Avalanche Funding, LLC v. Arif

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedApril 28, 2021
Docket2:16-cv-02555
StatusUnknown

This text of Avalanche Funding, LLC v. Arif (Avalanche Funding, LLC v. Arif) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Avalanche Funding, LLC v. Arif, (E.D. Cal. 2021).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 AVALANCHE FUNDING, LLC, a No. 2:16-cv-02555-TLN-KJN Colorado limited liability company, 12 Plaintiff, 13 ORDER v. 14 SYED M. ARIF, et al., 15 Defendant. 16

17 18 This matter is before the Court on Plaintiff Avalanche Funding, LLC’s (“Plaintiff”) 19 Motion for Appointment of Receiver. (ECF No. 120.) None of the Defendants1 have opposed the 20 1 The named Defendants are: Syed M. Arif (“Arif”); Syeda Rehana Begum (“Begum”); Tim 21 Swickard (“Swickard”); Mapes Ranch, Inc.; Five Dot Cattle Company; Norman F. Rice (deceased); the testate and intestate successors of Norman F. Rice, and all persons represented by 22 the personal representative of the estate of Norman F. Rice; Gloria Rice (deceased), in her 23 individual capacity and as trustee of the Rice 1997 Family Trust; the testate and intestate successors of Gloria Rice, and all persons represented by the personal representative of the estate 24 of Gloria Rice; the Rice 1997 Family Trust; Norman Rice Enterprises, Inc.; Matthew G. Huntley; Michon Huntley; Ramona Stonebarger (“Stonebarger”) (deceased); the testate and intestate 25 successors of Stonebarger, and all persons represented by the personal representative of the estate 26 of Stonebarger; Art Koffinke (“Koffinke”) (deceased); the testate and intestate successors of Koffinke, and all persons represented by the personal representative of the estate of Koffinke; 27 Larry Campbell (“Campbell”) (deceased); the testate and intestate successors of Campbell, and all persons represented by the personal representative of the estate of Campbell; Hanson Cattle 28 Company (purported corporation of likely Nevada domicile); Hansen Cattle Company (a Nevada 1 Motion. For the reasons set forth below, Plaintiff’s unopposed Motion for Appointment of 2 Receiver is GRANTED. 3 I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND 4 A. Allegations 5 Plaintiff, a lender, brought this action to effect a judicial foreclosure on a deed of trust that 6 has been in default for several years. The instant Motion seeks to appoint a receiver for the 7 subject real property (“Property”), a plot of approximately 3,200 acres of ranch land located in 8 Lassen County.2 (See ECF No. 122 at 5–12; see also ECF No. 49 at 7–14; ECF No. 121 at 4–11; 9 ECF No. 122-2 at 35–37.) 10 On July 23, 2008, Arif and Begum (husband and wife) executed and delivered to Plaintiff 11 a Promissory Note secured by the Deed of Trust, Security Agreement, Fixture Filing, Financing 12 Statement and Assignment of Leases and Rents for the Property. (See ECF No. 49; ECF No. 121 13 at 4; ECF No. 122 at 4; ECF No. 122-1; ECF No. 122-2.) Plaintiff is the beneficiary of the Deed 14 of Trust. (ECF No. 122 at 5; see also ECF No. 122-2 at 2.) Arif and Begum do not live on the 15 Property. (See ECF No. 121 at 2–3, 11; ECF No. 122 at 12.) Thereafter, Arif and Begum 16 defaulted on the Note. (ECF No. 121 at 12; ECF No. 122 at 4, 13.) Since then, Plaintiff has been 17 required to pay delinquent real estate taxes on the Property because Arif and Begum could not, 18 Five Dot Cattle has been grazing on the Property without paying any rents, portions of the 19 Property are overgrazed (evidenced by the condition of the grass and excessive amount of animal 20 waste in the area), the fences (including the parameter fences) are in a state of disrepair and the 21

corporation); North American Technical Trading Co., Inc.; a trustee of an unnamed trust to be 22 established referenced in a Notice recorded on February 11, 1997, in volume 660 at page 559; 23 Chicago Title Company, in its capacity as Trustee under a Deed of Trust recording no. 2008- 04633 of Official Records, Lassen County; all persons unknown claiming only legal or equitable 24 right, title interest, or cloud on Plaintiff’s interest in the Property; and Does 1–50 (collectively, “Defendants”). 25

26 2 Plaintiff indicates the Deed of Trust must be reformed to correct a Scrivener’s Error that omitted a parcel and provides the updated description of the Property. (See ECF No. 122 at 5–12; 27 see also ECF No. 49 at 15–16.) Plaintiff’s request to reform the legal description of the Property in the Deed of Trust is included as a claim in Plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment and will 28 be addressed in a separate order. 1 gates do not work, squatters and “recreaters” leave substantial trash on the Property and utilize a 2 fire pit on the Property that puts it at risk of being damaged by uncontrolled fires, and recent fires 3 have burned some of the Property and fences. (ECF No. 121 at 12; ECF No. 122 at 13–14.) 4 Plaintiff therefore seeks appointment of a receiver in order to clean, repair, protect, and preserve 5 the Property, repair and install appropriate fences, minimize the risk and danger of trespassers and 6 escaping livestock, and collect rents. (ECF No. 121 at 14; ECF No. 122 at 14.) 7 B. Procedural History 8 Plaintiff initiated this action on October 26, 2016. (ECF No. 1.) The matter proceeds on 9 the operative First Amended Complaint (“FAC”). (ECF No. 6.) 10 Between January and March 2017, Notices of Disclaimer were filed with respect to the 11 following Defendants, by which these Defendants have disclaimed any interest in the Property: 12 Matthew Huntley; Michon Huntley; Norman F. Rice, his testate and intestate successors, and all 13 persons represented by the personal representative of his estate; Gloria Rice, her testate and 14 intestate successors, and all persons represented by the personal representative of her estate; the 15 Rice 1997 Family Trust; Chicago Title Company; and North American Technical Trading Co., 16 Inc. (ECF Nos. 17, 18, 27, 30, 48.) 17 On May 11, 2017, default was entered against the following Defendants: Norman Rice 18 Enterprises, Inc.; the testate and intestate successors, and all persons represented by the personal 19 representatives of the estates of decedents Koffinke, Campbell, and Stonebarger, respectively; 20 and Hansen Cattle Company. (ECF Nos. 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 73.) The Court declined to enter 21 default against Campbell, Koffinke and Stonebarger because they are deceased, or against “A 22 Trustee [o]f [a]n [u]nnamed Trust [t]o [b]e [e]stablished [r]eferenced [i]n [a] Notice [r]ecorded 23 [on] February 11, 1997 [i]n Volume 660 [a]t Page 559” because it is an unnamed party.3 (ECF 24 Nos. 71, 72.) 25 Meanwhile, on March 13, 2017, Plaintiff and Arif and Begum entered into a settlement 26

27 3 Nevertheless, as Plaintiff correctly notes, these parties were properly served pursuant to publication following the Court’s approval of Plaintiff’s Motion for Service by Publication (see 28 ECF Nos. 39, 45), and they have also submitted no opposition to the instant Motion. 1 agreement. (ECF No. 49; see ECF No. 125 at 24.) Pursuant to the settlement agreement, the 2 parties filed a “Notice of Consent to Entry of Judgment in Favor of Avalanche Funding, LLC; 3 Consent to Entry of a Foreclosure Decree; Consent to the Appointment of a Receiver; and 4 Assignment of Redemption Rights and Other Rights,” which is executed by Arif and Begum. 5 (ECF No. 49.) Thus, Arif and Begum have abandoned the Property to Plaintiff and consented to 6 the appointment of a receiver for the Property. (See id.; see also ECF No. 121 at 3.) 7 On March 31, 2017, Plaintiff filed its first motion for the appointment of a receiver. (ECF 8 No. 50.) Five Dot Cattle Company, Mapes Ranch, Inc. and Swickard (the “Swickard Parties”) 9 filed the only opposition to that receiver motion. (ECF No. 53.) On March 26, 2018, the Court 10 denied the motion without prejudice. (ECF No. 89.) Plaintiff asserts the Swickard Parties have 11 grazed cattle on the Property without paying rent to either the landowner or Plaintiff since the 12 Court’s Order. (See ECF No. 121 at 3; ECF No.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

View Crest Garden Apartments, Inc. v. United States
281 F.2d 844 (Ninth Circuit, 1960)
Canada Life Assurance Co. v. LaPeter
563 F.3d 837 (Ninth Circuit, 2009)
New York Life Ins. v. Watt West Investment Corp.
755 F. Supp. 287 (E.D. California, 1991)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
Avalanche Funding, LLC v. Arif, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/avalanche-funding-llc-v-arif-caed-2021.