Bank of New York Mellon v. Slavin

54 Misc. 3d 311, 41 N.Y.S.3d 408
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 21, 2016
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 54 Misc. 3d 311 (Bank of New York Mellon v. Slavin) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bank of New York Mellon v. Slavin, 54 Misc. 3d 311, 41 N.Y.S.3d 408 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2016).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Henry F. Zwack, J.

In this residential mortgage foreclosure action, plaintiff Bank of New York Mellon moves pursuant to CPLR 3212 for summary judgment against defendant Erin Slavin, and pursuant to CPLR 3215 for default judgment against all other non-appearing defendants. Defendant Slavin opposes, and cross-moves for summary judgment on her counterclaim which seeks cancellation and discharge of the subject mortgage. No other defendants have appeared or opposed.

Plaintiff commenced a prior foreclosure action on October 6, 2006 against defendant Slavin (then Erin Mohammed), who defaulted and the court (McDonough, J.) granted plaintiff a default judgment on August 6, 2009. On January 23, 2013, Judge McDonough dismissed the matter pursuant to Uniform Rules for Trial Courts (22 NYCRR) § 202.27 on account of plaintiff’s failure to appear at a mandatory conference. On July 9, 2014, after plaintiff again failed to appear at a mandatory conference, and rejecting plaintiff’s offered excuse of law office failure, the court denied an application by plaintiff to vacate the 2013 dismissal order which was affirmed on July 30, 2015 by the Appellate Division, Third Department (Bank of N.Y. v Mohammed, 130 AD3d 1419 [2015]).

This foreclosure action was commenced on August 11, 2015. The summons and complaint were served on Slavin on August 25, 2015. Slavin interposed an answer with counterclaim on September 11, 2015. Plaintiff replied on September 25, 2015, and amended its reply on December 2, 2015. A residential mortgage foreclosure settlement conference (CPLR 3408) was held on January 11, 2016, with the court releasing the matter from the Settlement Part and permitting plaintiff to proceed with the foreclosure action.

[313]*313Now, plaintiff moves for summary judgment against Slavin, who opposes, pointing to the dismissal of the prior foreclosure action and argues that plaintiffs claims are barred by the applicable six-year statute of limitations (CPLR 213). In reply, plaintiff asserts that it is entitled to the tolling provisions of CPLR 205, that the 2013 dismissal was not for neglect to prosecute, and that it timely commenced the instant action within six months after the Appellate Division affirmed the 2013 dismissal of the prior action. Plaintiff also asserts that it revoked the 2006 acceleration of the subject debt and thus the statute of limitations had not yet run when it commenced the 2015 action here arguing that a 2009 trial modification, which included trial period payments between September 2009 and February 2010, revoked the acceleration of debt in the 2006 foreclosure action.

On a motion for summary judgment in a mortgage foreclosure action,

“where a mortgagee produces the mortgage and unpaid note, together with evidence of the mortgagor’s default, the mortgagee demonstrates its entitlement to a judgment of foreclosure as a matter of law, thereby shifting the burden to the mortgagor to assert and demonstrate, by competent and admissible evidence, any defense that could properly raise a question of fact” (United Cos. Lending Corp. v Hingos, 283 AD2d 764, 765 [3d Dept 2001]).

Here, plaintiff has set forth the requisite proof that it is the owner of the subject mortgage, which collateralizes the defendant’s unpaid note, and that the defendant is in default under the terms of the mortgage and note. In opposition, the defendant particularly asserts, citing to the 2013 dismissal of a prior foreclosure action, the affirmative defense that plaintiff’s claims are barred by the statute of limitations (CPLR 213). Defendant also argues in her counterclaims entitlement pursuant to RPAPL article 15 to cancellation and discharge of the subject mortgage, on account of the running of the statute of limitations to enforce defendant’s promissory note.

On the issue of whether plaintiff’s action to foreclose is barred by the statute of limitations, “defendant bears the initial burden of demonstrating . . . that the time within which to commence the action has expired” (Botach Mgt. Group v Gurash, 138 AD3d 771, 773 [2d Dept 2016] [citations omitted]) which Slavin conclusively met with documentary evidence establishing that plaintiff, by commencing the prior foreclosure [314]*314action on October 2, 2006, accelerated defendant’s debt, that it obtained a default judgment in 2009, and that the prior action was dismissed in 2013 in sum showing that the instant action, commenced in 2015, is time-barred because it was commenced after the expiration of the applicable statute of limitations, which occurred in 2012. The burden thus shifted to plaintiff “to raise a question of fact as to whether the limitations period ‘has been tolled or was otherwise inapplicable’ ” (Botach at 773, quoting QK Healthcare, Inc. v InSource, Inc., 108 AD3d 56, 65 [2013]), who argues that it is entitled to the savings provisions of CPLR 205 and thereby entitled to revive the otherwise time-barred attempt to foreclose the subject mortgage. Plaintiff also asserts that in 2009 it revoked the 2006 acceleration and argues that in any event that the statute of limitations to foreclose has not yet run.

Surely, this foreclosure action, commenced more than eight years after plaintiff accelerated the debt in 2006, is time-barred unless either rescued by CPLR 205 or by plaintiff having revoked its acceleration before the expiration of the statute of limitations.

“The six-year statute of limitations in a mortgage foreclosure action begins to run from the due date for each unpaid installment unless the debt has been accelerated; once the debt has been accelerated by a demand or commencement of an action, the entire sum becomes due and the statute of limitations begins to run on the entire mortgage” (Goldman Sachs Mtge. Co. v Mares, 135 AD3d 1121, 1122 [3d Dept 2016], quoting Lavin v Elmakiss, 302 AD2d 638, 639 [3d Dept 2003], lv dismissed 100 NY2d 577 [2003]).

“ ‘[A] suit to foreclose a mortgage is notice of the most unequivocal character that the mortgagee wishes to avail himself of his option for acceleration’ ” (Ward v Walkley, 143 AD2d 415, 417 [2d Dept 1988], quoting 55 Am Jur 2d, Mortgages § 387), and the “filing of a summons and complaint with notice of pendency is sufficient indication of the intent to accelerate the mortgage” (City Sts. Realty Corp. v Jan Jay Constr. Enters. Corp., 88 AD2d 558, 559 [1st Dept 1982]). Once the debt is accelerated, the “election in this regard [may] be revoked only through an affirmative act [of revocation] occurring within the statute of limitations period” (Lavin at 639, citing EMC Mtge. Corp. v Patella, 279 AD2d 604, 605-606 [2d Dept 2001]).

“[Although a lender may revoke its election to accelerate all sums due under an optional acceleration clause . . . provided [315]*315. . . there is no change in the borrower’s position in reliance thereon” (Federal Natl. Mtge. Assn. v Mebane, 208 AD2d 892, 894 [2d Dept 1994]), the revocation should be clear, unequivocal, and give actual notice to the borrower of the lender’s election to revoke in sum, akin to the manner plaintiff gave notice to exercise the option to accelerate (Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v Burke, 94 AD3d 980, 983 [2d Dept 2012]) particularly, where as here, the “prior foreclosure action was never withdrawn by the lender, but rather, dismissed sua sponte by the court . . .

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Related

Taylor v. Bank of N.Y. Mellon (In re Taylor)
584 B.R. 590 (E.D. New York, 2018)
Deutsche Bank National Trust Co. Americas v. Bernal
56 Misc. 3d 915 (New York Supreme Court, 2017)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
54 Misc. 3d 311, 41 N.Y.S.3d 408, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bank-of-new-york-mellon-v-slavin-nysupct-2016.