, SECURITIZED TRUST DOCUMENTS, AND OTHER DOCUMENTS DEMANDED BY BORROWERS
HSBC Bank USA v Miller 2009 NY Slip Op 29444 / Decided on October 29, 2009 / Meddaugh, J.
Lasalle Bank v. Smith, MERS (Judge Schack - March 22, 2010)
Wells Fargo Bank, Americas Servicing Company, MERS v Hunte (Judge Schack, Apr.14, 2010/ Dismissed with prejudice, possible sanctions.) (The court "discovered that WELLS FARGO executed a satisfaction of the instant mortgage more than ten months ago." "The Court is gravely concerned that: it expended scarce resources on an action that should have been discontinued." “the Court, in its discretion may impose financial sanctions upon any party or attorney in a civil action or proceeding who engages in frivolous conduct.")
Chase v. Johnson (Judge Schack May 4, 2010) (vacated judgment of foreclosure and sale with prejudice as plaintiff lacked standing.)
OneWest
Bank v. Cullen
(Judge Zwack - March 3, 2010) (The Court finds that OneWest has
failed to establish it has standing and dismissed the complaint.)
ARGENT
v. Maitland (Aug. 2010) (
MERS as Nominee for U.S. Bank v. Munoz - (ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE) Mortgage Electronic Registration System as Nominee for US Bank, and any of its attorneys, agents, successors and assignees, be and are hereby restrained from implementing the closing of title on any third party sale of the premises and restrained from evicting the family from the premises.
LLP v. Sabine (8/2010) "the assignment produced by LPP is insufficient to demonstrate it has standing as (1) MERS has no ownership rights in the note and thus cannot assign it; (2) the language of the assignment of the mortgage does not evidence an intent to assign the underlying note, (3) the assignment arises out of a purchase agreement with an entity who is not a party to this action, and (4) the provision of mortgage document relied on by LPP does not give MERS the authority to assign the mortgage or the note. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v Hughes (1/10) The terms of the proposed modification agreement, particularly but not exclusively the inclusion of an adjustable rate component, are unacceptable to this court. "The above matter is hereby dismissed without prejudice; and it is further ordered, that in the event Wells Fargo commences a new action in foreclosure with respect to this borrower and the premises at issue herein, no additional costs or attorney fees will be allowed, absent good cause shown.
BACKFIRE!
Emigrant
Mtge. Co. Inc. v Corcione:
(7/10)
"unconscionable, unreasonable [and]
overreaching" mortgage agreement. For all of the foregoing reasons, it is,
therefore ordered, adjudged and decreed that plaintiff's application for
summary judgment and appointment of a referee is denied; and it is further
ordered, adjudged and decreed that plaintiff, its successors, assigns and
others are
Beneficial
v. Steele***
(Judge Spinner)(Jan 7/11) An action claiming foreclosure of a mortgage is a suit in
equity, Jamaica Savings Bank v. M.S. Investment Co. 274 NY 215 (1937), and the very commencement of the proceeding invokes the equity jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. Thus, in order to obtain equitable relief, the applicant must come before the Court with clean hands, else such relief will be denied. Thus, where a party comes before the Court and is shown to have acted in a manner which is offensive to good conscience, fairness and justice, that party will be completely without recourse in a court of equity, no matter what his legal rights may be, York v. Searles 97 AD 331 92nd Dept. 1904), aff'd 189 NY 573 (1907).
Stated a bit differently, in order to obtain equity, one must do equity.
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Ohio Cases |
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Interim Findings of Effects of Ohio Standing Rulings |
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Deutsche Bank
v. HoldenMotion to Dismiss***As
the truths behind these foreclosure crimes becomes known, lawyers can
better argue these wrongful foreclosure cases. This is one of the best
Motion to Dismiss briefs we have read. In 2000, the Holdens lost their home despite making all payments. Back then, the Holdens did not know what was going on. A few years later, the Holdens bought anouther home - and now Deutsche Bank is coming back again to steal this one too. CENTRAL MORTGAGE COMPANY v. ELIA(June 2011)(REVERSED.The Court found that the conclusory averment within the plaintiff's affidavit that all conditions precedent had been satisfied was insufficient to prove compliance with Section 22 of the mortgage. Does that sound familiar? See next case...
CITIMORTGAGE v. ELIA(May 2011)(REVERSED)Defendant-Appellants, Ziad F. Elia and Holley E. Elia (“the Elias”), appeal from the judgment of the Summit County Court of Common Pleas, granting summary judgment in favor of Plaintiff-Appellee, CitiMortgage, Inc. (“CitiMortgage”). This Court reverses.
Bank of America v. Miller(REVERSED, lack of standing)(3/11) We conclude that the trial court erred in rendering summary judgment in favor of BOA. Genuine issues of material fact exist regarding whether BOA is the real party in interest, and regarding whether BOA is the holder of the note upon which judgment was sought. We further conclude that there are genuine issues of material fact regarding whether BOA is a successor in interest to the original payee, because BOA failed to submit a proper affidavit to support its claims. Accordingly, the judgment of the trial court is Reversed and this cause is Remanded for further proceedings. Deutsche Bank v. Tripplet (2/11)(Pro Se) Deutsche Bank’s affidavit of ownership, sworn out more than a year after the foreclosure complaint was filed, is insufficient to vest the bank with standing to file and maintain the action. CITIMORTGAGE v. Slack (2/11) The trial court found that CITI had failed to show that the jurisdiction of the court had been properly invoked and that any judgment, including judgment on counterclaim, would be a nullity. COA reversed, holding lower court had jurisdiction over homeowner's counterclaim.
U.S. Bank v. Detweiler (reversed & remanded)(12/10)
U.S. Bank v. Duvall (dismissal affirmed)(12/10) Accordingly, we conclude that plaintiff had no standing to file a foreclosure action against defendants on October 15, 2007, because, at that time, Wells Fargo owned the mortgage. Plaintiff failed in its burden of demonstrating that it was the real party in interest at the time the complaint was filed.
Kidd,Wells v. U.S. Bank, Ocwen, MERS, Aegis - Memorandum Opinion
Motions for Relief from Stay Update: Endorsement of Note by alleged Attorney-in-Fact
Memo to All Attorneys on Motions for Relief from Stay
Tips for How a Motion for Relief from Stay Can Proceed Smoothly Through the Court
Partial Transcript of Hearing on Special Motions Docket
Wells Fargo v. Jordan* -Wells Memorandum in Support of Jurisdiction to Ohio - Amicus brief of The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland in - Ohio Supreme Court declines jurisdiction!
National City v. Richards - Notice of Default
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Whittiker v. Deutsche (MEMORANDUM IN OPPOSITION TO DEFENDANTS’ MOTIONS TO DISMISS) Whittiker (PLAINTIFFS’ OBJECTIONS TO REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION) Whittiker (DEFENDANT WELTMAN, WEINBERG & REIS CO., LPA’S RESPONSE TO PLAINTIFFS’ OBJECTIONS TO REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION) Whittiker (RESPONSE TO PLAINTIFFS’ OBJECTIONS TO MAGISTRATE JUDGE PEARSON’S REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION TO GRANT ITS MOTION TO DISMISS)
Novastar v. Snyder* (lack of standing) Snyder (motion to amend w/prejudice) Snyder (response to amend)
Wells Fargo v. Byrd* ("Putting the Cart before the House") Ohio 2008 (Reversed), Judge
Washington Mutual v. City of Cleveland (WAMU's motion to dismiss)
2008-Ohio-1177; DLJ Mtge. Capital, Inc. v. Parsons (SJ Reversed for lack of standing)
Mainsource Bank v. Winafeld (Oct. 29,2007) Mainsource Bank v. Winafeld (Sept. 2, 2008) The record in this matter establishes the assignment of the underlying mortgage in this case was not filed until after this foreclosure action was filed. (T. at 23). In fact, the assignment was dated after the date of the filing of the foreclosure action. Id. Based on the above, under a de novo review of the facts and the law, we conclude the trial court properly granted Appellee's motion for sanctions.
Deutsche Bank v. TRIPLETT (JUDGMENT: REVERSED(2/11)
MERS v. Lambert (2/11)* (attorney fees, TILA, emotional damages) Equity is not served by requiring the successful litigant’s attorney to essentially pay the debts their clients owe to creditors out of the fees attributed to the attorney’s hourly rates for legal services rendered. In the absence of a contractual fee agreement between the lawyer and client that provides otherwise, if an attorney has earned the attorney fees that are awarded, the fees belong to the attorney, not the client, and may not be used to offset debts or obligations of the client. the attorney is entitled to the fee that is awarded to him regardless of any controversy regarding the underlying debt.” This rationale serves to facilitate the congressional purpose behind the TILA. "To provide otherwise would only serve to frustrate the enforcement of the TILA provisions because even attorneys who successfully prove violations of the law may not be compensated for their work. The litigant’s attorney has a legally protected interest to attorney fees awarded under fee-shifting provisions."
No Note - Ohio 3/20/08
Great Decision - Everhome v. Rowland
Deutsche - Class Action (RICO) Bank of New York v. TORRES - Judge COSTELLO 11Mar2008 - Deutsche Bank Answer Whittiker
Judge Holschuh- Show cause Judge Holschuh- Dismissal of 15 cases (Plaintiffs and Counsel are hereby advised that, if these cases are refiled, Plaintiffs must establish their standing, and Counsel must comply with the Order’s requirements. Failure to do so a second time may result in a dismissal with prejudice.)
Judge Boyko's Deutsche Bank Foreclosures
Rose Complaint for Foreclosure
Wells Fargo - Defective pleading
Complaint in Jack v. MERS, Citi, Deutsche
FLAGSTAR BANK vs. MOORE (JUDGMENT: REVERSED AND REMANDED) Judge McMonagle (Feb 5, 2010) Bank of New York v. Gindele Bank of New York failed to establish an enforceable interest that existed at the time it filed suit. (BONY summary judgment REVERSED and REMANDED) Ohio 2/19/2010 Bank of New York Mellon v. Stout (BONY unregistered - Brief in Support of Motion to Dismiss) Chase v. Banker (Chase's assignments of error are meritless. Since the transfer of property to Smith was void for lack of jurisdiction, the mortgage to Chase was also void. Accordingly, the judgment of the trial court is affirmed.
U.S. Bank, N.A. v. Richards, 2010-Ohio-981: This decision was a pleasure to read because the Court followed the law. Richards' counsel did a stellar job as the Court sustained both of Richards' assignments of error. The Opinion states: "because we have concluded above that the trial court erred in awarding summary judgment to U.S. Bank, we likewise conclude that Patricia Richards’ motion to dismiss could not have been moot for that reason. Thus, we sustain her first assignment of error and remand the matter to the trial court for further consideration". | |