Terio v. Great Western Bank

166 B.R. 213, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4765, 1994 WL 129947
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedApril 11, 1994
Docket93 Civ. 4377 (VLB)
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 166 B.R. 213 (Terio v. Great Western Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Terio v. Great Western Bank, 166 B.R. 213, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4765, 1994 WL 129947 (S.D.N.Y. 1994).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM ORDER

VINCENT L. BRODERICK, District Judge.

I

This lawsuit was brought by plaintiff pro se seeking to invalidate under various provisions of the Bankruptcy Code, 11 U.S.C. § 101 et seq., an action in New York State Supreme Court, Putnam County, by the defendant bank to foreclose on plaintiffs residential property. Plaintiff filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in October 1990 and was discharged from bankruptcy on January 29, 1991.

By order dated December 17, 1993, this case was referred to United States Magistrate Judge Mark D. Fox for pretrial purposes, 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(A), and for a Report and Recommendation on all motions filed, in the action, 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(B), including defendant’s motion to dismiss under Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b). Judge Fox issued a Report and Recommendation dated March 22, 1994 to which plaintiff has submitted numerous objections, Dkt. #26.

*214 After considering plaintiffs objections pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(C), I approve Judge Fox’s carefully prepared report, which is attached to and made part of this memorandum order, and adopt his recommendation that defendant’s motion to dismiss the complaint for failure to state a claim be granted and that plaintiffs various motions be denied.

The complaint being now dismissed, the reference to Judge Fox for pretrial purposes is moot. All proceedings previously scheduled in this ease are cancelled.

II

Although it is understandable that plaintiff as a non-lawyer might be led by the intricacies of the Bankruptcy Code to believe that he has a claim against the defendant bank, it is the duty of the court to examine the complaint and dismiss it where it is evident after careful scrutiny that the claims asserted lack merit. Plaintiffs objections have been considered and do not provide a basis in law for any contrary result.

III

The only appropriate relief at this time concerning plaintiffs propensity for repetitive litigation, as noted in the Magistrate Judge’s Report and Recommendation at 14, is a clear warning that my order dated July 23, 1993 remains in effect with reference to both this case and to other complaints recently filed by plaintiff in this court. In the July 23, 1993 order I directed plaintiff “to present a copy of this order to the Pro Se Clerk or any judicial officer in the Southern District of New York any time he should seek to file any other complaints or papers related to these cases or to claims connected in any way to his 1990 Bankruptcy Petition.” Id. at 5. That ruling is reaffirmed and modified to the extent that a copy of this memorandum order is to be supplied as well.

Should plaintiff seek to revisit any of the issues decided in this memorandum order by the filing of new complaints in this district court in connection with his 1990 Bankruptcy Petition, one or more of the following events could occur:

(1) Further submissions or complaints may be filed but not docketed and treated as not requiring a response from defendant(s) unless the court finds they set forth a cognizable non-repetitious claim, see Schoolfield v. New York City Dep’t of Corrections, 1992 WL 296691, 1992 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17590 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 21, 1992).

(2) Monetary sanctions may be considered under Fed.R.Civ.P. 11, which the court may initiate on its own motion. Enforcement of any monetary sanctions may be appropriate inasmuch as the bankruptcy case has been terminated.

(3) Prohibition of any filing by plaintiff without prior permission may be considered. See generally In re Sassower, 20 F.3d 42 (2d Cir.1994); Safir v. United States Lines, Inc., 792 F.2d 19 (2d Cir.1986), cert. denied 479 U.S. 1099, 107 S.Ct. 1323, 94 L.Ed.2d 175 (1987).

IV

Any federal stay now in effect with respect to this case is now vacated. In the interest of comity, an application to vacate any state court stay of the mortgage foreclosure proceeding at issue here should be addressed to the appropriate state court.

SO ORDERED.

REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION

FOX, United States Magistrate Judge.

TO: THE HONORABLE VINCENT L. BRODERICK, U.S.D.J.

This matter is before the Court on Plaintiffs various motions and Defendant’s cross motion to dismiss the complaint in response to and in opposition to Plaintiffs motions. The pro se complaint, which is divided into three (3) causes of action, is entitled, “COMPLAINT FOR MALICIOUS PROSECUTION AND ABUSE OF PROCESS PURSUANT [TO] 11 U.S.C. 362(a)-362(d)-524(a)(2) and C.P.L.R. 3217 DISCONTINUE ACTION TO FORECLOSE IN STATE SUPREME COURT, PUTNAM COUNTY & RULE 33 NOTICE OF CLAIM OF UNCONSTITUTIONALITY OF THE CIVIL *215 RULES” and seeks compensatory and punitive damages and “legal fees”. 1

Because the complaint is disjointed and reflects Plaintiffs lack of knowledge of the law, the facts will not be related in the order in which they appear. The basic facts are not in dispute. The only issues are whether the facts entitle him to any relief from this Court.

Plaintiff filed a voluntary chapter 7 petition in the Bankruptcy Court in Poughkeep-sie on October 12, 1990. Prior thereto in June 1990 Plaintiff had borrowed $251,250 from Defendant as evidenced by a thirty (30) year note payable in equal monthly installments. Defendant secured the note with a mortgage on a property Plaintiff owned in Putnam County. The property had been appraised in May 1990 at $335,000. Plaintiff defaulted on the loan payments from the outset.

The bankruptcy case went forward with notice to the creditors. Plaintiff listed Defendant as a secured creditor for $251,250 on schedule A-2. Nobody appeared at the creditors’ meeting, no creditor filed any claims against the debtor and no creditor objected to the property the debtor had listed as exempt. On December 12, 1990 the chapter 7 trustee marked the case “no asset”, which designation the United States Trustee approved. 2 Plaintiff was discharged on January 29, 1991.

On January 16, 1991, while the automatic stay was allegedly in effect, Defendant commenced a foreclosure action in Supreme Court, Putnam County, which was assigned index no. 78/91.

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Related

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48 A.D.3d 554 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2008)
Terio v. Great Western Bank
52 F.3d 310 (Second Circuit, 1995)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
166 B.R. 213, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4765, 1994 WL 129947, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/terio-v-great-western-bank-nysd-1994.