Saepoff v. North Cascade Trustee Services, Inc

CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Washington
DecidedAugust 30, 2021
Docket2:17-cv-00957
StatusUnknown

This text of Saepoff v. North Cascade Trustee Services, Inc (Saepoff v. North Cascade Trustee Services, Inc) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Saepoff v. North Cascade Trustee Services, Inc, (W.D. Wash. 2021).

Opinion

5 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 6 WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON 7 AT SEATTLE 8 JESSICA SAEPOFF, Case No. C17-957RSL 9

10 Plaintiff, ORDER ON MOTION FOR 11 v. AWARD OF ATTORNEY’S FEES AND MOTION TO 12 NORTH CASCADE TRUSTEE SERVICES, ALTER/AMEND FINAL INC., et al., JUDGMENT 13 Defendants. 14 HSBC BANK USA N.A. AS TRUSTEE ON 15 BEHALF OF ACE SECURITIES CORP. 16 HOME EQUITY LOAN TRUST AND FOR THE REGISTERED HOLDERS OF ACE 17 SECURITIES CORP. HOME EQUITY 18 LOAN TRUST, SERIES 2007-WM2, ASSET BACKED PASS-THROUGH 19 CERTIFICATES, 20 Counterclaimant, 21 v. 22 JESSICA SAEPOFF, et al., 23 Counterdefendants. 24

25 This matter comes before the Court on (1) a “Motion for Award of Attorney’s Fees” 26 (Dkt. # 110); and (2) a “Motion to Alter/Amend Final Judgment Pursuant to FRCP 59(e)” (Dkt. 27 # 112), both filed by counterclaimant/crossclaimant HSBC Bank USA, N.A. as trustee on behalf 28 of Ace Securities Corp. Home Equity Loan Trust and for the Registered Holders of Ace 1 Securities Corp. Home Equity Loan Trust, Series 2007-WrM2, Asset Backed-PassThrough 2 Certificates (“HSBC”), MERSCORP Holdings, Inc. (“MERSCORP”); Mortgage Electronic 3 Registration Systems, Inc. (“MERS”); and Ocwen Mortgage Servicing, LLC (“Ocwen”) 4 (collectively, the “Moving Defendants”). The Court, having reviewed the motions and the 5 record contained herein,1 finds as follows: 6 I. BACKGROUND 7 On April 25, 2016, plaintiff Jessica Saepoff filed an action in King County Superior 8 Court. Dkt. # 12-2 at 8. On February 10, 2017, Saepoff filed a second amended complaint. Dkt. 9 # 1-2 at 28. Saepoff sought relief based on her theory that defendants pursued collection of a 10 mortgage debt and foreclosure through illegal, unethical, and immoral means. Id. In short, 11 Saepoff claimed that the Note and Deed of Trust she executed should be invalidated. The 12 Moving Defendants filed their answer and HSBC filed their counterclaim/crossclaim for Deed 13 of Trust foreclosure. Dkt. # 12-9 at 2, 9–15. HSBC’s foreclosure claim named Saepoff and 14 MERS as defendants, along with other parties with a recorded interest in the property, including 15 the United States of America (“USA”). Dkt. # 12-9 at 10–11. The USA removed this action to 16 this Court on June 22, 2017. Dkt. # 1. 17 On September 23, 2019, the Court granted the Moving Defendants’ motion for judgment 18 on the pleadings dismissing all of Saepoff’s claims against the Moving Defendants. Dkt. # 86. 19 The Court later denied Saepoff’s Motion for Reconsideration of this Order on October 30, 2020. 20 Dkt. # 106. That same day, the Court also granted HSBC’s Motion for Summary Judgment. Id. 21 Judgment was entered on December 4, 2020. Dkt. # 109. Saepoff filed notices of appeal to the 22 Ninth Circuit regarding these Orders (Dkts. # 86, # 106) and the Judgment (Dkt. # 109). Dkts. 23 # 107, # 115. The Ninth Circuit has since consolidated the appeals. Dkt. # 123. 24 Meanwhile, on December 16, 2020, the Moving Defendants filed three motions: (1) a 25 “Motion for Award of Attorney’s Fees” (Dkt. # 110), (2) a “Motion to Alter/Amend Final 26 27

28 1 The Court finds this matter suitable for disposition without oral argument. 1 Judgment Pursuant to FRCP 59(e)” (Dkt. # 112), and (3) a “Motion for Bill of Costs” 2 (Dkt. 2 # 111). As of January 21, 2021, the Deputy in Charge identified the total costs allowed for 3 purposes of the “Motion for Bill of Costs” as $4,556.94. Dkt. # 122. 4 In response to the Moving Defendants’ three motions, Saepoff submitted a single filing, a 5 “Response to Defendants’ Motion for Award of Attorney’s Fees and Motion to Stay Disposition 6 of Motion Pending Appeal.” Dkt. # 120. Saepoff did not note any motion to stay,3 but the 7 Moving Defendants’ reply to Saepoff’s response included their opposition to Saepoff’s request 8 to stay, and the Court will consider the propriety of imposing a stay per Saepoff’s request. 9 II. REQUEST TO STAY DISPOSITION 10 A. Ninth Circuit’s Appellate Process 11 Saepoff requests that the Court stay disposition of any motion for attorneys’ fees pending 12 “the full disposition of the appellate process.” Dkt. # 120 at 2. Notably, the Ninth Circuit has 13 since issued an Order holding its proceeding on Saepoff’s appeal “in abeyance pending the 14 district court’s resolution of the post-judgment motion,” and citing Leader Nat’l Ins. Co. v. 15 Indus. Indem. Ins. Co., 19 F.3d 444, 445 (9th Cir. 1994). Dkt. # 123. Leader applies Federal 16 Rule of Appellate Procedure Rule 4(a)(4), which provides that “[a] notice of appeal filed after 17 announcement or entry of the judgment but before disposition of any of the . . . [specified post- 18 judgment] motions is ineffective to appeal from the judgment or order, or part thereof, specified 19 in the notice of appeal, until the date of the entry of the order disposing of the last such motion 20 outstanding.” Fed. R. App. P. Rule 4(a)(4). “[A] notice of appeal filed while a Fed. R. Civ. P. 59 21 motion is pending is . . . held in abeyance until the motion is resolved.” Leader Nat’l Ins. Co., 19 22 F.3d at 445. Here, the Moving Defendants’ “Motion to Alter/Amend Final Judgment Pursuant to 23 FRCP 59(e)” remains outstanding, and per the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, this Court 24 should resolve that motion before the Ninth Circuit proceeds with Saepoff’s appeal. Given that 25 26 2 Per our Local Civil Rules, “[m]otions for costs shall be considered by the clerk.” LCR 54(d)(3). 3 Plaintiff’s continued disregard for the Local Rules of this District is concerning. See Dkt. # 106 27 at 5 (sternly admonishing plaintiff for “repeated, blatant disregard for filing deadlines and the Local 28 Rules of this District”). 1 this motion to alter/amend the judgment is connected to the motion for attorney’s fees due to the 2 fact that the Moving Defendants are seeking the incorporation of attorney’s fees and costs into 3 the final judgment, it would seem inconsistent with the Ninth Circuit’s Order citing the Federal 4 Rules of Appellate Procedure for this Court to stay disposition of the motion for attorney’s fees. 5 B. Saepoff’s Justification for a Stay 6 Even setting aside this concern regarding the application of the Federal Rules of 7 Appellate Procedure, the Court finds that Saepoff has offered insufficient justification to stay the 8 disposition of the motion for attorneys’ fees. “A stay is not a matter of right, even if irreparable 9 injury might otherwise result to the appellant.” Virginian Ry. Co. v. United States, 272 U.S. 658, 10 672 (1926). “The party requesting a stay bears the burden of showing that the circumstances 11 justify an exercise of [judicial] discretion.” Nken v. Holder, 556 U.S. 418, 433–34 (2009). The 12 Courts consider four factors when deciding whether to grant a stay of a civil order pending 13 appeal: “(1) whether the stay applicant has made a strong showing that he is likely to succeed on 14 the merits; (2) whether the applicant will be irreparably injured absent a stay; (3) whether 15 issuance of the stay will substantially injure the other parties interested in the proceeding; and 16 (4) where the public interest lies.” Id. at 426.

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Bluebook (online)
Saepoff v. North Cascade Trustee Services, Inc, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/saepoff-v-north-cascade-trustee-services-inc-wawd-2021.