90 Cwelt-2008 LLC v. Yacht Club at Portofino Condo. Ass'n, Inc.

• Decision Date: 25 April 2018
• Docket Number: No. 3D17–929,3D17–929
• Citation: 245 So.3d 925
• Parties: 90 CWELT–2008 LLC, Appellant, v. YACHT CLUB AT PORTOFINO CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION, INC., et al., Appellees.
• Court: Florida District Court of Appeals

245 So.3d 925

90 CWELT–2008 LLC, Appellant,
v.
YACHT CLUB AT PORTOFINO CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION, INC., et al., Appellees.

No. 3D17–929

District Court of Appeal of Florida, Third District.

Opinion filed April 25, 2018

P.A. Bravo, P.A., Coral Gables, and Paul Alexander Bravo, for appellant.

GrayRobinson, P.A., and Kristie Hatcher–Bolin (Lakeland), for appellee, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.

Before ROTHENBERG, C.J., and EMAS and LUCK, JJ.

EMAS, J.

245 So.3d 926

90 CWELT–2008 LLC ("CWELT"), the third-party purchaser at a foreclosure sale, seeks review of an order vacating a certificate of sale and a certificate of title, following the trial court's earlier order vacating a final judgment of foreclosure. We affirm, because the order on appeal was properly entered by the trial court pursuant to, and as a result of, its earlier order vacating the final judgment.

The foreclosure case at issue was filed by Yacht Club and Portofino Condominium Association, Inc. ("the Association") against unit owners Craig and Nicole Snyder, for their failure to pay condominium assessments. Prior to the Association's foreclosure case, the Snyders' mortgage company, JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. ("JP Morgan"), had also filed a foreclosure action against the Snyders.

In the Association's foreclosure action, JP Morgan was named a party defendant, based upon the interest it claimed in the property by virtue of a prior mortgage. However, JP Morgan was not properly served with the complaint in the Association's case, and JP Morgan never answered the complaint (nor did the Snyders). Following entry of a summary final judgment in favor of the Association on June 16, 2014, the Snyders' unit was sold at a foreclosure sale, and CWELT was the successful bidder. On August 1, 2014 the certificate of sale to CWELT was issued and two weeks later, the certificate of title as well.

Eight months later, on February 11, 2015, JP Morgan moved to quash service of process and set aside the summary final judgment, asserting it had not been properly served with process and, therefore, the subsequent judgment was void. On June 17, 2015, the trial court granted the motion and vacated the final judgment, finding that service of process on JP Morgan was defective, rendering the final judgment void.

On July 16, 2015, a month after the trial court's order vacating the final judgment, JP Morgan filed a motion seeking to unwind the foreclosure sale and to vacate the certificates of sale and title. The following day, CWELT filed a notice of appeal seeking review of the trial court's order...