Bernstein v. New Beginnings Trustee, LLC

988 So. 2d 90, 2008 Fla. App. LEXIS 10879, 33 Fla. L. Weekly Fed. D 1777
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedJuly 16, 2008
Docket4D07-4007, 4D07-4969
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 988 So. 2d 90 (Bernstein v. New Beginnings Trustee, LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court of Appeal of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bernstein v. New Beginnings Trustee, LLC, 988 So. 2d 90, 2008 Fla. App. LEXIS 10879, 33 Fla. L. Weekly Fed. D 1777 (Fla. Ct. App. 2008).

Opinion

988 So.2d 90 (2008)

Jeffrey BERNSTEIN and Wendie Bernstein, Appellants,
v.
NEW BEGINNINGS TRUSTEE, LLC., Appellee.

Nos. 4D07-4007, 4D07-4969.

District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fourth District.

July 16, 2008.

*91 James A. Bonfiglio of Law Offices of James A. Bonfiglio, P.A., Boynton Beach, for appellants.

Edward F. Holodak of Edward F. Holodak, P.A., Hollywood, for appellee.

WARNER, J.

The Bernsteins appeal two orders entered in an eviction proceeding. They first challenge a partial summary judgment ordering them to deposit rent into the court registry in order to raise defenses to the eviction. The court did so after finding that the transaction documents signed by the Bernsteins effectuated a valid sale of their home to New Beginnings with a leaseback and option to repurchase.[1] The second order appealed granted a default in the eviction proceedings because of the failure to deposit rent in the registry and entered a writ of possession.[2] They contend that material issues of fact remain as to their claim that their transaction with New Beginnings constituted a mortgage and not a sale and lease. We agree that material issues of fact remain and reverse.

*92 The Bernsteins owned a townhouse with a fair market value of $250,000. Unfortunately, they could not keep up with their mortgage payments, and their lender foreclosed. The final judgment of foreclosure required the payment of $89,526 for principal, interest, costs and attorney's fees. However, their mortgage permitted them to reinstate for a payment of $32,290.

Several weeks before the foreclosure sale, they were approached by New Beginnings who led them to believe that it would help them save their home through a refinance. Ultimately, two days before the date of the foreclosure sale, the parties entered into multiple transaction documents regarding the home, including a contract to convey interests in real property, a warranty deed, a detailed disclosure form, a compliance agreement, and a residential lease with option to purchase. The same date, New Beginnings wrote a check to the Bernsteins' mortgagee in the amount of $32,290. The effect of these documents is the subject of this dispute.

The contract to convey interest in real property recited that the Bernsteins' home was scheduled for foreclosure sale two days later and that they had exhausted all avenues to cure the foreclosure action. The Bernsteins acknowledged that New Beginnings was purchasing the property for below fair market value; however, the Bernsteins deemed the contract fair and reasonable given their present situation. The contract recited New Beginnings' intention to reinstate the mortgage in the Bernsteins' name. While the Bernsteins acknowledged that the transaction was entered at "arms-length" and "not under duress," the contract also referred to the situation involving the property as "distressed." The Bernsteins acknowledged that they had full knowledge of their actions. Finally, they acknowledged that they had been afforded the opportunity to obtain independent legal counsel and that they sought the advice of legal counsel, William Roach, Jr. (who the Bernsteins later alleged was New Beginnings's counsel) prior to executing the contract and related documents.

The detailed disclosure form completed by the Bernsteins explained that they faced foreclosure due to their medical conditions and inability to work. The Bernsteins explained that they understood the terms of the transaction as "the mortgage is being reinstated and that I pay the rent each month for a year, and at the end of a year, I [have] the option of purchase." (emphasis supplied). The Bernsteins agreed that they had been given sufficient time to review the documents related to the transaction, and that they had consulted with attorney William Roach, Jr.

The warranty deed recited the sale of the home from the Bernsteins to New Beginnings for $32,300. The residential lease with option to purchase recited an agreement whereby New Beginnings, as landlord, leased the home to the Bernsteins, as tenants, for a term of twelve months at a monthly rate of $1,100 with an option to purchase the property for $125,000 during the term of the lease. The lease terms provided that all rental payments would be used to pay the existing mortgage on behalf of the Bernsteins and that any additional funds "will be deemed to cover administrative and overhead costs and time and efforts expended for purposes related to the subject property." It also required the Bernsteins to pay for all repairs, including structural, necessary to obtain mortgage financing; permitted New Beginnings to add to the monthly rent the cost of municipal and special assessments, property tax increases, and other rate increases including insurance increases; and required the Bernsteins to bear the costs of taxes, dwelling *93 insurance, homeowners and condo association payments, arrears and delinquencies; and required the Bernsteins to pay for all maintenance and upkeep of the property, including interior, exterior, structural and non-structural as well as bills, payments, liens, fines, and judgments. In other words, New Beginnings did not have any financial responsibilities whatsoever over the property which it "purchased" from the Bernsteins.

When the Bernsteins failed to pay their rental payments for three months, New Beginnings filed a complaint for eviction. The Bernsteins filed a pro se answer and then retained counsel who filed an amended answer, affirmative defense, and a counterclaim, denying that rent was owed and seeking damages for violations of the Truth in Lending Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1601 et seq., and Regulation Z, 12 C.F.R. 226.1 et seq. Subsequently, New Beginnings filed a six-count amended complaint, which included a count seeking declaratory relief that the sale was valid and not a mortgage as well as its eviction action. The Bernsteins' answered the amended complaint. Pertinent to this appeal, they alleged that the transaction was not a sale and leaseback with an option to purchase but rather a consumer credit transaction in the amount of $33,000 (the amount needed to bring the mortgage current) with a twelve-month security interest against the Bernsteins' primary residence in violation of the Truth in Lending Act and Regulation Z, entitling them to the right to rescind and to damages. They asserted that New Beginnings required that the Bernsteins retain all indicia of ownership.

The Bernsteins alleged that they paid the rent to New Beginnings in April 2006, but that New Beginnings failed to make payments to its mortgagee, Midland Mortgage Co. Because of this, the Bernsteins paid Midland directly for the mortgage payments due in April and May. They raised multiple other affirmative defenses to the complaint.

New Beginnings filed a motion for partial summary judgment as to its count seeking a declaratory judgment that the effect of the transaction documents was a sale and leaseback and also as to its count seeking to evict the Bernsteins from the property for failure to pay rent. It argued that the transaction documents were clear and unambiguous on their face and that they contained no latent ambiguities.

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Bluebook (online)
988 So. 2d 90, 2008 Fla. App. LEXIS 10879, 33 Fla. L. Weekly Fed. D 1777, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bernstein-v-new-beginnings-trustee-llc-fladistctapp-2008.