JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. v. Bank of America, N.A.

2015 IL App (1st) 140428, 43 N.E.3d 546
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedDecember 14, 2015
Docket1-14-0428
StatusUnpublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 2015 IL App (1st) 140428 (JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. v. Bank of America, N.A.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. v. Bank of America, N.A., 2015 IL App (1st) 140428, 43 N.E.3d 546 (Ill. Ct. App. 2015).

Opinion

2015 IL App (1st) 140428

FIRST DIVISION December 16, 2014 Modified Upon Granting of Rehearing December 14, 2015

No. 1-14-0428

JP MORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., Successor by ) Appeal from the Merger to Chase Home Finance LLC, Successor by ) Circuit Court of Merger to Chase Manhattan Mortgage Corporation, ) Cook County. ) Plaintiff-Appellee, ) ) v. ) ) No. 12 CH 545 BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., Successor by Merger ) to LaSalle Bank National Association, et al., ) ) Defendant-Appellant ) ) Honorable (BCL Home Rehab, LLC, ) Michael Otto and ) Moshe Jacobius, Intervenor-Appellee). ) Judges Presiding.

PRESIDING JUSTICE LIU delivered the judgment of the court, with opinion. Justices Neville and Simon concurred in the judgment and opinion.

OPINION

¶1 This is an appeal from a foreclosure suit brought by plaintiff, JP Morgan Chase Bank,

N.A. (Chase), against several defendants, including Bank of America, N.A. (BANA), a junior

mortgagee. BANA, along with the other defendants, was defaulted in the underlying action.

After the foreclosure sale was conducted, BANA unsuccessfully sought to vacate the order of

default and the judgment of foreclosure and sale. Subsequently, BANA filed a petition for

turnover of the surplus proceeds from the sale. The circuit court denied BANA's petition and,

instead, awarded the entire surplus to the intervenor, BCL Home Rehab, LLC (BCL). BANA 1-14-0428

contends that the circuit court abused its discretion in denying its petition for surplus and its

motion to vacate the default judgment. For the following reasons, we affirm in part and dismiss

in part.

¶2 BACKGROUND

¶3 A. The Mortgages

¶4 Jacek and Komila Wojtkowski (collectively, the Wojtkowskis) were borrowers involved

in several loan transactions secured by mortgages on their residential property at 1807

Summerton Place, in Northbrook, Illinois. On September 22, 2001, the Wojtkowskis granted a

mortgage to LaSalle Bank, N.A. (LaSalle Bank), as security for a loan in the amount of

$400,000. On September 16, 2003, they granted a mortgage to Chase Manhattan Mortgage

Corporation (Chase) as security for a loan in the amount of $156,000. Chase's 2003 mortgage,

though filed later, took priority over LaSalle Bank's mortgage due to a subordination agreement

executed by the banks. On September 20, 2006, a mortgage was granted in favor of Ravenswood

Bank as security for a loan made to Ballard Pointe, LLC, in the amount of $6,535,000. On

October 7, 2008, a mortgage was granted to Ravenswood Bank to secure a loan of $1,335,000.

¶5 B. 2010 Foreclosure Lawsuit

¶6 In November 2010, Northbrook Bank, successor in interest to Ravenswood Bank, filed a

foreclosure complaint against the Wojtkowskis and Ballard Pointe. A judgment of foreclosure

and sale was entered in favor of Northbrook Bank. During the judicial sale on October 23, 2012,

BCL, a third-party purchaser, bid successfully on the property for $400,000. The circuit court

confirmed the sale to BCL on February 14, 2013, and entered an in rem deficiency judgment

against the property in the amount of $800,388.50. BCL ultimately took title to the property on

March 13, 2013.

2 1-14-0428

¶7 C. 2012 Foreclosure Lawsuit

¶8 On January 6, 2012, prior to the judicial sale in the 2010 lawsuit, Chase initiated the

instant foreclosure suit, naming as defendants the Wojtkowskis, Northbrook Bank, and BANA,

as successor by merger to LaSalle Bank. Both BANA and Northbrook Bank failed to file their

appearances or answers to the complaint. The Wojtkowskis filed an appearance and a motion to

dismiss pursuant to sections 2-606 and 2-615 of the Code of Civil Procedure (Code) (735 ILCS

5/2-606, 2-615 (West 2012)), but later withdrew their motion and failed to answer the complaint.

¶9 On March 19, 2013, the circuit court granted Chase's motion for a default against all of

the defendants and entered a judgment of foreclosure and sale in favor of Chase for the amount

of $146,117.20. Because of the default entered against BANA, BANA's junior mortgage interest

was not recognized and, thus, no subordinate lien was included in the judgment. The March 19

judgment order gave the mortgagors and "property owners" until June 20, 2013, to exercise their

right to redeem.

¶ 10 In May 2013, BANA retained counsel to represent it in the instant proceedings. At some

point, BANA's counsel filed a motion seeking an order to vacate the default, leave to file an

appearance and answer, and leave to submit a prove-up and amend the judgment of foreclosure

and sale. The exact date that this motion was filed cannot be ascertained because the file stamp

on the motion is illegible. BANA's counsel averred in an affidavit that the motion was filed on

June 12, 2013; however, there is no evidence in the record of a file-stamped copy of the motion

reflecting a purported filing on June 12, 2013 or evidence that the motion was ever docketed.

¶ 11 At the judicial sale on July 1, 2013, AD Realty, LLC (AD Realty), a purported affiliate of

BCL, 1 purchased the property for $627,057. The sale resulted in a surplus of $459,857.53. On

1 We take judicial notice of the fact that both BCL – Home Rehab LLC and AD Realty share the same street address and suite as their principal offices, according to the Illinois Secretary of State's website. Moreover, the

3 1-14-0428

July 18, 2013, Chase moved for an order to confirm the sale. The next day, apparently for the

first time, BANA filed a notice of its motion to vacate default and obtained a hearing date of

August 22, 2013.

¶ 12 On August 1, 2013, BCL filed an emergency petition for leave to intervene pursuant to

section 15-1501(e)(3) of the Illinois Mortgage Foreclosure Law (Foreclosure Law) (735 ILCS

5/15-1501(e)(3) (West 2012)). BCL asserted that it had been the owner of the property prior to

and at the time of the July 1, 2013 judicial sale. BCL sought to intervene in the postsale

supplementary proceeding "solely to make a claim for the surplus proceeds from the judicial

sale." On August 2, 2013, the court granted BCL leave to intervene and also entered an order

approving the report of sale and distribution.

¶ 13 On August 9, 2013, BANA and Northbrook Bank each filed petitions for turnover of the

surplus funds from the July 1 sale. BANA claimed that it had an existing lien on the property and

attached an affidavit of prove-up showing an outstanding debt of $308,114.65. Northbrook Bank,

meanwhile, claimed that it was a judgment creditor from the 2010 foreclosure case and asserted

its in rem deficiency judgment of $800,388.50.

¶ 14 On October 29, 2013, the court heard argument on BANA's motion to vacate the default

and denied the motion. The court found that relief under section 2-1301 of the Code (735 ILCS

5/2-1301 (West 2012)) ceased to be available after the motion to confirm the sale had been filed.

The court, nevertheless, indicated that its denial "appear[ed]" to be "without prejudice" since

BANA could still file a petition for turnover of surplus proceeds.

¶ 15 On November 12, 2013, BCL filed its own petition for turnover of surplus funds.

Thereafter, on December 16, 2013, the court heard argument on the competing petitions of

relationship between BCL and AD Realty was acknowledged by the parties and circuit court during the hearing on the petitions for turnover of surplus proceeds.

4 1-14-0428

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2015 IL App (1st) 140428, 43 N.E.3d 546, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jp-morgan-chase-bank-na-v-bank-of-america-na-illappct-2015.