Bank of Am., N.A. v. Lewis

2013 Ohio 2293
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 31, 2013
Docket12-COA-035
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 2013 Ohio 2293 (Bank of Am., N.A. v. Lewis) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bank of Am., N.A. v. Lewis, 2013 Ohio 2293 (Ohio Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

[Cite as Bank of Am., N.A. v. Lewis, 2013-Ohio-2293.]

COURT OF APPEALS ASHLAND COUNTY, OHIO FIFTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

BANK OF AMERICA, N.A. : JUDGES: : : Hon. W. Scott Gwin, P.J. Plaintiff-Appellee : Hon. Sheila G. Farmer, J. : Hon. Patricia A. Delaney, J. -vs- : : Case No. 12-COA-035 WENDY L. LEWIS, ET AL. : : : Defendant-Appellant : OPINION

CHARACTER OF PROCEEDING: Appeal from the Ashland County Court of Common Pleas, Case No. 12-CFR-100

JUDGMENT: AFFIRMED

DATE OF JUDGMENT ENTRY: May 31, 2013

APPEARANCES:

For Appellant: For Appellee:

BRENT L. ENGLISH PATRICIA K. BLOCK The 820 Building 120 East Fourth Street, Suite 800 820 West Superior Ave., 9th Floor Cincinnati, OH 45202 Cleveland, OH 44113-1818 BRAD TERMAN 503 S. High St., Suite 100 Columbus, OH 43017 Delaney, J.

{¶1} Defendant-Appellant Wendy L. Lewis appeals the August 14, 2012

judgment entry of the Ashland County Court of Common Pleas. Plaintiff-Appellee is

Bank of America, N.A., successor by merger to BAC Home Loans Servicing, LP fka

Countrywide Home Loans Servicing, LP.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

{¶2} On March 28, 2006, James Lewis and Defendant-Appellant Wendy L.

Lewis executed a Note in the amount of $224,000.00 with Lender, America’s

Wholesale Lender. The Note was secured by a Mortgage on real property located in

Ashland County, Ohio to Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems (“MERS”) as

nominee for America’s Wholesale Lender. The Mortgage was recorded in the Ashland

County Recorder’s Office. The Note was indorsed in blank by Countrywide Home

Loans, Inc., a New York Corporation Doing Business as America’s Wholesale Lender.

On November 2, 2011, MERS as nominee for America’s Wholesale Lender assigned

the Mortgage to Bank of America, N.A. successor by merger to BAC Home Loans

Servicing, LP fka Countrywide Home Loans Servicing, LP. The Assignment was

recorded in the Ashland County Recorder’s Office.

{¶3} In August 2011, James Lewis and Wendy Lewis defaulted under the

terms of the Note and Mortgage. Bank of America filed its Complaint in Foreclosure

against James Lewis and Wendy Lewis on March 19, 2012. Attached to the

Complaint were copies of the Note, Mortgage, and Assignment. Both parties were

served with the Complaint. Wendy Lewis filed an Answer on May 1, 2012. {¶4} The trial court held a telephone status conference on June 29, 2012.

The trial court issued a judgment entry on June 29, 2012 setting the matter for bench

trial on September 24, 2012, “unless this matter is otherwise disposed of prior to then.”

(Judgment Entry, June 29, 2012).

{¶5} Bank of America filed a Motion for Summary Judgment against Wendy

Lewis on July 9, 2012. In support of its motion for summary judgment, it attached the

affidavit of Anita Michelle Williams, an officer of Bank of America. The affidavit stated

Williams personally reviewed the records made in connection with the Note and

Mortgage and she made the affidavit from a review of those business records and

from her personal knowledge of how said records were created and maintained.

Attached to the affidavit were the statement of the account and duplicates of the Note,

Mortgage, and Assignment. Bank of America also filed a Motion for Default Judgment

against James Lewis on July 9, 2012. The trial court issued a judgment entry setting

July 26, 2012 as the deadline by which responses must be filed to the Motion for

Summary Judgment. The non-oral hearing date was scheduled for July 27, 2012.

{¶6} Wendy Lewis did not move to strike the motion for summary judgment.

On July 27, 2012, Wendy Lewis filed a motion for extension requesting ten days to file

a response to the motion for summary judgment. The date of response would be

Monday, August 6, 2012. The trial court did not rule on the motion. On August 6,

2012, Wendy Lewis filed a second motion for extension requesting five days to file a

response to the motion for summary judgment. The date of response would be

Saturday, August 11, 2012. The trial court did not rule on the motion. {¶7} Wendy Lewis filed her response to the motion for summary judgment on

August 13, 2012.

{¶8} On August 14, 2012, the trial court granted the motion for summary

judgment. The trial court did not consider Lewis’s response to the motion for summary

judgment.

{¶9} It is from this judgment Wendy Lewis now appeals.

ASSIGNMENTS OF ERROR

{¶10} Lewis raises three Assignments of Error:

{¶11} “I. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN GRANTING SUMMARY JUDGMENT

WHERE THE BANK WAS NOT GRANTED LEAVE TO FILE ITS MOTION FOR

SUMMARY JUDGMENT.

{¶12} “II. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN GRANTING SUMMARY JUDGMENT

WITHOUT CONSIDERING APPELLANT’S TIMELY-FILED OPPOSITION THERETO.

{¶13} “III. THE BANK FAILED TO DEMONSTRATE THAT THERE WAS NO

GENUINE ISSUE OF MATERIAL FACT IN DISPUTE AND THAT IT WAS ENTITLED

TO JUDGMENT AS A MATTER OF LAW.”

ANALYSIS

I.

{¶14} In Lewis’s first Assignment of Error, she argues the trial court erred in

granting summary judgment when the trial court did not grant Bank of America leave

to file its motion for summary judgment. Bank of America concedes it did not request

leave of the trial court prior to filing its motion for summary judgment.

{¶15} Civ.R. 56(A) states: A party seeking to recover upon a claim, counterclaim, or cross-

claim or to obtain a declaratory judgment may move with or without

supporting affidavits for a summary judgment in the party's favor as to all

or any part of the claim, counterclaim, cross-claim, or declaratory

judgment action. A party may move for summary judgment at any time

after the expiration of the time permitted under these rules for a

responsive motion or pleading by the adverse party, or after service of a

motion for summary judgment by the adverse party. If the action has been

set for pretrial or trial, a motion for summary judgment may be made only

with leave of court.

{¶16} The Local Rules of the Ashland County Court of Common Pleas reads,

“[t]he procedure specified in Civil Rule 56 applies to summary judgment motions.”

Loc.R. 19.01(C).

{¶17} The judgment entry setting the trial date in this case states, “the Court

hereby ORDERS that a Bench Trial shall be conducted in this case on Monday,

September 24, 2012, beginning at 1:00 p.m., unless this matter is otherwise disposed

of prior to then.” (Judgment Entry, June 29, 2012). In a civil matter, there are a

limited number of methods in which the case may be disposed of, including by

dispositive motion.

{¶18} When Bank of America filed its motion for summary judgment, Lewis did

not file a motion to strike the dispositive motion for the Bank’s failure to request leave

to file the motion. Lewis instead filed a motion for extension of time to respond to the

motion for summary judgment. Lewis raises the argument of the Bank’s failure to request leave pursuant to Civ.R. 56 for the first time on appeal. Generally, arguments

raised for the first time on appeal are waived or can be reviewed for plain error.

{¶19} In this case, we find Lewis waived the error. Further, the language of the

trial court’s June 29, 2012 judgment entry can be interpreted as permitting the filing of

dispositive motions without prior leave of court.

{¶20} The first Assignment of Error of Defendant-Appellant Wendy L. Lewis is

overruled.

II., III.

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