Portuesi v. The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A.

CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, M.D. North Carolina
DecidedApril 22, 2022
Docket20-02018
StatusUnknown

This text of Portuesi v. The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A. (Portuesi v. The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, M.D. North Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Portuesi v. The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., (N.C. 2022).

Opinion

El ye □□ □□ SIGNED this 22nd day of April, 2022. We)

BRNJAMIN A. KAHN UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY JUDGE

UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT MIDDLE DISTRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA GREENSBORO DIVISION In re: ) ) Leonardo Portuesi, ) Chapter 13 ) Case No. 19-11275 Debtor. ) □□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□ ) Leonardo Portuesi and Anita Jo ) Kinlaw Troxler, Trustee, ) ) Plaintiffs, ) ) Adv. No. 20-2018 Vv. ) ) The Bank of New York Mellon Trust ) Company, N.A., ) ) Defendant. ) MEMORANDUM OPINION GRANTING DEFENDANT’ S SUMMARY JUDGMENT This adversary proceeding is before the Court on cross motions for summary judgment. For the reasons stated herein, the Court will deny Plaintiffs’ Motion for Summary Judgment and grant Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment. I. Jurisdiction And Authority The Court has subject matter jurisdiction over this

proceeding under 28 U.S.C. § 1334(b). Under 28 U.S.C. § 157(a), the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina has referred this case and these proceedings to this Court by its Local Rule 83.11. These are statutorily core proceedings under 28 U.S.C. § 157(b). The parties have expressly consented to the entry of final orders by this Court for all matters raised in

the pleadings in this proceeding. ECF No. 14. This Court may enter final orders and judgments in this proceeding. Venue is proper under 28 U.S.C. § 1409. II. Facts1 On October 6, 2006, Debtor’s mother, Anna Portuesi (“Ms. Portuesi”), obtained an undivided interest in real property located at 170 Riverwood Drive, Browns Summit, Rockingham County, NC 27214 ("Property"), by a North Carolina General Warranty Deed recorded with the Rockingham County Register of Deeds. ECF No. 58, at ¶ 1. Contemporaneously, Ms. Portuesi, through Debtor acting as her attorney in fact, executed a Deed of Trust for the benefit of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. (the “Prior Deed of Trust”) that similarly was

recorded in Rockingham County. Id. at ¶ 3. Ms. Portuesi did not discuss payment of the loan with Debtor and left it to Debtor to

1 The Facts are taken from Defendant’s brief. Plaintiffs did not file any response in opposition to Defendant’s Motion. See Local rule 7056-1(c) (“All facts set forth in the statement of the movant shall be deemed admitted for the purpose of the motion for summary judgment unless specifically controverted by the opposing party.”). At the hearing, Plaintiffs affirmatively conceded that all facts in Defendant’s brief are true and there is no dispute of material fact. make payments. Id. at ¶¶ 6-7. On December 23, 2008, Debtor and Ms. Portuesi obtained a mortgage loan from Ideal Mortgage Bankers, Ltd (“Lender”). Id. at ¶ 12. On the same day, Debtor and Ms. Portuesi executed a Deed of Trust for the benefit of Lender (the "Deed of Trust") to secure the mortgage loan, but the Deed of Trust was not recorded at that

time. Id. at ¶ 15; ECF No. 1, Doc. 1-4. On June 19, 2009, Ms. Portuesi executed a North Carolina Quitclaim Deed (the “Quitclaim Deed”) to herself and Debtor as tenants in common. ECF No. 58, ¶¶ 9-11. Debtor gave no consideration in exchange for the Quitclaim Deed, and neither Ms. Portuesi nor Debtor caused the Quitclaim Deed to be recorded at that time. Id. at ¶ 11. Thereafter, however, on February 4, 2010, and although the Property is located in Rockingham County, both the Deed of Trust and the Quitclaim Deed were recorded in the Guilford County Register of Deeds. ECF No. 58, ¶¶ 9, 17.2 The Quitclaim Deed still has not been recorded in Rockingham County.

ECF No. 58, ¶ 10. On December 19, 2011, Ms. Portuesi filed a chapter 7 bankruptcy petition in the Middle District of North Carolina, Case No. 11-11909. Id. at ¶ 21. Ms. Portuesi listed the Loan secured by the Deed of Trust as secured debt. Id. at ¶ 23. The Court

2 Nothing in the record explains why there was a delay in recording either of these documents or why they were recorded in the incorrect county. granted her a discharge on April 2, 2012, thereby discharging her personal liability on the mortgage obligation. Id. at ¶ 25. Debtor filed a previous case under chapter 13 in the Middle District of North Carolina on March 12, 2013, Case No. 13-10315 (“First Chapter 13 Case”). In his schedules, Debtor listed a one- half interest in the Property as a tenant in common. Id. at ¶ 27.

On July 15, 2013, Debtor objected to Defendant’s predecessor’s secured claim, arguing that the secured claim should be disallowed because the Deed of Trust was not recorded in the county in which the real property was located. Case No. 13-10315 C-13G, ECF No. 20. While the objection was pending, and without seeking relief from the automatic stay or the codebtor stay, Defendant’s predecessor in interest, Ocwen Loan Servicing, LLC (“Ocwen”) recorded the Deed of Trust in Rockingham County on August 12, 2013.3 Counsel for Ocwen did not appear at the hearing on the objection to claim, and Ocwen withdrew its objection to confirmation. Case No. 13-10315 C-13G, ECF No. 27. As a result,

on August 23, 2013, the Court entered its order confirming Debtor’s plan, and, on August 29, 2013, the Court entered its order disallowing the secured claim because the Deed of Trust was not recorded in Rockingham County. Id., ECF Nos. 25 and 28, respectively. After disallowance, Debtor stopped making payments

3 See ECF No. 56 at ¶¶ 19, 23; ECF No. 60, ¶ 1. on the claim. ECF No. 58, ¶ 30. The Court entered its order granting Debtor a discharge on June 29, 2016. Case No. 13-10315 C-13G, ECF No. 43. On April 27, 2017, Ms. Portuesi executed a North Carolina General Warranty Deed transferring fee simple interest in the Property to Debtor and recorded the deed in the Rockingham County

Register on May 2, 2017. ECF No. 1, Doc. 1-3. Sometime after September 19, 2018, Defendant commenced a power of sale foreclosure in Rockingham County. ECF No. 58, ¶ 59. The Rockingham County Superior Court entered a foreclosure order on September 24, 2019. Id. at ¶ 61. Defendant sold the Property at the foreclosure on November 13, 2019. Id. at ¶ 63. On November 20, 2019, Debtor filed a voluntary petition under chapter 13 within the ten-day upset bid period under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 45-21.27. Id. at ¶ 64. Debtor’s schedules list the Property as his and Defendant’s loan as disputed. Case No. 19-11275, ECF No. 1, see ECF No. 58 at ¶ 65. On January 27, 2020, Defendant filed a proof of claim in

the amount of $146,289.34. Id. at ¶ 66. On September 20, 2020, the trustee filed a notice that Debtor changed his address to the Property address. See ECF Nos. 67 and 69. The Court confirmed Debtor’s chapter 13 plan on September 23, 2020. ECF No. 58 at ¶ 67. Among the other provisions of the confirmed plan, Section 9 of the plan provides as follows: By Order entered July 1, 2020, the Debtor’s objection to Claim No. 5 of The Bank of New York Mellon (“BNYM”) was sustained to the extent that Claim No. 5 was disallowed solely to the Debtor’s personal liability on the Note with the determination of the extent, validity, priority or enforceability of the lien of BNYM on the Debtor’s non-residential real property, commonly known as 170 Riverwood Drive, Browns Summit, North Carolina (“property”) being reserved for further order of the Court upon the filing of an Adversary Proceeding by the Debtor. The Debtor has filed an Adversary Proceeding challenging the extent, validity, priority or enforceability of the lien of BNYM against the Debtor’s property.

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