Frongillo v. Bank of STX, inc.

2026 V.I. 3
CourtSupreme Court of The Virgin Islands
DecidedMarch 9, 2026
DocketS. Ct. Civ. No. 2025-0034
StatusPublished

This text of 2026 V.I. 3 (Frongillo v. Bank of STX, inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of The Virgin Islands primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Frongillo v. Bank of STX, inc., 2026 V.I. 3 (virginislands 2026).

Opinion

For Publication IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS

GABRIELLE FRONGILLO, ) S. Ct. Civ. No. 2025-0034 Appellant/Judgment Debtor, ) Re: Super. Ct. Civ. No. 343/2017 (STX) ) v. ) ) BANK OF ST. CROIX, INC., ) Appellee/Judgment Creditor. ) )

On Appeal from the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands Division of St. Croix Superior Court Judge: Hon. Debra S. Watlington

Considered: November 7, 2025 Filed: March 9, 2026

BEFORE: RHYS S. HODGE, Chief Justice; IVE ARLINGTON SWAN, Associate Jus- tice; and HAROLD W.L. WILLOCKS, Associate Justice.

APPEARANCES:

Gabrielle Frongillo St. Croix, U.S.V.I. Pro Se,

Samuel T. Grey, Esq. Grey Law, P.C. St. Croix, U.S.V.I. Attorney for Appellee.

OPINION OF THE COURT

HODGE, Chief Justice.

¶1 Gabrielle Frongillo appeals a nunc pro tunc entry of the Superior Court, which reduced the

period of time afforded by statute in which she could redeem foreclosed property after a marshal’s

sale. For the reasons that follow, we reverse and remand. Frongillo v. Bank of St. Croix, Inc. 2026 VI 3 S. Ct. Civ. No. 2025-0034 Opinion of the Court Page 2 of 12

I. BACKGROUND

¶2 This is an action to foreclose a mortgage. According to the brief record, in 2017 the Bank

of St. Croix sued Gabrielle Frongillo, John Frongillo, and 40 King Place, LLC (the “judgment

debtors”1), to foreclose on Plot No. 40-A & B (5,466 square feet) of King Street, Town of Chris-

tiansted, St. Croix (“the Property”). The Bank obtained a default judgment. During post-judgment

proceedings, approximately five years elapsed with little activity on the docket.2 Then, on April 4,

2023, the Bank—as judgment creditor—obtained a writ of execution and attached the Property.

The Property was to be auctioned in a marshal’s sale, and the Bank provided notice of the sale by

publication. The sale was held on October 4, 2024, and the Property was sold to Kisha Christian.3

¶3 On November 20, 2024, the Bank moved for an order of confirmation of the sale. The

Superior Court granted the motion and confirmed the sale about five months later on April 16,

2025.4 The docket sheet contains no activity during this five-month interval, save for a notice of

change of contact information for the Bank’s counsel.

1 Apparently the LLC held title to the Property, and Gabrielle and John Frongillo are the beneficial owners of the LLC and personally guaranteed the mortgage loan. For clarity, while we refer to all three as the “judgment debtors,” Gabrielle Frongillo, proceeding pro se, is the sole appellant and represents only her interests in the proceeding. 2 We take judicial notice that Judge Robert A. Molloy, who had been assigned to this case, was appointed in 2020 to the United States District Court of the Virgin Islands. 3 The record is silent on whether title has transferred and who is in actual possession of the Property at present. To date, Kisha Christian has not sought to intervene in this case. 4 Presiding Judge Debra S. Watlington signed the confirmation order, though the docket sheet does not specify precisely when this case was reassigned after Judge Molloy’s appointment to the fed- eral bench. The presiding judge of the Superior Court has authority to assign and reassign cases, including to himself or herself, to “secure the prompt dispatch of the business of the court.” Van- terpool v. Gov’t of the V.I., 63 V.I. 563, 574 & n.4 (V.I. 2015) (quoting 4 V.I.C. § 72b(a)). 2 Frongillo v. Bank of St. Croix, Inc. 2026 VI 3 S. Ct. Civ. No. 2025-0034 Opinion of the Court Page 3 of 12

¶4 The Bank then moved to backdate confirmation of the sale nunc pro tunc to November 20,

2024—the date of the Bank’s original motion for confirmation of the sale. On May 15, 2025, the

court granted the Bank’s motion. The court observed that upon confirmation of a marshal’s sale,

Virgin Islands law gives the judgment debtor six months to exercise his right of redemption—that

is, his ability to reclaim the property by paying off the outstanding debt, plus taxes and interest.

See V.I. CODE ANN. tit. 5, § 496; 28 V.I.C. § 535. The court held, however, that it could shorten

the six-month redemption period in “equitable circumstances.” In its view, if there were a lapse of

time between the judgment creditor’s motion for confirmation and the court’s order of confirma-

tion, the court could properly backdate its order to the date the motion was filed. The court ex-

plained that doing so would prevent undue extension of the redemption period and ensure that

judicial delay in confirming the sale would not penalize judgment creditors. The court cited a Third

Circuit case, Villanueva v. Daniel, 512 F.2d 308 (3d Cir. 1975), for support. The court then entered

a separate order amending confirmation of the marshal’s sale nunc pro tunc to November 20, 2024.

¶5 Frongillo, proceeding pro se, timely appealed. See V.I. R. APP. P. 5(a)(1). Her brief—which

is mostly in bullet-point format—argues that the Superior Court erred in amending confirmation

nunc pro tunc because it reduced her time to redeem the Property despite the statutory six-month

guarantee. Seeking reversal of the nunc pro tunc order, she asks that we hold that her six-month

redemption period started when the Superior Court originally confirmed the marshal’s sale on

April 16, 2025.5 The Bank, for its part, asks us to affirm, relying entirely on Villanueva.

5 Frongillo’s brief actually says “April 10, 2024.” We instead use April 16, 2025, which is the operative date of confirmation. The “operative date from which the six months [for redemption] is calculated is the date of entry of the order.” Miller v. Sorenson, 67 V.I. 861, 873 (V.I. 2017) (em- phasis added). Here, the presiding judge dated the confirmation order April 9, 2025, the clerk attested to it on April 10, and the clerk formally entered the order on April 16. Thus, using April 16, 2025, as Frongillo’s requested relief date is consistent with Miller. 3 Frongillo v. Bank of St. Croix, Inc. 2026 VI 3 S. Ct. Civ. No. 2025-0034 Opinion of the Court Page 4 of 12

II. DISCUSSION

A. Jurisdiction and Standard of Review

¶6 The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over all appeals arising from final judgments, final

decrees, and final orders of the Superior Court. 48 U.S.C. § 1613a(d); 4 V.I.C. § 32(a). Generally,

a decision is final if it “ends the litigation on the merits and leaves nothing for the court to do but

execute the judgment.” Beachside Assocs. v. Fishman, 53 V.I. 700, 706 (V.I. 2010) (quoting Estate

of George v. George, 50 V.I. 268, 274 (V.I. 2008)). Here, the Superior Court has already entered

judgment; the matter on appeal concerns only execution of the judgment. The Superior Court dis-

posed of the sole issue before it—confirmation of the marshal’s sale nunc pro tunc—thereby bring-

ing this foreclosure action to an end. Therefore, so far as the Superior Court was concerned, the

nunc pro tunc order left nothing further for it to do, resulting in an appealable final order.

¶7 We review the Superior Court’s factual findings for clear error and its legal conclusions de

novo. Daley-Jeffers v. Graham, 69 V.I. 931, 935 (V.I. 2018). The standard of review for a nunc

pro tunc entry is de novo where, as here, the appeal presents a question of law. See, e.g., Edward

v. GEC, LLC, 67 V.I. 745, 752 (V.I.

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