Bank of New York Mellon v. Walker

2017 Ohio 535
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedFebruary 16, 2017
Docket104430
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 2017 Ohio 535 (Bank of New York Mellon v. Walker) 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 New York Mellon v. Walker, 2017 Ohio 535 (Ohio Ct. App. 2017).

Opinion

[Cite as Bank of New York Mellon v. Walker, 2017-Ohio-535.]

Court of Appeals of Ohio EIGHTH APPELLATE DISTRICT COUNTY OF CUYAHOGA

JOURNAL ENTRY AND OPINION No. 104430

BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON PLAINTIFF-APPELLEE

vs.

PHENON WALKER, ET AL. DEFENDANTS-APPELLANTS

JUDGMENT: AFFIRMED IN PART; REVERSED IN PART AND REMANDED

Civil Appeal from the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Case No. CV-13-806009

BEFORE: Celebrezze, J., E.T. Gallagher, P.J., and Laster Mays, J.

RELEASED AND JOURNALIZED: February 16, 2017 ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLANTS

Rick L. Brunner Patrick M. Quinn Brunner Quinn 35 N. Fourth Street, Suite 200 Columbus, Ohio 43215

ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE

For Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A.

Rick D. DeBlasis Lerner, Sampson & Rothfuss 120 E. Fourth Street, 8th Floor Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

Craig A. Thomas Lerner, Sampson & Rothfuss P.O. Box 5480 Cincinnati, Ohio 45201

Also Listed

For State of Ohio Department of Taxation

Nicole R. Randall 150 E. Gay Street, 21st Floor Columbus, Ohio 43215

For United States of America

Lori White Laisure Assistant United States Attorney U.S. Courthouse, Suite 400 801 W. Superior Avenue Cleveland, Ohio 44113 FRANK D. CELEBREZZE, JR., J.:

{¶1} Appellants, Phenon Walker and Whole Sailing, L.L.C., appeal the grant of

summary judgment and foreclosure in favor of appellee, Bank of New York Mellon Trust

Company, N.A. (“Bank of New York”). Appellants argue that the trial court erred in

adopting the magistrate’s decision because the statute of limitations barred recovery,

Bank of New York lacked standing, and Bank of New York had not satisfied all the

conditions precedent necessary for foreclosure. After a thorough review of the facts and

law, this court affirms in part, reverses in part, and remands.

I. Factual and Procedural History

{¶2} Walker executed a note in the amount of $975,000 that was secured by a

mortgage on real property located at 13880 Edgewater Drive, Lakewood, Ohio. Bank of

New York filed a complaint for foreclosure on April 29, 2013, alleging that Walker was

delinquent on a note held and enforceable by Bank of New York. By that time, Whole

Sailing, L.L.C., was the record owner of the property. This appears to be a company

owned by Walker. The complaint alleged that Walker was delinquent as of June 1, 2004.

Bank of New York attached a copy of the note and mortgage as well as records of

assignments up to and including an assignment to Bank of New York.

{¶3} Appellants responded with a motion to dismiss based on a lack of standing,

violations of the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, statute of limitations, and the

failure to name necessary parties. The court denied the motion. After filing separate answers, appellants then responded with a motion for summary judgment arguing that

Bank of New York’s claims were time-barred. The magistrate denied the motion, noting

that the date of acceleration remained a material question of fact necessary to determine

when the statute of limitations began to accrue.

{¶4} On September 26, 2014, Bank of New York then filed its own motion for

summary judgment. It argued that Walker was delinquent on the note. It also asserted

that it sent Walker a notice of default on November 26, 2012. On December 11, 2014,

Walker filed a motion for a continuance to obtain legal counsel because her attorney had

died. The trial court granted the motion in part and indicated that it would give

appellants until January 12, 2015, to file a response. A notice of appearance was filed on

January 7, 2015. On January 16, 2015, the magistrate issued an opinion finding Bank of

New York was entitled to summary judgment. No brief in opposition or request for an

extension appears on the docket prior to the magistrate’s decision.

{¶5} However, after some confusion was discovered as to the motion for summary

judgment and the death of Walker’s counsel, the magistrate set aside the decision for

summary judgment in favor of Bank of New York to allow appellants an opportunity to

respond. Appellants filed a brief in opposition and their own motion for summary

judgment. Appellants’ motion for summary judgment was stricken by the court for

failing to follow the schedule set by the court. In opposing summary judgment,

appellants did not dispute the validity of the debt, but asserted that the current action was

barred by the applicable statute of limitations. The magistrate found Bank of New York was entitled to summary judgment. On April 6, 2016, the trial court adopted the

magistrate’s decision finding that appellants did not support the affirmative defense of

statute of limitations with admissible evidence. Therefore, the court ruled, Bank of New

York was entitled to judgment.

{¶6} Appellants then filed this appeal raising three errors for review:

I. The trial court erred in finding the statute of limitations under R.C. 1303.16(A) did not apply to the foreclosure of the note.

II. The trial court erred in finding the [Bank of New York] was entitled to foreclosure under Holden or Najar.

III. The trial court erred in finding the [Bank of New York] was entitled to foreclosure as it did not comply with all conditions precedent as required under Vengal.

II. Law and Analysis

A. Standard of Review

{¶7} Summary judgment, according to Civ.R. 56, is appropriate only when there is

no genuine issue of material fact, the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of

law, and the evidence is such that reasonable minds can come to only one conclusion

when viewing the evidence in a light most strongly in favor of the nonmoving party, that

conclusion is adverse to that party. Temple v. Wean United, Inc., 50 Ohio St.2d 317,

327, 364 N.E.2d 267 (1977). This court normally reviews summary judgment de novo,

or without deference to the trial court’s decision. Brewer v. Cleveland City Schools Bd.

of Edn., 122 Ohio App.3d 378, 383, 701 N.E.2d 1023 (8th Dist.1997). {¶8} However, this case involves the trial court’s adoption of a magistrate’s

decision after no objections were filed. Therefore, a different standard of review applies.

Fannie Mae v. Ford, 2016-Ohio-919, 61 N.E.3d 524, ¶ 10 (8th Dist.). See also In re

S.H., 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No. 100911, 2014-Ohio-4476. Where a magistrate issues a

written opinion with findings of facts and conclusions of law, a party that fails to timely

bring any claimed errors to the trial court’s attention waives them. Id. at ¶ 12, citing, S.J.

v. J.T., 6th Dist. Lucas No. L-11-1011, 2011-Ohio-6316, ¶ 8. Therefore, a plain error

standard applies. “Plain error is not favored and is only applicable in rare cases where

the error ‘seriously affects the basic fairness, integrity, or public reputation of the judicial

process, thereby challenging the legitimacy of the underlying judicial process itself.’”

S.H. at ¶ 12, quoting S.J. at ¶ 8, citing Goldfuss v. Davidson, 79 Ohio St.3d 116, 679

N.E.2d 1099 (1997).

B. Statute of Limitations

{¶9} Below, it was disputed which statute of limitations applied to the note in this

case. This court has previously addressed the appropriate statute of limitations that

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2017 Ohio 535, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bank-of-new-york-mellon-v-walker-ohioctapp-2017.