Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v. Cropper

2026 NY Slip Op 30759(U)
CourtNew York Supreme Court, New York County
DecidedFebruary 26, 2026
DocketIndex No. 850665/2023
StatusUnpublished
AuthorFrancis A. Kahn III

This text of 2026 NY Slip Op 30759(U) (Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v. Cropper) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court, New York County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v. Cropper, 2026 NY Slip Op 30759(U) (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2026).

Opinion

Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v Cropper 2026 NY Slip Op 30759(U) February 26, 2026 Supreme Court, New York County Docket Number: Index No. 850665/2023 Judge: Francis A. Kahn III Cases posted with a "30000" identifier, i.e., 2013 NY Slip Op 30001(U), are republished from various New York State and local government sources, including the New York State Unified Court System's eCourts Service. This opinion is uncorrected and not selected for official publication.

file:///LRB-ALB-FS1/Vol1/ecourts/Process/covers/NYSUP.8506652023.NEW_YORK.002.LBLX036_TO.html[03/11/2026 3:45:55 PM] !FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 03 / 02 /2 02 6 11: 5 9 AM! INDEX NO. 850665/2023 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 67 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 03/02/2026

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK NEW YORK COUNTY PRESENT: HON. FRANCIS A. KAHN, Ill PART 32 Justice ----------------------------------------------------------------X 850665/2023 INDEX NO. WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A., MOTION DATE Plaintiff, MOTION SEQ. NO. _ _ _00_2_ __ - V -

DONNA CROPPER, JOHN DOE DECISION + ORDER ON MOTION Defendant. --------------------------------------------------X

The following e-filed documents, listed by NYSCEF document number (Motion 002) 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59,60,61,62, 63,64, 65, 66 were read on this motion to/for JUDGMENT-SUMMARY

Upon the foregoing documents, the motion is determined as follows:

This is an action to foreclose on a residential mortgage encumbering a parcel of real property located at 392 Central Park West 19X, New York, New York. The mortgage, dated January 17, 2013, was given by Defendant Donna Cropper ("Cropper"), to nonparty DE Capital Mortgage, LLC ("Capital") and secures an indebtedness with an original principal amount of an original principal amount of $675,000.00 evidenced by a note the same date as the mortgage. Cropper and non-party Wells Fargo Bank, NA ("Wells Fargo"), assignee of Capital, executed a modification agreement, dated July 20, 2022, wherein Cropper acknowledged Wells Fargo as holder of the note, a default in repayment, the amount of the indebtedness and reaffirmed a promise to repay same.

Wells Fargo commenced this action and pied Cropper defaulted in repayment on or about May 1, 2023, and on all subsequent installment payments. Cropper answered and pied twelve affirmative defenses, including lack of standing and noncompliance with RP APL§§ 1303 and 1304, as well as failure to provide a contractual pre-foreclosure notice. Thereafter, Wells Fargo apparently assigned the note and mortgage to Wilmington Savings Fund Society, FSB ("Wilmington"). Now, Plaintiff moves for summary judgment against Cropper, to strike their answer, dismiss their affirmative defenses, for a default judgment against the non-answering Defendants, to appoint a referee, and to amend the caption. Cropper opposes the motion.

In moving for summary judgment, a plaintiff is required to establish prima facie entitlement to judgment as a matter of law through proof of the mortgage, the note, and evidence of Defendants' default in repayment (see eg US. Bank, NA. v James, 180 AD3d 594 [1st Dept 2020]; Bank of NY v Knowles, 151 AD3d 596 [l st Dept 2017]; Fortress Credit Corp. v Hudson Yards, LLC, 78 AD3d 577 [1st Dept 201 OJ). Based upon Defendants' affirmative defenses, Plaintiff was also required to demonstrate it had standing when this action was commenced (see eg Wells Fargo Bank, NA. v Tricario, 180 AD3d 848 [2d Dept 2020]), its strict compliance with RP APL § § 1303 and 1304 (see US. Bank, NA v Nathan, 173 AD3d 1112 [2d Dept 2019]; HSBC Bank USA, NA. v Bermudez, 175 AD3d

850665/2023 WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A., vs. CROPPER, DONNA M. ET AL Page 1 of 5 Motion No. 002

1 of 5 [* 1] !FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 03/02/2026 11:59 AMI INDEX NO. 850665 / 2023 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 67 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 03/02/2026

667, 669 [2d Dept 2019]) as well as its substantial compliance with notice of default requirement contained in the note and mortgage (see eg Wells Fargo Bank, NA. v McKenzie, 186 AD3d 1582, 1584 [2d Dept 2020)). Proof supporting a prima facie case on a motion for summary judgment must be in admissible form (see CPLR §3212[b]; Tri-State Loan Acquisitions III, LLC v Litkowski, 172 AD3d 780 [1st Dept 2019)). A plaintiff may rely on evidence from persons with personal knowledge of the facts, documents in admissible form and/or persons with knowledge derived from produced admissible records (see eg US Bank NA. v Moulton, 179 AD3d 734, 738 [2d Dept 2020]). No specific business records must be proffered, provided the admissibility requirements ofCPLR 4518[a] are fulfilled and the records evince the facts for which they are relied upon (see eg Citigroup v Kopelowitz, 14 7 AD3d 1014, 1015 [2d Dept 2017)).

Plaintiff's motion was supported with an affirmation from Tom French ("French"), a Director of Asset Management of American Mortgage Investment Partners Management, LLC ("AMIP"), the servicer and attorney-in-fact for Wilmington. French avers that his submission was based on a review of the records of Wilmington and Shell point, and his knowledge of AMIP ' s record keeping practices. French ' s affirmation laid a proper foundation for the admission of the records into evidence under CPLR §4518 by sufficiently showing that the records relied upon "a routine, regularly conducted business activity, and that it be needed and relied upon in the performance of functions of the business", "that the record [was] made pursuant to established procedures for the routine, habitual , systematic making of such a record", and "that the record [was] made at or about the time of the event being recorded" (Bank of N Y Mellon v Gordon, 171 AD3d 197, 205 [2d Dept 2020]). The records of prior servicers were also admissible since French established that those records were received from the makers and incorporated into the records AMIP kept and that it routinely relied upon such documents in its business (see eg U.S. Bank NA . v Kropp-Somoza, 191 AD3d 918 [2d Dept 2021 ]). The records referenced by French were annexed to the moving papers (cf Deutsche Bank Natl. Trust Co. v Kirschenbaum , 187 AD3d 569 [l5 1 Dept 2020)). AMIP ' s authority to act on Plaintiffs behalf was established with submission of a power of attorney, dated May 8, 2024 (see US Bank NA. v. Tesoriero , 204 AD3d 1066 [2d Dept 2022]; Deutsche Ban Natl. Trust Co. v Silverman, 178 AD3d 898 [2d Dept 2019]).

Based on the foregoing Plaintiff established prima facie proof of the mortgage, note, evidence of mortgagor's default in repayment and its standing (see eg ING Real Estate Fin. (USA) LLC v Park Ave. Hotel Acquisition, LLC, 89 AD3d 506 [1 st Dept 201 l]; see also Redrock Kings, LLC v Kings Hotel, Inc., 109 AD3d 602 [2d Dept 2013]; EMC Mortg. Corp. v Stewart, 2 AD3d 772 [2d Dept 2003]). Since Defendant Cropper did not contradict any of these issues in the opposition they are "deemed to be admitted" (see Bank of Am NA v Brannon, 156 AD3d, 1, 6 [1 st Dept 2017]).

Plaintiff was also required to proffer "sufficient evidence demonstrating the absence of material issues as to its strict compliance with RP APL 1304" (Aurora Loan Servs. , LLC v Weisblum, 85 AD3d 95, 106 [2d Dept 2011]). While RP APL §1304 does not specify the proof necessary to demonstrate compliance therewith, the Court of Appeals "has long recognized a party can establish that a notice or other document was sent through evidence of actual mailing ... or ... by proof of a sender's routine business practice with respect to the creation, addressing, and mailing of documents of that nature" (Cit Bank NA . v Schiffman, 36 NY3d 550, 556 [2020][internal citations omitted]). " In other words, there are two methods by which a plaintiff can demonstrate the requisite mailings" ( U.S. Bank NA. v Romano , 231 AD3d 1079, 1080 [2d Dept 2024 ]).

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Bluebook (online)
2026 NY Slip Op 30759(U), Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wells-fargo-bank-na-v-cropper-nysupctnewyork-2026.