PHH Mortgage Corp. v. Davis

111 A.D.3d 1110, 975 N.Y.S.2d 480

This text of 111 A.D.3d 1110 (PHH Mortgage Corp. v. Davis) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
PHH Mortgage Corp. v. Davis, 111 A.D.3d 1110, 975 N.Y.S.2d 480 (N.Y. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

McCarthy, J.

Appeal from an order of the Supreme Court (R. Sise, J.), entered March 30, 2012 in Saratoga County, which, among other things, denied plaintiffs motion for, among other things, summary judgment against certain defendants.

In May 2006, defendants Alexander Ronda and Nichole T. Ronda, a husband and wife then living in Florida, entered into a contract to purchase a home in Saratoga County. Apparently on a referral from their realtor, they received a call from third-party defendant Jason Zapotocki, an employee of third-party defendant Home Funding Finders, Inc. (hereinafter HFF), who subsequently assisted them in obtaining financing for the purchase of the home. Upon Zapotocki’s suggestion, Nichole Ronda asked her stepfather, defendant Henry E. Davis, to cosign the loan documents and had Davis execute a power of attorney appointing her as his agent. Nichole Ronda sent Davis’ financial information to Zapotocki to enable him to prepare a Uniform Residential Loan Application (hereinafter URLA). According to [1111]*1111Nichole Ronda, the financial information she supplied was accurate, but the information reported on the URLA was false. Based on the type of loan, no verification of this information was needed.

Nevertheless, in June 2006, Nichole Ronda executed, as Davis’ power of attorney, a URLA that named Davis as the sole borrower. She similarly executed a promissory note and mortgage, in Davis’ name alone, as his power of attorney. In August 2006, Davis conveyed the property by warranty deed to the Rondas. In 2009, based on the lack of mortgage payments since June 2008, plaintiff commenced this foreclosure action against, among others, Nichole Ronda, Alexander Ronda and Davis (hereinafter collectively referred to as defendants).

Defendants answered, asserting affirmative defenses and counterclaims. Plaintiff moved for, among other things, summary judgment against defendants and a default judgment against defendant Chase Bank USA, NA, and to amend the caption to remove defendants John Doe No.l through John Doe No. 10. Defendants cross-moved to, among other things, strike plaintiffs motion. They also commenced a third-party action against HFF and Zapotocki. Supreme Court, among other things, denied plaintiffs motion in its entirety. Plaintiff appeals.

Supreme Court erred in denying plaintiffs motion for summary judgment against defendants. Plaintiff, as mortgagee, established its entitlement to summary judgment in this foreclosure action by submitting the mortgage and unpaid note, along with evidence of default in payments,1 which then shifted the burden to defendants to demonstrate by competent and admissible proof that a defense existed so as to raise a question of fact (see Charter One Bank, FSB v Leone, 45 AD3d 958, 958-959 [2007]; HSBC Bank USA v Merrill, 37 AD3d 899, 900 [2007], lv dismissed 8 NY3d 967 [2007]; LaSalle Bank N.A. v Kosarovich, 31 AD3d 904, 905 [2006]). Davis was the only mortgagor and the only person named in the note, so he is the only person from whom plaintiff is seeking to collect any money owed on the note. The Rondas, while not liable for the loan under the note, are still proper parties to this foreclosure action — they are subject to the mortgage lien and may have their rights in the property cut off due to a default on the mortgage— because they are the titled owners of the property and took title with both record and actual notice of the mortgage (see Real [1112]*1112Property Law § 291; Tibby v Fletcher, 13 AD3d 877, 879 [2004]; Matter of Jenkins v Stephenson, 293 AD2d 612, 614 [2002]).2

Even viewing the evidence in a light most favorable to defendants (see Vega v Restani Constr. Corp., 18 NY3d 499, 503 [2012]), none of their asserted defenses raises a triable issue of fact. As to the defense of unconscionability, the terms of the note and mortgage are not so unreasonably favorable to plaintiff that “no reasonable and competent person would accept” them, or “so inequitable as to shock the conscience” (Rodriguez v Rodriguez, 11 AD3d 768, 769 [2004]; see LaSalle Bank N.A. v Kosarovich, 31 AD3d at 906). Defendants also contend that the application process and formation of the note and mortgage were “rife with confusion, misinformation and blatant lies,” implying that this resulted in “an absence of meaningful choice” (Matter of State of New York v Avco Fin. Serv. of N.Y., 50 NY2d 383, 389 [1980] [internal quotation marks and citation omitted]). The asserted confusion and lies, however, flowed from HFF and Zapotocki, not plaintiff. We reject defendants’ conclusory allegations that Zapotocki was acting as plaintiffs agent, as that assertion is entirely unsupported by the record (see Home Sav. Bank v Schorr Bros. Dev. Corp., 213 AD2d 512, 513 [1995]; LaGreco v Pafundi, 181 AD2d 660, 661 [1992]).3 Thus, defendants have not shown any question of fact on their unconscionability defense.

Defendants have no valid defense of equitable estoppel as they failed to present any evidence that they “prejudicially changed their position in reliance upon” an assurance by plaintiff (Connecticut Natl. Bank v Peach Lake Plaza, 204 AD2d 909, 910 [1994]). Assuming, without deciding, that the defense of unclean hands is applicable to a mortgage foreclosure action (compare Jo Ann Homes at Bellmore v Dworetz, 25 NY2d 112, 122 [1969], with Bank of Smithtown v 264 W. 124 LLC, 105 AD3d 468, 469 [2013], Golden Eagle Capital Corp. v Paramount Mgt. Corp., 88 AD3d 646, 648 [2011], Connecticut Natl. Bank v Peach Lake Plaza, 204 AD2d at 910-911, Blueberry Invs. Co. v Ilana Realty, 184 AD2d 906, 907-908 [1992]), defendants failed to present evidence of “immoral or unconscionable” conduct by plaintiff, or that any such conduct was directly related to or caused the default in payments, to support such a defense (Connecticut Natl. Bank v Peach Lake Plaza, 204 AD2d at 910-911; [1113]*1113see Bank of Smithtown v 264 W. 124 LLC, 105 AD3d at 469; Blueberry Invs. Co. v Ilana Realty, 184 AD2d at 907). We again note that we reject defendants’ unsupported assertions that Zapotocki was plaintiffs agent or that his acts can be attributed to plaintiff.

The fraud defense and counterclaim also fail because they are based on alleged misstatements or actions by Zapotocki, not plaintiff, and the record is devoid of any evidence that would tend to establish that plaintiff was aware of or assisted Zapotocki in any alleged wrongdoing (see Gjonaj v Sines, 69 AD3d 1188, 1190 [2010]; see also Pidwell v Duvall, 28 AD3d 829, 832 [2006]; compare Goldson v Walker, 65 AD3d 1084, 1085 [2009]). The counterclaim alleging commercial bad faith must be dismissed for a similar reason, as the record lacks proof that plaintiff itself acted dishonestly or became a participant in a fraudulent scheme (see LPP Mtge., Ltd. v Card Corp., 17 AD3d 103, 104 [2005], lv denied 6 NY3d 702 [2005]; see also Prudential-Bache Sec. v Citibank, 73 NY2d 263, 275-276 [1989]; Peck v Chase Manhattan Bank, 190 AD2d 547, 548-549 [1993]). Defendants’ remaining defenses and counterclaim are not viable under the circumstances here.

Plaintiff seeks to sever or dismiss the third-party action (see CPLR 1010). Although this issue is raised for the first time on appeal, the third-party action was not commenced until after plaintiff’s motion was submitted.

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Related

Vega v. Restani Construction Corp.
965 N.E.2d 240 (New York Court of Appeals, 2012)
State v. Avco Financial Service of New York Inc.
406 N.E.2d 1075 (New York Court of Appeals, 1980)
Jo Ann Homes at Bellmore, Inc. v. Dworetz
250 N.E.2d 214 (New York Court of Appeals, 1969)
Prudential-Bache Securities, Inc. v. Citibank, N. A.
536 N.E.2d 1118 (New York Court of Appeals, 1989)
Rodriguez v. Rodriguez
11 A.D.3d 768 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2004)
Tibby v. Fletcher
13 A.D.3d 877 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2004)
LPP Mortgage, Ltd. v. Card Corp.
17 A.D.3d 103 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2005)
Pidwell v. Duvall
28 A.D.3d 829 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2006)
LaSalle Bank National Ass'n v. Kosarovich
31 A.D.3d 904 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2006)
HSBC Bank USA v. Merrill
37 A.D.3d 899 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2007)
Charter One Bank, FSB v. Leone
45 A.D.3d 958 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2007)
Goldson v. Walker
65 A.D.3d 1084 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2009)
Gjonaj v. Sines
69 A.D.3d 1188 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2010)
Golden Eagle Capital Corp. v. Paramount Management Corp.
88 A.D.3d 646 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2011)
US Bank, N.A. v. Boyce
93 A.D.3d 782 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2012)
Flagstar Bank v. Bellafiore
94 A.D.3d 1044 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2012)
Hoesen v. Dolen
94 A.D.3d 1264 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2012)
LaGreco v. Pafundi
181 A.D.2d 660 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1992)
Blueberry Investors Co. v. Ilana Realty, Inc.
184 A.D.2d 906 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1992)
Peck v. Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A.
190 A.D.2d 547 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1993)

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Bluebook (online)
111 A.D.3d 1110, 975 N.Y.S.2d 480, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/phh-mortgage-corp-v-davis-nyappdiv-2013.