STATE OF MAINE SUPERJOR COURT OXFORD, SS. CIVIL ACTION DOCKET NO. RE-2016-05
U.S. BANK TRUST, N.A., as Trustee for LSF9 MASTER PARTICIPATION TRUST,
Plaintiff
v. ORDER
HOMEOWNERS ASSISTANCE CORPORATION,
Defendant,
MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEJ\1S, Il'JC, as nominee for HOJ\1EOWNERS ASSISTANCE CORPORATION; ADAM DUPILE; and BELINDA DUPILE.
Parties-In-Interest
Plaintiff U.S. Bank Trust, N.A., as Trustee for LSF9 Master Participation
Trust, rnoves for declaratory default judgment, judgment on the pleadings, and to
quiet title regarding the mortgaged premises at 273 East Buckfield Road in
Buckfield. 1 Plaintiff brings this action against Defendant Homeowners Assistance
1 While Plaintiff asserts that it is moving to quiet title, it explained in its opposition to the motion to dismiss filed by parties-in-interest, Adam and Belinda Dupile, that it is moving pursuant to Maine's Declaratory Judgment Act. (See Pl.'s Opp . to Mot. to Dismiss, 1-3); see also Bell v. Wells, 510 A.2d 509, 515 (Me. 1986) ("While the source of jurisdiction to quiet title is found in the quiet title provisions, 14 M.R.S.A. §§ 6651-6662, the Declaratory Judgment Act creates a more adequate and flexible remedy, avoiding the 'arcane intricacies found in the procedural requirements' of the quiet title provisions. We Corporation (HAC) as well as parties-in-interest Mortgage Electronic Registration
Systems, Inc. (MERS), as nominee for HAC, Adam Dupile, and Belinda Dupile.
HAC and MERS have not appeared in the present action. Adam and Belinda
Dupile are the mortgagors. The Dupiles filed an unsuccessful motion to dismiss,
but have not opposed the present motion. For the reasons stated below, Plaintiffs
motion is denjed.
I. BACKGROUND
On January 18, 2008, the Dupiles appear to have executed and delivered to
HAC a Note in the amount of $168, 700. To secure the Note, the Dupiles executed
a :t'v1ortgage Deed in favor of lv1ERS, as nominee for HAC, securing the property
located at 273 East Buckfield Road in Buckfield.
Thereafter, MERS purported to assign the Mortgage Deed to Chase Home
Finance LLC, by virtue of an Assignment of Mortgage dated April 15, 2010.
Chase Home Finance LLC then assigned that Mortgage Deed to the Secretary of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD" by a Niaine Assignment of Mortgage
dated July 10, 2014. Finally, the Secretary of HUD purported to assign the
Mortgage Deed to Plaintiff by virtue of an Assignment of Mortgage/Deed of Trust
dated March 6, 2015.
have noted that a declaratory judgment proceeding is a 'particularly efficacious method for quieting title to real prope11y."' (citations omitted).) Additionally, quiet title actions are vehicles to confirm legal title to real estate, not to adjudicate ownership interests in mortgages, which secure the right to payment under note instruments. See 14 M.R.S. §§ 6651-6658.
2 Plaintiff filed the present action on January 26, 2016, seeking a
"confirmatory Nunc Pro Tune order and an effective reaffirmation" of the
assignments. Plaintiff further seeks a declaration that it is and was the owner of
both the Note and the Mortgage effective March 6, 2015, the date the Secretary of
HUD purported to assign the Mortgage Deed to Plaintiff.
II. DISCUSSION
Plaintiff contends that where the note and the mortgage for a property are
held by separate entities as the onset of the transaction, an equitable trust is implied
by law under which the mortgage is held in trust for the noteholder. See Jordon v.
Cheney, 74 ME 359, 361 (Ivle. 1883). Due to this equitable trust, the limited scope
of the Law Court's decision in Bank ofAmerica, N.A. v. Greenleaf, 2014 ME 89,
96 A.3d 700, and the Legislature's enactment of 33 M.R.S. § 508, Plaintiff argues
it is entitled to a judgment "confirming that all of the interests contained in the
subject mortgage have been transferred to Plaintiff."
Maine's Declaratory Judgments Act empowers the court to "declare rights,
status and other legal relations" when doing so will "terminate the controversy or
remove an uncertainty." 14 M.R.S .A. §§ 5953, 5957 (2015). "Although the
Declaratory Judgments Act expands the range of available relief, it does not relax
the elements of justiciability necessary to present the Court with a justiciable
controversy." Berry v. Daigle, 322 A.2d 320, 325 (Me. 1974 ). "When declaratory
3 relief is sought, all persons shall be made parties who have or claim any interest
which would be affected by the declaration and no declaration shall prejudice the
rights of persons not parties to the proceeding." 14 M.R.S. § 5963 (2015). "The
court may refuse to render or enter a declaratory judgment or decree where such
judgment or decree, if rendered or entered, would not terminate the uncertainty or
controversy giving rise to the proceeding." 14 M.R.S. § 5958 (2015).
Here, judgment in favor of the Plaintiff is inappropriate for a number of
reasons. First, Plaintiff filed a return of service stating that the complaint and
summons were served on HAC, Charter # 19890498F through the Maine Secretary
of State Bureau of Corporations. That foreign corporation, however, ceased doing
business in Maine in 2001 , seven years before the Dupiles entered into the Note
and Mortgage.2 Accordingly, it seems very unlikely that Plaintiff served the proper
Defendant.
Second, even if Plaintiff had served the proper Defendant, a declaratory
judgment would not be appropriate because the court cannot sufficiently ascertain
whether there is a controversy between the litigants. Berry, 322 A.2d at 325. This
is because Plaintiffs motion contends that the parties named in the Complaint 2 The court makes this determination by taking judicial notice of both the Secretary of State's records relating to HAC, Charter # 19890498F and the following Superior Court cases in which the court explained that Plaintiff improperly served HAC, Charter # l 9890498 F: U. S. Bank Trust, NA . v. Homeowners Assist. Corp., AUBSC-RE-15-49 (Me. Super. Ct., And. City., Oct. 7, 2015); U.S. Bank Trust, NA . v. Homeown ers Assist. Corp., AUBSC-RE-15-51 (Me. Super. Ct. And . Cnty., June 27, 2016). M.R. Evid . 201 ; Guardianship ofJewel M., 20 10 ME 80, ~ 24, 2 A.3d 301; Finn v. Lipman, 526 A.2d 1380, 1381 (Me. 1987).
4 "claim or may claim some right, title or interest in the premises adverse to
Plaintiffs estate ...." This problem is exacerbated by the fact that Plaintiffs
motion is unopposed and certain entities, that may have previously held rights to
the Mortgage Deed, were not joined in the present action.
Furthermore, a reaffirmation of the assignments at issue in the present case
would also be a declaration of the rights of MERS, Chase Ilome Finance LLC, and
the Secretary of HUD to assign the mortgage at issue. Chase Home Finance LLC
and the Secretary of HUD, however, are not parties to this action, thereby
rendering a declaratory judgment improper. See 14 M.R.S. § 5963; Bank ofAm.,
N.A. v. J'vfetro 1vfortg. Co., 2015 Me. Super. LEXIS 14, at *3 (Jan. 29, 2015)
(denying plaintiffs request for default judgment in declaratory judgment action in
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STATE OF MAINE SUPERJOR COURT OXFORD, SS. CIVIL ACTION DOCKET NO. RE-2016-05
U.S. BANK TRUST, N.A., as Trustee for LSF9 MASTER PARTICIPATION TRUST,
Plaintiff
v. ORDER
HOMEOWNERS ASSISTANCE CORPORATION,
Defendant,
MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEJ\1S, Il'JC, as nominee for HOJ\1EOWNERS ASSISTANCE CORPORATION; ADAM DUPILE; and BELINDA DUPILE.
Parties-In-Interest
Plaintiff U.S. Bank Trust, N.A., as Trustee for LSF9 Master Participation
Trust, rnoves for declaratory default judgment, judgment on the pleadings, and to
quiet title regarding the mortgaged premises at 273 East Buckfield Road in
Buckfield. 1 Plaintiff brings this action against Defendant Homeowners Assistance
1 While Plaintiff asserts that it is moving to quiet title, it explained in its opposition to the motion to dismiss filed by parties-in-interest, Adam and Belinda Dupile, that it is moving pursuant to Maine's Declaratory Judgment Act. (See Pl.'s Opp . to Mot. to Dismiss, 1-3); see also Bell v. Wells, 510 A.2d 509, 515 (Me. 1986) ("While the source of jurisdiction to quiet title is found in the quiet title provisions, 14 M.R.S.A. §§ 6651-6662, the Declaratory Judgment Act creates a more adequate and flexible remedy, avoiding the 'arcane intricacies found in the procedural requirements' of the quiet title provisions. We Corporation (HAC) as well as parties-in-interest Mortgage Electronic Registration
Systems, Inc. (MERS), as nominee for HAC, Adam Dupile, and Belinda Dupile.
HAC and MERS have not appeared in the present action. Adam and Belinda
Dupile are the mortgagors. The Dupiles filed an unsuccessful motion to dismiss,
but have not opposed the present motion. For the reasons stated below, Plaintiffs
motion is denjed.
I. BACKGROUND
On January 18, 2008, the Dupiles appear to have executed and delivered to
HAC a Note in the amount of $168, 700. To secure the Note, the Dupiles executed
a :t'v1ortgage Deed in favor of lv1ERS, as nominee for HAC, securing the property
located at 273 East Buckfield Road in Buckfield.
Thereafter, MERS purported to assign the Mortgage Deed to Chase Home
Finance LLC, by virtue of an Assignment of Mortgage dated April 15, 2010.
Chase Home Finance LLC then assigned that Mortgage Deed to the Secretary of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD" by a Niaine Assignment of Mortgage
dated July 10, 2014. Finally, the Secretary of HUD purported to assign the
Mortgage Deed to Plaintiff by virtue of an Assignment of Mortgage/Deed of Trust
dated March 6, 2015.
have noted that a declaratory judgment proceeding is a 'particularly efficacious method for quieting title to real prope11y."' (citations omitted).) Additionally, quiet title actions are vehicles to confirm legal title to real estate, not to adjudicate ownership interests in mortgages, which secure the right to payment under note instruments. See 14 M.R.S. §§ 6651-6658.
2 Plaintiff filed the present action on January 26, 2016, seeking a
"confirmatory Nunc Pro Tune order and an effective reaffirmation" of the
assignments. Plaintiff further seeks a declaration that it is and was the owner of
both the Note and the Mortgage effective March 6, 2015, the date the Secretary of
HUD purported to assign the Mortgage Deed to Plaintiff.
II. DISCUSSION
Plaintiff contends that where the note and the mortgage for a property are
held by separate entities as the onset of the transaction, an equitable trust is implied
by law under which the mortgage is held in trust for the noteholder. See Jordon v.
Cheney, 74 ME 359, 361 (Ivle. 1883). Due to this equitable trust, the limited scope
of the Law Court's decision in Bank ofAmerica, N.A. v. Greenleaf, 2014 ME 89,
96 A.3d 700, and the Legislature's enactment of 33 M.R.S. § 508, Plaintiff argues
it is entitled to a judgment "confirming that all of the interests contained in the
subject mortgage have been transferred to Plaintiff."
Maine's Declaratory Judgments Act empowers the court to "declare rights,
status and other legal relations" when doing so will "terminate the controversy or
remove an uncertainty." 14 M.R.S .A. §§ 5953, 5957 (2015). "Although the
Declaratory Judgments Act expands the range of available relief, it does not relax
the elements of justiciability necessary to present the Court with a justiciable
controversy." Berry v. Daigle, 322 A.2d 320, 325 (Me. 1974 ). "When declaratory
3 relief is sought, all persons shall be made parties who have or claim any interest
which would be affected by the declaration and no declaration shall prejudice the
rights of persons not parties to the proceeding." 14 M.R.S. § 5963 (2015). "The
court may refuse to render or enter a declaratory judgment or decree where such
judgment or decree, if rendered or entered, would not terminate the uncertainty or
controversy giving rise to the proceeding." 14 M.R.S. § 5958 (2015).
Here, judgment in favor of the Plaintiff is inappropriate for a number of
reasons. First, Plaintiff filed a return of service stating that the complaint and
summons were served on HAC, Charter # 19890498F through the Maine Secretary
of State Bureau of Corporations. That foreign corporation, however, ceased doing
business in Maine in 2001 , seven years before the Dupiles entered into the Note
and Mortgage.2 Accordingly, it seems very unlikely that Plaintiff served the proper
Defendant.
Second, even if Plaintiff had served the proper Defendant, a declaratory
judgment would not be appropriate because the court cannot sufficiently ascertain
whether there is a controversy between the litigants. Berry, 322 A.2d at 325. This
is because Plaintiffs motion contends that the parties named in the Complaint 2 The court makes this determination by taking judicial notice of both the Secretary of State's records relating to HAC, Charter # 19890498F and the following Superior Court cases in which the court explained that Plaintiff improperly served HAC, Charter # l 9890498 F: U. S. Bank Trust, NA . v. Homeowners Assist. Corp., AUBSC-RE-15-49 (Me. Super. Ct., And. City., Oct. 7, 2015); U.S. Bank Trust, NA . v. Homeown ers Assist. Corp., AUBSC-RE-15-51 (Me. Super. Ct. And . Cnty., June 27, 2016). M.R. Evid . 201 ; Guardianship ofJewel M., 20 10 ME 80, ~ 24, 2 A.3d 301; Finn v. Lipman, 526 A.2d 1380, 1381 (Me. 1987).
4 "claim or may claim some right, title or interest in the premises adverse to
Plaintiffs estate ...." This problem is exacerbated by the fact that Plaintiffs
motion is unopposed and certain entities, that may have previously held rights to
the Mortgage Deed, were not joined in the present action.
Furthermore, a reaffirmation of the assignments at issue in the present case
would also be a declaration of the rights of MERS, Chase Ilome Finance LLC, and
the Secretary of HUD to assign the mortgage at issue. Chase Home Finance LLC
and the Secretary of HUD, however, are not parties to this action, thereby
rendering a declaratory judgment improper. See 14 M.R.S. § 5963; Bank ofAm.,
N.A. v. J'vfetro 1vfortg. Co., 2015 Me. Super. LEXIS 14, at *3 (Jan. 29, 2015)
(denying plaintiffs request for default judgment in declaratory judgment action in
part because plaintiff had failed to join necessary parties); Horton & McGehee,
Maine Civil Remedies § 3-3( d)(2) at 50 (4th ed. 2004) ("a declaration of rights may
properly be refused when persons whose interests wou Id be affected are not
parties").
In addition, a declaratory judgment-even against the proper Defendant
as to whether Plaintiff owns the mortgage would not necessarily remove any
uncertainty as to ownership of the mortgage. If the court v1cre to declare that
Plaintiff does not own the Mortgage, Chase Home Finance LLC and the Secretary
of HUD would remain free to litigate whether they instead owned the mortgage.
5 14 M.R.S. § 5958; Bourgeois v. Sprague, 358 A.2d 521, 522 (Me. 1976)
(M.R. Civ. P. 19 applied to declaratory judgment actions); 2 Harvey Maine Civil
Practice§ 19:1 at 558 (3d ed. 2011) (M.R. Civ. P. 19 protects parties by ensuring
issues will not be relitigated).
Finally, procedural rules must be followed, especially in matters involving
mortgage foreclosure. See JPMorgan Chase Bank v. Harp, 2011 ME 5, ~ 15, 10
A.3d 718. M.R. Civ. P. 55(b )(2), addressing default judgm ents, authorizes the
court to conduct a hearing the court deems necessary and proper "to establish the
truth of any averment by evidence." Here, even if the foregoing deficiencies were
not present, the court would have required a hearing to establish the truth of
Plaintiffs averments. For instance, while the Complaint an d Motion purport to
attach true and correct copies of the Note, Mortgage Deed, and purported
assignments thereof, Plaintiff has not produced an affidavit from a custodian of
records or other appropriate individual declaring as much. 3
3 The court also notes that should Plaintiff subsequently fail to prov e ownership of the Note and Mortgage in a foreclosure action, such a finding could result in a dckrmination Lhat Plaintiff lacked standing in the present case. This determination could divest the court of j uri sdiction and potentially render the requested default judgment void. See 3 Harvey, Maine Civ il l 'ractice § 55.6 at 206 & n.3 (3d ed. 2011) (noting that while the factual allegations contained in a corn plaint upon which the defendant defaulted are not subject to collateral attack, the judgment may be void if the court lacked jurisdiction).
6 III. CONCLUSION
In light of the foregoing, Plaintiff's motion is denied. The entry is:
Plaintiff's motion for quiet title, declaratory default judgment, and judgment on the pleadings is DENIED.
DATED: 1/1 tf/f~ Active Retired Justice