Midfirst Bank v. Wilson

2013 OK CIV APP 15, 295 P.3d 1142, 2012 WL 7170517, 2012 Okla. Civ. App. LEXIS 114
CourtCourt of Civil Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedNovember 7, 2012
DocketNo. 110,950
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 2013 OK CIV APP 15 (Midfirst Bank v. Wilson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Civil Appeals of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Midfirst Bank v. Wilson, 2013 OK CIV APP 15, 295 P.3d 1142, 2012 WL 7170517, 2012 Okla. Civ. App. LEXIS 114 (Okla. Ct. App. 2012).

Opinion

JOHN F. FISCHER, Chief Judge.

T1 Darrall and Doris Wilson appeal the denial of their motion to vacate a judgment entered in favor of MidFirst Bank in this mortgage foreclosure action. The appeal has been assigned to the accelerated docket pursuant to Oklahoma Supreme Court Rule 1.86(b), 12 0.8.2011, ch. 15, app. 1, and the matter stands submitted without appellate briefing. The district court erred in denying the Wilsons' motion to vacate because Mid-First's motion for summary judgment does not establish that it is entitled to enforce the promissory note or foreclose the real estate mortgage at issue in this case. The order denying the Wilsons' motion to vacate is reversed, the judgment in favor of MidFirst is vacated, and this case is remanded for further proceedings.

BACKGROUND

12 MidFirst filed this mortgage foreclosure action on December 15, 2011. Attached to the petition as exhibit A is a two page document entitled, "Note." The note is signed by Mr. Wilson and promises to pay Harry Mortgage Company $188,840. Page two of the exhibit contains an indorsement from Harry Mortgage to Washington Mutual Bank, N.A. The petition alleges that Mid-First is the holder of the note and that the note is in default. The Wilsons filed a motion to dismiss arguing MidFirst failed to show that it had possession of the note, or proper documentation showing the history of the note prior to filing of this suit, as required by Deuische Bank National Trust v. Brumbaugh, 2012 OK 3, 270 P.3d 151, and Deutsche Bank National Trust v. Byrams, 2012 OK 4, 275 P.3d 129. In response to the Wilsons' motion, MidFirst attached a second copy of the note showing an indorsement from Washington Mutual to Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. The response argues that the note also contains an indorsement in blank by Wells Fargo. However, that indorsement is not reflected on the exhibit attached to MidFirst's response. The response also relies on an affidavit from a MidFirst employee. That affidavit states: (1) MidFirst is the holder of the note; (2) the note contains an indorsement to MidFirst; (3) MidFirst has been in possession of the note since before the petition was filed; and (4) a true and exact copy of the note is attached to the affidavit The record on appeal does not contain any attachment to the affidavit. Nor does the record on appeal show any disposition of the Wilsons' motion to dismiss.

T3 On March 26, 2012, MidFirst filed a motion for summary judgment. The Wilsons did not file a response to the motion for summary judgment. On May 4, 2012, the district court granted the motion and entered judgment in favor of MidFirst. The Wilsons filed their motion to vacate the MidFirst judgment on June 4, 2012. The order denying that motion, from which the Wilsons appeal, was filed July 6, 2012.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

§4 The trial court's disposition of a motion to vacate is reviewed for an abuse of discretion. Patel v. OMH Med. Ctr., Inc., 1999 OK 383, 987 P.2d 1185. "An abused judicial discretion is manifested when disceretion is exercised to an end or purpose not justified by, and clearly against, reason and evidence." Id. at 120, 987 P.2d at 1194. When review of the district court's discretion in denying a motion to vacate is determined by the propriety of an order granting summary judgment, the abuse-of-discretion question is determined by de novo review of the summary judgment order. Reeds v. Walker, 2006 OK 48, 19, 157 P.3d 100 (applying this standard to review of motions denying a new trial after summary judgment was granted). Cf. Patel, 1999 OK 33, ¶ 20, 987 P.2d at 1194 [1144]*1144(an order granting or denying a motion for new trial and a motion to vacate are subject to the same abuse of discretion standard of review).

ANALYSIS

15 "To commence a foreclosure action in Oklahoma, a plaintiff must demonstrate it has a right to enforce the note...." Deutsche Bank Natl Trust v. Brumbaugh, 2012 OK 3, ¶ 11, 270 P.3d 151, 154. The holder of a note or a non-holder in possession of the note is entitled to enforce a note. 12A 0.8.2011 § 3-301.1 The holder of a note is either the person to whom the note is made payable or the person in possession of a note made payable to bearer. 12A 0.8.2011 § 1-201(21)(A). MidFirst alleges that it is the holder of the note. However, the note attached to MidFirst's petition shows that it was originally made payable to Harry Mortgage but subsequently indorsed by Harry Mortgage to Washington Mutual.

If an indorsement is made by the holder of an instrument ... and the indorsement identifies a person to whom it makes the instrument payable, it is a "special indorsement." When specially indorsed, an instrument becomes payable to the identified person and may be negotiated only by the indorsement of that person.

12A 0.8.2011 § 3-205(a). Consequently, the note attached to MidFirst's petition shows that Washington Mutual might have had the right to enforce the note. It does not show that MidFirst had the right to enforce that note. The Wilsons challenged MidFirst's right to do so in their motion to dismiss. T6 MidFirst attempted to cure this defect in responding to the Wilsons' motion by attaching a second copy of the note. The response argues that the note was indorsed by Harry Mortgage, the original lender, to Wells Fargo and by Wells Fargo "in blank." Section 8-205(b) of the Uniform Commercial Code states: "If an indorsement is made by the holder of an instrument and it is not a special indorsement, it is a 'blank indorsement.. When indorsed in blank, an instrument becomes payable to bearer and may be negotiated by transfer of possession alone...." The response argues that after the note was endorsed in blank by Wells Fargo, Wells Fargo transferred possession of the note to MidFirst. MidFirst argues that it has possession of the note, is therefore the holder of the note with the right to enforce the note, satisfying the requirement of Deutsche Bank National Trust v. Brumbough. The copy of the note attached to MidFirst's response to the Wilsons' motion to dismiss is identical to the copy attached to its petition with one exception. This copy of the note contains the indorsement from Harry Mortgage to Washington Mutual and an in-dorsement from Washington Mutual to Wells Fargo. It does not contain any indorsement by Wells Fargo.

T7 In its response, MidFirst also relied on the affidavit of one of its employees. The affiant states that MidFirst is the holder of the note attached as exhibit "C," and that the note contains an indorsement to MidFirst. However, there is no exhibit attached to this affidavit. Further, there was no disposition of the Wilsons' motion to dismiss reflected in this record.

T8 Although there was no disposition of the Wilsons' motion, MidFirst filed a motion for summary judgment in which it again relied on the previously filed affidavit Mid-First also supported this motion with a third copy of the note attached to its motion as exhibit "B." The first two pages of this exhibit are identical to the copy of the note attached to MidFirst's response to the Wilsons' motion to dismiss. The third page is blank except for an indorsement in blank by Wells Fargo. No other information is contained on that page. However, this third copy of the note is also not attached to the affidavit of the MidFirst employee. Title 12 O0.S8.2011 § 2056(E) provides, in part:

A supporting or opposing affidavit must be made on personal knowledge, set out facts that would be admissible in evidence, and show that the affiant is competent to testi[1145]

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

Related

UNIFUND CCR, LLC v. EKPO
2014 OK CIV APP 73 (Court of Civil Appeals of Oklahoma, 2014)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2013 OK CIV APP 15, 295 P.3d 1142, 2012 WL 7170517, 2012 Okla. Civ. App. LEXIS 114, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/midfirst-bank-v-wilson-oklacivapp-2012.