Connelly v. U.S. Bank National Ass'n ex rel. Benefit of Harborview Mortgage Loan Trust 2005-3 (In re Connelly)

487 B.R. 230
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, D. Arizona
DecidedFebruary 6, 2013
DocketNos. 4:09-bk-33553-EWH, 4:12-ap-00100-EWH
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 487 B.R. 230 (Connelly v. U.S. Bank National Ass'n ex rel. Benefit of Harborview Mortgage Loan Trust 2005-3 (In re Connelly)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, D. Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Connelly v. U.S. Bank National Ass'n ex rel. Benefit of Harborview Mortgage Loan Trust 2005-3 (In re Connelly), 487 B.R. 230 (Ark. 2013).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM DECISION RE: DEFENDANT’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

EILEEN W. HOLLOWELL, Bankruptcy Judge.

I. INTRODUCTION

David Connelly (“Plaintiff’) filed a complaint to determine the extent and validity of a hen on his residence and to receive additional related relief. U.S. Bank (“Defendant”) filed a motion to dismiss (“the Motion”), asserting that Plaintiff failed to state any claim upon which the Court can grant relief. Because the Motion included a number of exhibits, it is being treated as a motion for summary judgment.

After considering all of the pleadings, briefs, and affidavits submitted by both parties, the Court finds that Defendant is entitled to summary judgment.

II. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

A. Plaintiff’s Mortgage, Assignments, and Default

Plaintiff borrowed $273,523.00 (“the Loan”) from ComUnity Lending, Inc. (“ComUnity”) on March 29, 2005 in order to purchase a home (“the Residence”). The Loan was evidenced by a promissory note (“the Note”) executed on the same day. The Note was secured by a deed of trust (“the DOT”), recorded on March 31, 2005, which encumbers the Residence. The DOT lists ComUnity as the payee; Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. (“MERS”) as the beneficiary, acting as a nominee for ComUnity and its successors and assigns; and First American Title Insurance Company (“First American”) as the trustee.

The Note was subsequently transferred multiple times. It bears three indorse-ments (collectively “the Indorsements”): (1) from ComUnity to Countrywide Document Custody Services (“CDCS”), signed by Lily Nguyen, who is listed as a “Loan Closer” for ComUnity; (2) from CDCS to Countrywide Home Loans Inc. (“Countrywide”), without recourse, signed by Laurie Meder, a CDCS vice president; and (3) a blank indorsement executed by David Spector, a Countrywide managing director.1

The DOT was assigned from MERS to Defendant, as trustee for a mortgage-securities trust created by Greenwich Capital Acceptance and Greenwich Capital Financial Products, on September 29, 2009 (“the DOT Assignment”). Leticia Quintana (“Quintana”), listed as an assistant secretary of MERS, executed the DOT Assignment. Quintana’s signature was notarized on September 25, 2009 by Elizabeth Lopez (“Lopez”), a California notary public. Defendant substituted ReconTrust Company, N.A. (“ReconTrust”) as trustee of the DOT on the same date (“the Trustee Substitution”). Quintana, again listed as an assistant secretary, signed the Trustee Substitution on behalf of Defendant. Lopez notarized Quintana’s signature on the [234]*234Trustee Substitution on September 25, 2009. On both the DOT Assignment and the Trustee Substitution, the notary portion on the primary document is crossed out, and a separate sheet of paper with the notary oath, signature, and seal is affixed as an attachment.

Plaintiff defaulted on the Loan on October 1, 2008. On September 29, 2009, Re-conTrust noticed (“the Sale Notice”) a foreclosure sale (“the Trustee’s Sale”) for December 31, 2009. The Sale Notice was signed on ReconTrust’s behalf by Daniel Rogriguez (“Rodriguez”), who was listed as a “team member.” Rodriguez’s signature was notarized by Lopez on September 25, 2009. In identical fashion to the DOT Assignment and Trustee Substitution, the notary section on the Sale Notice is crossed out and an addendum with the notary oath, signature, and seal is attached at the end.

Plaintiff, along with his wife, filed a Chapter 132 voluntary petition on December 29, 2009.

B. The Complaint

On January 16, 2012, Plaintiff filed a “Complaint to Determine the Extent and Validity of Lien on Real Property, for Quiet Title, for Injunctive Relief, to Recover Money, Pursuant to Statutory and/or Equitable Damages, Attorney Fees and Costs, for Declaratory Relief, and a Conditional Action for an Accounting and to Obtain Unapplied Credits” (“the Complaint”). Plaintiff seeks relief on four counts.3

1. Count I

In Count I, Plaintiff seeks a determination of the extent and validity of the lien created by the DOT, in addition to an injunction to bar Defendant or any affiliate from asserting any lien on the Residence. Plaintiff alleges that Defendant does not own the Note, because it did not pay value for it, and is not a holder of the Note, because the Indorsements have not been authenticated and do not comply with terms of a mortgage securitization agreement.4 Plaintiff further alleges that no actual funds “ever changed hands” in the course of originating the Loan because the money that ComUnity loaned to Plaintiff was generated by the sale of mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”). Plaintiff concludes that the only parties whose funds were used in making the Loan came from MBS investors (“the Investors”), and that Defendant may only assert an interest on their behalf, not its own. Finally, Plaintiff asserts that BAC, the Loan servicer, may not act on behalf of the Investors; only Defendant may do so.

According to Plaintiff, only the Investors can be harmed by Defendant’s alleged failure to properly obtain ownership of the Note and DOT. The sole remedies available to the Investors are to access “credit default contracts”5 or to bring lawsuits [235]*235against the parties that allegedly improperly transferred the Note and DOT. Plaintiff further asserts that as a result of the alleged improper transfers of the Note and DOT, Plaintiff is the only party with a legitimate claim to legal title of the Residence. Plaintiff seeks a permanent injunction under Ariz.Rev.Stat. (“ARS”) § 12-1101(A)(5) to this effect, although the Complaint acknowledges that injunctive relief “will not be ripe until the final results on the merits is (sic) reached.”

2. Count II

In Count II, Plaintiff seeks to recover damages for falsely recorded documents and notary fraud. Under ARS §§ 33-420(A), (C), and 39-161, Plaintiff alleges that Defendant and its agents, including Quintana and Lopez, falsified signatures and notarizations affixed to the DOT, the Trustee Substitution, and the Sale Notice. Plaintiff claims that Quintana never served as an assistant secretary for MERS or Defendant; that Lopez crossed out notary portions of the DOT and Trustee Substitution, indicating that she did not witness the signatures as sworn; and that Quintana, Lopez, and Defendant knowingly produced false documents and lied. The Complaint asserts that additional evidence will be produced which demonstrates a pattern of misfeasance. Plaintiff seeks treble damages and attorney’s fees on Count II.

3. Count III

In Count III, Plaintiff seeks declaratory relief under Rule 7001(9), including findings that: the DOT, Trustee Substitution, and Sale Notice are void; that ComUnity completely divested itself of any interest in the Note and DOT prior to May 1, 2005; that Defendant does not own the Note; that Defendant is holder of the Note;6 that Defendant has no right to enforce the Note; that Defendant holds no interest in the Residence; that no successor of any parties named in the Indorsements can own the Note or DOT; and that no party owns the Note or DOT through a right arising out of privity with Defendant.

A

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
487 B.R. 230, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/connelly-v-us-bank-national-assn-ex-rel-benefit-of-harborview-mortgage-arb-2013.