Bank of N.Y. Mellon v. Slavin

• Decision Date: 21 November 2016
• Parties: BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON f/k/a Bank of New York, as Trustee, in trust for registered holders of CWABS, Inc., Asset–Back Certificates, Series 2005–IM3, Plaintiff, v. Erin SLAVIN a/k/a Erin Mohammed, Ginsbergs Institutional Foods, Inc., and “John Doe No. 1” through “John Doe # 10”, the last ten names being fictitious and unknown to the plaintiff, the person or parties intended being the persons or parties, if any, having or claiming an interest in or lien upon the mortgaged premises described in the Complaint, Defendants.
• Court: New York Supreme Court

54 Misc.3d 311

41 N.Y.S.3d 408

2016 N.Y. Slip Op. 26382

BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON f/k/a Bank of New York, as Trustee, in trust for registered holders of CWABS, Inc., Asset–Back Certificates, Series 2005–IM3, Plaintiff,

v.Erin SLAVIN a/k/a Erin Mohammed, Ginsbergs Institutional Foods, Inc., and “John Doe No. 1” through “John Doe # 10”, the last ten names being fictitious and unknown to the plaintiff, the person or parties intended being the persons or parties, if any, having or claiming an interest in or lien upon the mortgaged premises described in the Complaint, Defendants.

Supreme Court, Rensselaer County, New York.

Nov. 21, 2016.

Tracy Ellis Williams, Esq., of counsel, Eckert Seamons Cherin & Mellot, LLC, White Plains, for Plaintiff.

Arthur R. Frost, Esq., of counsel, Frost & Kavanaugh, P.C., Troy, for Defendant Erin Slavin.

ZWACK, J.

In this residential mortgage foreclosure action, plaintiff Bank of New York Mellon moves pursuant to CPLR 3212 for summary judgment against defendant Erin Slavin (“Slavin”), and pursuant to CPLR 3215 for default judgment against all other non-appearing defendants. Defendant Slavin opposes, and cross-moves for summary judgment on her counterclaim which seeks cancellation and discharge of the subject mortgage. No other defendants have appeared or opposed.

Plaintiff commenced a prior foreclosure action on October 6, 2006 against defendant Slavin (then Erin Mohammed), who defaulted and the Court (McDonough, J.) granted plaintiff a default judgment on August 6, 2009. On January 23, 2013, Judge McDonough dismissed the matter pursuant to Uniform Rule 202.27 on account of plaintiff's failure to appear at a mandatory conference. On July 9, 2014, after plaintiff again failed to appear at a mandatory conference, and rejecting plaintiff's offered excuse of law office failure, the Court denied an application by plaintiff to vacate the 2013 dismissal order which was affirmed on July 30, 2015 by the Appellate Division, Third Department (Bank of N.Y. v. Mohammed, 130 A.D.3d 1419, 14 N.Y.S.3d 783 ).

This foreclosure action was commenced on August 11, 2015. The summons and complaint were served on Slavin on August 25, 2015. Slavin interposed an answer with counterclaim on September 11, 2015. Plaintiff replied on September 25, 2015, and amended its reply on December 2, 2015. A residential mortgage foreclosure settlement conference (CPLR 3408 ) was held on January 11, 2016, with the Court releasing the matter from the settlement part and permitting plaintiff to proceed with the foreclosure action.

Now, plaintiff moves for summary judgment against Slavin, who opposes pointing to the dismissal of the prior foreclosure action and argues that plaintiff's claims are barred by the applicable six year statute of limitations (CPLR 213 ). In reply, plaintiff asserts that it is entitled to the tolling provisions of CPLR 205, that the 2013 dismissal was not for neglect to prosecute, and that it timely commenced the instant action within six months after the Appellate Division affirmed the 2013 dismissal of the prior action. Plaintiff also asserts that it revoked the 2006 acceleration of the subject debt and thus the statute of limitations had not yet run when it commenced the 2015 action here arguing that a 2009 trial modification, which included trial period payments between September 2009 and February 2010, revoked the acceleration of debt in the 2006 foreclosure action.

On a motion for summary judgment in a mortgage foreclosure action, “where a mortgagee produces the mortgage and unpaid note, together with evidence of the mortgagor's default, the mortgagee demonstrates its entitlement to a judgment of foreclosure as a matter of law, thereby shifting the burden to the mortgagor to assert and demonstrate, by competent and admissible evidence, any defense that could properly raise a question of fact” (United Cos. Lending Corp. v. Hingos, 283 A.D.2d 764, 765, 724 N.Y.S.2d 134 [3d Dept.2001] ). Here, plaintiff has set forth the requisite proof that it is the owner of the subject mortgage, which collateralizes the defendant's unpaid note, and that the defendant is in default under the terms of the mortgage and note. In opposition, the defendant particularly asserts citing to the 2013 dismissal of a prior foreclosure action the affirmative defense that plaintiff's claims are barred by the statute of limitation (CPLR 213 ). Defendant also argues in her counter-claims entitlement pursuant to RPAPL Article 15 to cancellation and discharge of the subject mortgage, on account of the running of the statute of limitations to enforce defendant's promissory note.

On the issue of whether plaintiff's action to foreclose is barred by the statute of limitation, “defendant bears the initial burden of demonstrating that the time within which to commence the action as expired (Botach Mgt. Group v. Gurash, 138 A.D.3d 771, 773, 31 N.Y.S.3d 80 [2d Dept.2016], internal citations omitted) which Slavin conclusively met with documentary evidence establishing that plaintiff, by commencing the prior foreclosure action on October 2, 2006, accelerated defendant's debt, that it obtained a default judgment in 2009, and that the prior action was dismissed in 2013 in sum showing that the instant action, commenced in 2015, is time barred because it was commenced after the expiration of the applicable statute of limitations, which occurred in 2012. The burden thus shifted to plaintiff “to raise a question of fact as to whether the limitations period ‘has been tolled or was otherwise inapplicable’ ” (Botach, at 773, 31 N.Y.S.3d 80, quoting QK Healthcare, Inc. v. InSource, Inc., 108 A.D.3d 56, 65, 965 N.Y.S.2d 133 ) who argues that it is entitled to the savings provisions of CPLR 205 and thereby entitled to revive the otherwise time barred attempt to foreclose the subject mortgage. Plaintiff also asserts that in 2009 it revoked the 2006 acceleration and argues that in any event that the statute of limitations to foreclose has not yet run.

Surely, this foreclosure action, commenced more than eight years after plaintiff accelerated the debt in 2006, is time-barred unless either rescued by CPLR 205 or by plaintiff having revoked its acceleration before the expiration of the statute of limitations.

“The six year statute of limitations in a mortgage foreclosure action begins to run from the due date for each unpaid installment unless the debt has been accelerated; once the debt has been accelerated by a demand or commencement of an action, the entire sum becomes due and the statute of limitations begins to run on the entire mortgage” (Goldman Sachs Mortg. Co. v. Mares, 135 A.D.3d 1121, 23 N.Y.S.3d 444 [3d Dept.2016], quoting Lavin v. Elmakiss, 302 A.D.2d 638, 639, 754 N.Y.S.2d 741 [3d Dept.2003], lv. dismissed 100 N.Y.2d 577, 764 N.Y.S.2d 386, 796 N.E.2d 478 ). “[A] suit to foreclose a mortgage is notice of the most unequivocal character that the mortgagee wishes to avail himself of his option for acceleration' ” (Ward v. Walkley, 143 A.D.2d 415, 417, 532 N.Y.S.2d 426 [2d Dept.1988], quoting 55 Am. Jr. 2d, Mortgages § 387), and the “filing of a summons and complaint with notice of pendency is sufficient indication of the intent to accelerate the mortgage (City Streets Realty Corp. v. Jan Jay Construction Enterprises Corp., 88 A.D.2d 558, 559, 450 N.Y.S.2d 492 [1st Dept.1982] ). Once the debt is accelerated, the “election in this regard (may) be revoked only through an affirmative act (of revocation) occurring within the statute of limitations period” (Lavin, at 639, 754 N.Y.S.2d 741, citing EMC Mtge. Corp. v. Patella, 279 A.D.2d 604, 605–606, 720 N.Y.S.2d 161 [2d Dept.2001] ).

“[A]lthough a lender may revoke its election to accelerate all sums due under an optional acceleration clause provided there is no change in the borrower's position in reliance thereon” (Federal Natl. Mtge. Assn. v. Mebane, 208 A.D.2d 892 894, 618 N.Y.S.2d 88 [2d Dept.1994] ), the revocation should be clear, unequivocal, and give actual notice to the borrower of the lender's election to revoke in sum, akin to the manner plaintiff gave notice to exercise the option to accelerate (Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v. Burke, 95 A.D.3d 980, 983, 943 N.Y.S.2d 754 [2d Dept.2012] ) particularly, where as here, the “prior foreclosure action was never withdrawn by the lender, but rather dismissed sua sponte by the court ... (and) rather than seeking to revoke its election to accelerate, the plaintiff made a failed attempt ......