Houey v. Carolina First Bank

890 F. Supp. 2d 611, 2012 WL 3278795, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 112525
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. North Carolina
DecidedAugust 10, 2012
DocketCivil Case No. 1:11cv225
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 890 F. Supp. 2d 611 (Houey v. Carolina First Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. North Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Houey v. Carolina First Bank, 890 F. Supp. 2d 611, 2012 WL 3278795, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 112525 (W.D.N.C. 2012).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OF DECISION AND ORDER

MARTIN REIDINGER, District Judge.

THIS MATTER is before the Court on the following matters:

1. The Motion to Dismiss of TD Bank, N.A. (TD), successor by merger to and formerly known as Carolina First Bank [Doc. 7];
[615]*6152. The Motion for Emergency Injunctive Relief [Doc. 27] of the pro se Plaintiffs;
3. The Motion for Leave to File Amended Complaint to Add Additional Party Plaintiff [Doc. 28] of the pro se Plaintiffs;
4. The Motion to Intervene [Doc. 30] of Michelle Smith (Smith);
5. The Motion for Extension of Time to Consult/Retain Counsel of Smith [Doc. 31];
6. The Motion to Strike Plaintiffs’ Response & Opposition to Motion to Dismiss of TD [Doc. 32];
7. The Notice of Bankruptcy Filing as to the Plaintiffs [Doc. 39];
8. The Notice of Foreclosure Sale and Bankruptcy Filing of Plaintiff Helen Houey [Doc. 40]; and
9. The Motion for Emergency Injunctive Relief of Plaintiff Helen Houey and non-party Smith [Doc. 46].

PROCEDURAL HISTORY

In August 2011, Plaintiffs Helen Cliette Houey (Helen) and Emmanuel Houey, appearing pro se, filed a thirty-seven page Complaint in state court alleging eighteen causes of action against the Defendants. [Doc. 1-1], The Houeys alleged $290,000.00 in damages stemming primarily from the Defendants’ foreclosure of real property allegedly owned solely by Helen in Shelby, North Carolina. [Id.]. In the Complaint, it was alleged that the promissory note signed by the Plaintiffs in connection with the property had a cross-default provision referencing a commercial promissory note which is purportedly in default, thus precipitating the foreclosure. [Id.]. TD is the successor by merger to Carolina First Bank and it removed the action to this Court on September 8, 2011 on the basis of diversity and federal question jurisdiction.1 [Doc. 1].

In response to the removal, Smith, who asserts that she is Helen’s daughter, filed a motion to remand the action to state court. [Doc. 1-1 at 56; Doc. 10]. Two days later, TD filed a motion to dismiss certain claims of the Complaint. [Doc. 7]. Smith then filed a motion to cancel the foreclosure sale. [Doc. 12]. Smith signed both of the motions on Helen’s behalf. [Doc. 10; Doc. 12]. On November 7, 2011, Smith filed a response to TD’s motion to dismiss certain claims and signed the pleading on behalf of her mother. [Doc. 19 at 18].

By Order entered November 8, 2011, 2011 WL 5402465, this Court denied without prejudice the motions filed by Smith. [Doc. 18]. In the Order, the Court explained to Smith that she is not legally authorized to represent her mother because she is not an attorney. [Id]. Smith was also advised that she is not a party to the action. [Id]. The Order contained notice to the Houeys as pro se Plaintiffs of the burden on them to come forward with a response to TD’s Motion to Dismiss and they were instructed to file response to that motion on or before November 23, 2011. [Id.]. Smith was cautioned that she was not allowed to file a response to the motion on behalf of her mother. [Id.].

Despite the Court’s admonitions, Smith continued to file documents which she signed on behalf of her mother. [Doc. 22; Doc. 23; Doc. 24; Doc. 25]. These documents have been stricken from the record. [Doc. 26],

On December 1, 2011, the pro se Plaintiffs filed an untimely response to TD’s Motion to Dismiss. [Doc. 29]. TD [616]*616promptly moved to strike it as untimely. [Doc. 32], The Plaintiffs also filed on December 1, 2011 a motion to stop the impending foreclosure sale. [Doc. 27]. On the same date, they moved for leave to amend their Complaint to add Smith as a party plaintiff. [Doc. 28], In that motion, it was disclosed that after the Order Allowing Foreclosure was entered by the state court, Helen executed a quit claim deed purporting to convey her interest in the property to be foreclosed to Smith. [Id,.].2 A copy of the deed was attached to the motion. [Id.].

On December 2, 2011, Smith moved for leave to intervene in the action as a plaintiff and requested an extension of time within which to retain an attorney. [Doc. 30; Doc. 31].

In response to the pending motion to stop the final foreclosure sale, TD disclosed that the actual sale had not yet occurred. [Doc. 33]. Helen, however, failed to appeal the Order Allowing Foreclosure dated August 10, 2011. [Id.]. The sale was rescheduled several times. [Id.].

On March 5, 2012, in an apparent effort to prevent the foreclosure sale which had finally been scheduled, Helen filed for bankruptcy protection. [Doc. 40].3 In response to an Order from this C5urt, TD has advised that the automatic stay provisions of 11 U.S.C. § 362 do not apply to this action. [Doc. 43]. Helen asserts otherwise. [Doc. 47].

On April 25, 2012, Helen, along with Smith, moved once again to enjoin the foreclosure of the property at issue. [Doc. 46]. TD has disclosed that the property was sold at foreclosure on February 28, 2012 to TD as the highest bidder. [Doc. 48]. The Deed was recorded on April 9, 2012 in Book 1633 at Page 0573 in the Office of the Register of Deeds of Cleveland County, North Carolina. [Id. at 2],

DISCUSSION

The automatic stay provisions of 11 U.S.C. § 362.

The Court first considers whether this action must be stayed due to the Houeys’ bankruptcy. On March 5, 2012, the Houeys filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy protection. [Doe. 39], When a debtor files for bankruptcy protection, 11 U.S.C. § 362 imposes an automatic stay of the commencement or continuation of an action against the debtor, the enforcement of a judgment against the debtor or property of his or her estate, any act to collect a debt of the debtor and/or any act to obtain property of the debtor. 11 U.S.C. § 362 (other prohibited acts omitted as not relevant). The pending action, however, is a lawsuit brought by the Houeys, now debtors, against TD in which TD has not asserted a counterclaim against them. The issue is therefore whether the automatic stay provisions preclude the continuation of this action.

[T]he automatic stay is inapplicable to suits by the bankrupt^] This appears from the statutory language, which refers to actions against the debtor and to acts to obtain possession of or exercise control over property of the estate, and [617]*617from the policy behind the statute, which is to protect the bankrupt’s estate from being eaten away by creditors’ lawsuits and seizures of property before the trustee has had a chance to marshal the estate’s assets and distribute them equitably among the creditors.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
890 F. Supp. 2d 611, 2012 WL 3278795, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 112525, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/houey-v-carolina-first-bank-ncwd-2012.