Skelton v. Urban Trust Bank

516 B.R. 396, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 118421, 2014 WL 4209573
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Texas
DecidedAugust 25, 2014
DocketCivil Action No. 3:13-CV-4226-B
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 516 B.R. 396 (Skelton v. Urban Trust Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Skelton v. Urban Trust Bank, 516 B.R. 396, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 118421, 2014 WL 4209573 (N.D. Tex. 2014).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

JANE J. BOYLE, District Judge.

Before the Court is Appellants John and Dyann Skelton’s (the “Skeltons”) appeal from an order of the bankruptcy court granting summary judgment and entering final judgment in favor of Appellees Urban Trust Bank (“Urban Trust”) and Cenlar FSB (“Cenlar”). Having conducted a de novo review of the rulings of the bankruptcy court as well as the briefing of the parties, and the applicable law, the Court is of the opinion that the order and judgment of the bankruptcy court should be and hereby are AFFIRMED.

I.

BACKGROUND

This appeal arises from the bankruptcy court’s determination that Appellee Urban Trust holds title to a promissory note (the “Note”) signed by Appellant John Skelton (“Skelton”). Skelton, who admittedly defaulted on the Note, and his wife, Appellant Dyann Skelton, initiated these proceedings in an effort to prevent foreclosure of the secured property. The bankruptcy court rejected the Skeltons’ contention that Urban Trust is not entitled to enforce the Note — a decision the Skeltons now challenge on appeal.

The Note at issue in this appeal was originally signed by Skelton on May 4, 2007. The $1,043,500 interest-only period fixed Note was made payable to Green-point Mortgage Funding, Inc. (“Green-point”) and secured by a Deed of Trust, which both Skeltons signed, also on May 4, 2007. See Doc. 1, R. at 1368-91. The Deed of Trust was, in turn, secured by real property located at 5020 Abbot Avenue, Highland Park, Texas (the “Property”). Id. The Deed of Trust named Mortgage Electronic Registration System (“MERS”) as Greenpoint’s nominee. Id. at 1373. The Note, however, does not refer to MERS or provide that MERS has any rights to the Note. Id. at 1368. And the Deed of Trust does not indicate that MERS had any right to transfer the Note made payable to Greenpoint. Id. at 1373.

On December 18, 2008, MERS, as nominee for Greenpoint, assigned the Deed of Trust to MCMCAP Homeowners’ Advantage Trust, III (“MCMCAP”), which was recorded on January 21, 2009. Id. at 1006. The evidence of the Note’s transfer is less clear. No party has produced an original allonge1 on which the Note from Green-[398]*398point to MCMCAP was transferred, and indeed, the bankruptcy court noted that “there is some question of whether an allonge from Greenpoint to MCMCAP was ever actually attached to the Note.” Id. at 14. Nevertheless, there is some evidence of the Note’s transfer from Greenpoint to MCMCAP, including an allonge executed in blank by Greenpoint on or about August 1, 2011 and a number of affidavits. Id. at 1091,1098,1329-30.

On July 16, 2009, Urban Trust purchased the Note from MCMCAP along with eighteen other mortgages. Id. at 1035-37, 1039, 1070-71. MCMCAP subsequently transferred possession of the Note with two signed, undated allonges — one indorsed in blank and one to the order of Urban Trust — -to Urban Trust, who received the Note, via Federal Express delivery, on July 17, 2009. Id. at 726-27, 983-84, 1091-95. On May 13, 2010, a Corporate Assignment of Deed of Trust transferring the Deed of Trust from MCMCAP to Urban Trust was recorded in Dallas County. Id. at 1007. Sometime after, Urban Trust named Appellee Cenlar as the Note’s servicer. Id. at 1021-22.

Urban Trust somehow lost the Note after receiving it from MCMCAP. Id. at 1038-39. David Mady, Treasurer of Urban Trust, executed a Lost Note Affidavit on October 26, 2009 with a true and correct copy of the Note in which he established Urban Trust had diligently searched for the Note. See id. at 1038-69. Mady avers that the Note’s original copy is believed to have been accidentally shredded. Id. at 1040.

In the fall of 2010, Skelton requested a copy of the Note and his loan file, but Urban Trust, having lost the Note, instead sent Skelton a letter, dated November 19, 2010, which included a copy of the Lost Note Affidavit executed October 26, 2009. Id. at 1038-40, 1332. Soon after, Skelton tried to refinance the Note by arranging for Pavilion Bank to purchase the Note from Urban Trust. Id. at 1158, 1333. That sale, however, never occurred.

Beginning on August 1, 2010 and for all relevant months thereafter, Skelton failed to pay the monthly installments of interest due under the Note. Id. at 1009, 1011-13, 1176. Because of this, Urban Trust mailed Skelton a notice of default on October 12, 2010 by certified mail. Id. at 1021-24. After Skelton failed to cure the default, Urban Trust gave Skelton notice on March 14, 2011 of the acceleration of the Note, that the Note’s balance was due and payable in full, and that the Property would be foreclosed on April 5, 2011. Id. at 1009, 1011-13,1073-90,1259,1289-1291.

The day before the scheduled foreclosure — April 4, 2011 — the Skeltons commenced a state court lawsuit alleging, inter alia, that Urban Trust could not foreclose on the Property and did not have the right to enforce the Note. Id. at 106-114. The state court enjoined Urban Trust from foreclosing on the Property until Urban Trust either produced the loan file and original Note or proved its right to enforce the Note in a non-jury trial set for July 16, 2012. See id. at 7-8 (bankruptcy court’s discussion of state court proceedings). Days before the scheduled trial date — July 7, 2012 — the state court action was stayed upon receiving notice that Skelton had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Id. at 510. Urban Trust subsequently removed the Skeltons’ state court claims to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas where Skelton’s Chapter 11 petition had been filed. Id. at 85.

[399]*399On June 11, 2013, Urban Trust moved for summary judgment on all four of the Skeltons’ claims, including quiet title, declaratory judgment and injunction, fraudulent misrepresentation, and negligent misrepresentation.2 Id. at 524-531 (Am. Compl.), 588 (Mot. Summ. J.). The bankruptcy court held a hearing regarding the motion on July 15, 2013, at the end of which the court granted summary judgment on the fraudulent and negligent misrepresentation claims. Id. at 4. Then, after receiving supplemental briefing on the two remaining claims — quiet title and declaratory judgment — the bankruptcy court issued a memorandum order and opinion on August 5, 2013 granting summary judgment on those two claims and elaborating on its previously stated conclusions regarding the two misrepresentation claims. See id. at 11-21. On November 8, 2013, the bankruptcy court entered final judgment against the Skeltons, which granted Urban Trust a judicial foreclosure on the Property. Doc. 13, Unopposed Mot. Consolidate Cases 2.

The Skeltons filed timely notices of appeal regarding the bankruptcy court’s summary judgment order and final judgment. See id.; R. at 1-3. In their brief, the Skeltons raise a number of issues related to the bankruptcy court’s order granting summary judgment on the quiet title and declaratory relief claims, and by extension, its final order permitting Urban Trust to foreclose on the Property. See Doc. 16, Appellants’ Br. 2 (Statement of the Issues 1-4). They also submit one issue concerning the bankruptcy court’s conclusion that summary judgment was appropriate with respect to Skelton’s fraudulent and negligent misrepresentation claims. Id.

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516 B.R. 396, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 118421, 2014 WL 4209573, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/skelton-v-urban-trust-bank-txnd-2014.