Black Sky Capital, LLC v. Cobb

219 Cal. Rptr. 3d 793, 12 Cal. App. 5th 887, 2017 Cal. App. LEXIS 546
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal, 5th District
DecidedJune 13, 2017
DocketE064482
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 219 Cal. Rptr. 3d 793 (Black Sky Capital, LLC v. Cobb) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal, 5th District primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Black Sky Capital, LLC v. Cobb, 219 Cal. Rptr. 3d 793, 12 Cal. App. 5th 887, 2017 Cal. App. LEXIS 546 (Cal. Ct. App. 2017).

Opinion

McKINSTER, Acting P.J.

*889INTRODUCTION

Plaintiff and appellant Black Sky Capital, LLC, (Black Sky) appeals a summary judgment entered in favor of defendants and respondents Michael A. Cobb and Kathleen S. Cobb (the Cobbs).1

On or about August 18, 2005, the Cobbs borrowed $10,229,250 from Citizens Business Bank. The note was secured by a deed of trust on a parcel of commercial real property in Rancho Cucamonga. On or about September 13, 2007, the Cobbs obtained a second loan from Citizens Business Bank, in the amount of $1,500,000, which was secured by a second deed of trust on *890the same property. Black Sky purchased both notes from Citizens Business Bank for an undisclosed sum. After the Cobbs defaulted on the senior loan, Black Sky opted to conduct a trustee's sale under the senior deed of trust. It acquired the property on or about October 28, 2014 for $7,500,000. On November 4, 2014, after the Cobbs defaulted on the junior loan, Black Sky filed the suit which is the subject *795of this appeal, seeking to recover the amount still owed on the junior note.

The Cobbs moved for summary judgment. Relying on Simon v. Superior Court (1992) 4 Cal.App.4th 63, 5 Cal.Rptr.2d 428 (Simon ), they argued that Code of Civil Procedure section 580d2 prohibits a party holding both a senior and a junior lien on real property from both conducting a trustee's sale after default on the senior note and obtaining a monetary judgment for the balance owing on the note secured by the junior lien. They contended that the monetary judgment would be a deficiency judgment, which is prohibited by section 580d.

The trial court granted the Cobbs' motion and entered judgment for them. Black Sky appealed.

On appeal, Black Sky contends that Simon , supra , 4 Cal.App.4th 63, 5 Cal.Rptr.2d 428, and the cases following it have erroneously expanded section 580d, based on an incorrect reading of Roseleaf Corp. v. Chierighino (1963) 59 Cal.2d 35, 27 Cal.Rptr. 873, 378 P.2d 97 (Roseleaf ). It contends that section 580d, by its express terms, does not apply to the present circumstances. It contends that it is a "sold-out junior" lienholder within the meaning of Roseleaf , and that it has the right to seek a judgment for the balance owed on the junior note.

We agree that neither the rule enunciated in Simon nor section 580d applies under the circumstances of this case. Accordingly, we will reverse the judgment.

LEGAL ANALYSIS

BLACK SKY'S CLAIM FOR ANY BALANCE DUE ON THE SECOND LOAN IS NOT BARRED BY SECTION 580d OR BY SECTION 726

Standard of Review

The relevant facts, stated above, are undisputed. Accordingly, we review de novo the trial court's ruling on the motion for summary judgment.

*891(Cadlerock Joint Venture , L .P . v. Lobel (2012) 206 Cal.App.4th 1531, 1539, 143 Cal.Rptr.3d 96 (Cadlerock ).)

Section 580d Does Not Apply to a Junior Lien After Nonjudicial Foreclosure on a Senior Lien

In California, "there is only 'one form of action' for the recovery of any debt or the enforcement of any right secured by a mortgage or deed of trust. That action is foreclosure, which may be either judicial or nonjudicial." (Alliance Mortgage Co. v. Rothwell (1995) 10 Cal.4th 1226, 1236, 44 Cal.Rptr.2d 352, 900 P.2d 601 (Rothwell ).) Section 726 provides that in a judicial foreclosure, if the property is sold for less than the amount of the outstanding indebtedness, "the creditor may seek a deficiency judgment, or the difference between the amount of the indebtedness and the fair market value of the property, as determined by a court, at the time of the sale. [Citation.]" (Rothwell , at p. 1236, 44 Cal.Rptr.2d 352, 900 P.2d 601.) In contrast, section 580d"precludes a judgment for any loan balance left unpaid after the lender's nonjudicial foreclosure [or trustee's sale] under a power of sale in a deed of trust ... on real property."3 ( *796Western Se curity Bank v. Superior Court (1997) 15 Cal.4th 232, 237, 62 Cal.Rptr.2d 243, 933 P.2d 507.)

In Roseleaf , supra , 59 Cal.2d 35, 27 Cal.Rptr. 873, 378 P.2d 97

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

Related

Black Sky Capital, LLC v. Cobb
439 P.3d 1149 (California Supreme Court, 2019)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
219 Cal. Rptr. 3d 793, 12 Cal. App. 5th 887, 2017 Cal. App. LEXIS 546, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/black-sky-capital-llc-v-cobb-calctapp5d-2017.