The Bank of New York Mellon v. Johnson, J.

CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedJuly 15, 2015
Docket3409 EDA 2014
StatusUnpublished

This text of The Bank of New York Mellon v. Johnson, J. (The Bank of New York Mellon v. Johnson, J.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
The Bank of New York Mellon v. Johnson, J., (Pa. Ct. App. 2015).

Opinion

J-A17043-15

NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37

THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON F/K/A IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE BANK OF NEW YORK, AS TRUSTEE PENNSYLVANIA FOR THE CERTIFICATE HOLDERS OF CWMBS 2004-R2

Appellee

v.

JACQUELINE M. JOHNSON

Appellant No. 3409 EDA 2014

Appeal from the Order Entered November 14, 2014 In the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County Civil Division at No(s): September Term, 2010 No. 3793

BEFORE: GANTMAN, P.J., BENDER, P.J.E., and OTT, J.

MEMORANDUM BY GANTMAN, P.J.: FILED JULY 15, 2015

Appellant, Jacqueline M. Johnson, appeals from the order entered in

the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas, which denied her petition to

strike a default judgment entered in favor of Appellee, The Bank of New York

Mellon f/k/a The Bank of New York, as Trustee for the Certificate Holders of

CWMBS 2004-R2. We affirm.

The relevant facts and procedural history of this appeal are as follows.

This case commenced September 29, 2010, with the filing of a complaint in mortgage foreclosure on the premises of 936 E. Phil Ellena Street, Philadelphia, PA 19150 by Appellee…. The complaint averred that Appellant was in default on a mortgage recorded at No. 0451, page 339, in the Office of the Recorder of Philadelphia County, and assigned at Mortgage Instrument No. 51951797. J-A17043-15

On August 30, 2011, Appellee filed a Motion for Alternative Service, which averred that attempts to serve Appellant have been unsuccessful and that, following a good faith investigation, Appellant had no change of address on record from the mortgaged premises.

On September 9, 2011, [the trial court] granted Appellee’s Motion for Alternative Service and allowed service of the complaint upon Appellant at 936 E. Phil Ellena Street, Philadelphia, PA 19150, by certified mail, first class regular mail, and posting of the premises.

On September 20, 2011, Appellee filed an Affidavit of Service of the Complaint by regular mail and certified mail, return receipt requested, to Appellant at 3028 N. 26 th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19132 and 936 E. Phil Ellena Street, Philadelphia, PA 19150 on September 19, 2011.

On September 22, 2011, Appellee filed an Affidavit of Service of the Complaint by posting of the premises at 936 E. Phil Ellena Street, Philadelphia, PA 19150 on September 20, 2011, at 11:30 a.m.

On December 11, 2011, Appellee filed a Praecipe for Judgment by Default in the amount of $145,602.28.

On March 13, 2012, Appellee filed a Praecipe for Writ of Execution.

On April 18, 2012, Appellee filed a Motion to Reassess Damages.

On May 17, 2012, [the trial court] amended the in rem judgment to a total of $168,095.41 plus interest from June 5, 2012 through the date of sale at six (6) percent per annum.

On May 21, 2012, Appellee filed an Affidavit of Service of Notice of Sale upon Appellant by certified mail and first class regular mail.

On July 13, 2012, the Writ was returned as the sale was stayed by Appellee’s attorney.

-2- J-A17043-15

On May 16, 2013, another Praecipe for Writ of Execution was filed on behalf of Appellee.

On August 13, 2013, Appellee filed an Affidavit of Service of Notice of Sale upon Appellant by certified mail and first class regular mail to 936 E. Phil Ellena Street, Philadelphia, PA 19150 on June 7, 2013.

On August 23, 2013, Appellant filed a Motion to Postpone Sheriff’s Sale and a Petition to Open Judgment. That same day, [the trial court] issued a Rule to Show Cause why the Motion to Postpone should not be granted. In her Petition to Open, Appellant argued that she had not been served and that she was incarcerated at the time the petition was served.

On September 5, 2013, [the trial court] granted Appellant’s Motion to Postpone and postponed the Sheriff’s Sale until December 3, 2013, with no further notice or advertisement to be required.

On September 12, 2013, Appellee filed an Answer in Opposition to Appellant’s Petition to Open Judgment. Appellee denied Appellant’s averments and further attested that the Complaint had been properly served after the grant of a Motion for Alternative Service, and that Appellant had not demonstrated a meritorious defense, filed a timely petition, or offered a reasonable excuse as to why the petition had not been timely filed.

On October 29, 2013, [the trial court] denied Appellant’s Petition to Open Judgment.

On October 31, 2013, the case was placed in deferred status due to Appellant’s pending bankruptcy.

On August 27, 2014, the case was removed from deferred status.

On September 5, 2014, Appellee filed a Praecipe for Writ of Execution.

On September 26, 2014, Appellee filed an Affidavit of Service on Appellant by posting the premises of 936 E. Phil

-3- J-A17043-15

Ellena Street, Philadelphia, PA 19150 on September 18, 2014, as well as an Affidavit of Service on Appellant by personal service.

On October 2, 2014, Appellant filed a Petition to Strike the Judgment as Appellee had failed to provide proof of service by certified mail; failed to set forth a specific averment of default; failed to attach a promissory note; and that Appellee was not the real party of interest in regard to the claim.

On October 22, 2014, Appellee filed an Answer in Opposition to Appellant’s Motion, denying Appellant’s averments and attesting that service had been properly effectuated per Pa.R.C.P. 430. Appellee further argued that Appellant’s claims regarding the specific averment of default and attachment of the Promissory Note should have been raised as preliminary objections, and further, that Appellee was not required to attach the Note to its complaint.

On November 14, 2014, [the trial court] denied Appellant’s [Petition] to Strike Judgment.

On November 21, 2014, Appellant filed a timely Notice of Appeal….

On November 24, 2014, [the trial court] issued its Order pursuant to Pa.R.A.P. 1925(b), directing Appellant to file her Concise Statement of [Errors] Complained of on Appeal within twenty-one (21) days.

On November 25, 2014, Appellant filed her [Rule 1925(b) statement]….

(Trial Court Opinion, filed February 4, 2015, at 1-4) (internal footnote

omitted).

Appellant raises two issues for our review:

DID THE TRIAL COURT IMPROPERLY DENY APPELLANT’S PETITION TO STRIKE THE DEFAULT JUDGMENT, WHEN APPELLEE HAD FAILED TO PROVIDE PROOF OF SERVICE

-4- J-A17043-15

OF ORIGINAL PROCESS BY CERTIFIED MAIL THAT WOULD INCLUDE A RETURN RECEIPT SIGNED BY [APPELLANT]?

DID THE TRIAL COURT IMPROPERLY DENY APPELLANT’S PETITION TO STRIKE THE DEFAULT JUDGMENT, WHEN THE COMPLAINT, ON ITS FACE, FAILED TO STATE A CAUSE OF ACTION IN MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE, BECAUSE, INTER ALIA, NO UNDERLYING PROMISSORY NOTE WAS ALLEGED?

(Appellant’s Brief at 2).

“An appeal regarding a petition to strike a default judgment implicates

the Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedure.” Green Acres Rehabilitation

and Nursing Center v. Sullivan, 113 A.3d 1261, 1267 (Pa.Super. 2015).

Issues regarding the operation of procedural rules of court present us with questions of law. Therefore, our standard of review is de novo and our scope of review is plenary.

A petition to strike a judgment is a common law proceeding which operates as a demurrer to the record. A petition to strike a judgment may be granted only for a fatal defect or irregularity appearing on the face of the record. [A] petition to strike is not a chance to review the merits of the allegations of a complaint.

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