Murphy v. HSBC Bank USA

95 F. Supp. 3d 1025, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 37401, 2015 WL 1392789
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Texas
DecidedMarch 25, 2015
DocketCivil Action No. H-12-3278
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 95 F. Supp. 3d 1025 (Murphy v. HSBC Bank USA) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Murphy v. HSBC Bank USA, 95 F. Supp. 3d 1025, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 37401, 2015 WL 1392789 (S.D. Tex. 2015).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

MELINDA HARMON, District Judge.

Pending before the Court, challenging the validity of the assignment of Plaintiffs Patrick O’Brien Murphy and Beverly Murphy’s (“the Murphys’ ”) mortgage note, is a motion filed by Defendant HSBC Bank USA, as Trustee for the Wells Fargo Asset Securities Corporation Home Equity Asset-Backed Certificates 2006-1 (“HSBC”) for rehearing and reconsideration (instrument # 33) of the Court’s April 23, 2014 Opinion and Order (#31) and Final Summary Judgment (# 32), both signed on September 12, 2013.

Objecting that not only is the Court’s decision in #31 “exceedingly inequitable because Plaintiffs openly admit to intentionally defaulting on their loan to force HSBC’s mortgage servicer, Wells Fargo Bank USA, to negotiate another refinancing of their home and then taking every available avenue to thwart HSBC’s attempts to foreclose”1 on their home at 503 Flaghoist Lane, Houston, Texas 77079, in [1027]*1027addition HSBC puts forth three reasons supporting reconsideration: (1) the order was based on a erroneous finding that the Murphys objected to the dismissal of the 2008 expedited non-judicial foreclosure proceeding when in fact they actually caused the dismissal of the proceeding; (2) the Court did not consider several other reasons supporting the dismissal of the Murphys’ claim, in particular that the limitations period was tolled during the pendency of their first lawsuit; and (3) the Court entered judgment without giving HSBC an opportunity to answer or conduct discovery, which HSBC raised in its response (# 10) and its motion for continuance (# 8).2

After reviewing the record, the Court concedes that in its recent Opinion and Order (# 31) it confused which party put forth which arguments and therefore made errors of fact and law. The safest and fairest way to proceed is to grant both Plaintiffs’ motion for rehearing and reconsideration (# 20) of the Court’s September 19, 2013 Opinion and Order (# 19) as well as the HSBC’s motion for reconsideration (#33), and to freshly review issues and arguments raised by the both sides.

Standard of Review

A motion to reconsider a final judgment is properly viewed as a motion to alter or amend the judgment under Fed.R.Civ.P. 59(e) if filed within 28 days after entry of judgment, as is the case here. “A Rule 59(e) motion ‘calls into question the correctness of a judgment.’ ” Templet v. HydroChem, Inc., 367 F.3d 473, 478 (5th Cir.2004) (quoting In re Transtexas Gas Corp., 303 F.3d 571, 581 (5th Cir.2002)), cert. denied sub nom. Irvin v. Hydrochem, Inc., 543 U.S. 976, 125 S.Ct. 411, 160 L.Ed.2d 352 (2004). Rule 59(e) should not be used to rehash evidence, legal theories or arguments that could have been made before entry of judgment. Templet, 367 F.3d at 478. Instead the purpose of the Rule is to allow a party to correct manifest errors of law or fact or to present newly discovered evidence. Id. Granting a Rule 59(e) motion is an “extraordinary remedy that should be used sparingly.” Id. The Court should be mindful of and strike a balance between the need to bring the litigation to an end and the need to render equitable decisions on the basis of all the facts. Id.

Amended Procedural History

After refinancing a loan on their property at 503 Flaghoist Lane, Houston, Texas 77079 in 2006,3 in early 2008 the Murphys admittedly intentionally defaulted on their mortgage payments in an attempt to force Wells Fargo to negotiate another refinanc[1028]*1028ing of their home,4 based on Wells Fargo’s alleged promise that if their credit improved and they made their payments, they could refinance after two years at a lower interest rate. Wells Fargo, as mortgage servicer for HSBC, then accelerated the loan, sending a notice of intent to accelerate in April 2008, and on June 12, 2008, Plaintiffs received a notice of acceleration informing them that the principal and interest on the loan were immediately due and payable (# 1, Exs. C and D).

On June 19, 2008 Wells Fargo assigned the Note and Deed of Trust on the loan to HSBC, which then retained Wells Fargo as its loan servicer on the Murphys’ loan. On July 12, 2008, Wells Fargo and HSBC filed an application for expedited non-judicial foreclosure in the 295th Judicial District Court of Harris County, Texas. To halt the foreclosure, the Murphys then sued Wells Fargo and HSBC in the 55th Judicial Court of Harris County, Texas (the “First Lawsuit”) for fraud, breach of contract, and violation of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer Protection Act (“DTPA”) and sought a declaratory judgment. As required by Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 736.10,5 on November 24, 2008 the 295th Judicial District Court abated and dismissed Wells Fargo and HSBC’s action seeking expedited non-judicial foreclosure. Subsequently in the Murphys’ First Lawsuit, after the Murphys challenged the standing of Wells Fargo or HSBC to foreclose on their house, on March 29, 2011, the district court granted summary judgment in favor of Wells Fargo and HSBC, dismissed the Murphys’ claims, and awarded Defendants fees and costs against the Murphys, personally.6

On appeal, on February 12, 2013, the 14th Court of Appeals in Houston affirmed the district court’s summary judgment, but reversed the award of fees and costs against the Murphys personally, stating that the banks could only recover fees and costs against the property. Murphy v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., 455 S.W.3d 621 (Tex.App.-Houston [14th Dist.] 2012). The court of appeals’ decision regarding the [1029]*1029award of fees and costs was appealed and was only recently reversed in that part, and the district court’s judgment was reinstated. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v. Murphy, 458 S.W.3d 912, 919-20, 2015 WL 500636, at *6 (Tex. Feb. 6, 2015).

Meanwhile, after the abatement and dismissal of HSBC’s application for expedited, nonjudicial foreclosure and the trial court’s summary judgment in the Murphys’ First Lawsuit in favor of Wells Fargo and HSBC, HSBC sent Plaintiffs a new notice of intent to accelerate on December 30, 2011,7 and a new notice of acceleration on June 20, 2012.8 On August 16, 2012, HSBC filed a new application for nonjudicial foreclosure in the 270th Judicial District.9 In turn, on September 26, 2012, the Murphys filed the instant suit in the 151st District Court of Harris County, Texas against HSBC, claiming an invalid chain of title and unenforceable Note and Deed of Trust based on limitations grounds and seeking a declaratory judgment. The Murphys’ suit was transferred to the 270th Judicial District, where HSBC had filed its second Application for Court Order Allowing Foreclosure, and on November 5, 2012 HSBC removed the case to this Court on diversity jurisdiction.

On November 13, 2012 HSBC filed a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim on the grounds that (1) this action is barred by res judicata

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Bluebook (online)
95 F. Supp. 3d 1025, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 37401, 2015 WL 1392789, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/murphy-v-hsbc-bank-usa-txsd-2015.