Bank of N.Y. Mellon v. Carson

• Decision Date: 17 February 2015
• Docket Number: No. 2013AP544.,2013AP544.
• Citation: 859 N.W.2d 422,361 Wis.2d 23
• Parties: The BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, fka The Bank of New York, as Trustee for CWABS, Inc. Asset–Backed Certificates, Series 2007–13, Plaintiff–Respondent–Petitioner, v. Shirley T. CARSON, Defendant–Appellant, Bayfield Financial LLC and Collins Financial Services, Defendants.
• Court: Wisconsin Supreme Court

361 Wis.2d 23

859 N.W.2d 422

The BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, fka The Bank of New York, as Trustee for CWABS, Inc. Asset–Backed Certificates, Series 2007–13, Plaintiff–Respondent–Petitioner

v. Shirley T. CARSON, Defendant–AppellantBayfield Financial LLC and Collins Financial Services, Defendants.

No. 2013AP544.

Supreme Court of Wisconsin.

Argued Sept. 23, 2014.

Decided Feb. 17, 2015.

For the plaintiff-respondent-petitioner, there were briefs by Valerie L. Bailey–Rihn, Katherine Maloney Perhach, and Quarles & Brady LLP, Madison and Milwaukee; and James W. McGarry, Keith Levenberg, and Goodwin Procter LLP, Boston and Washington. Oral argument by Valerie L. Bailey–Rihn.

For the defendant-appellant, there was a brief by April A.G. Hartman, Jeffrey R. Myer, and Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc. Oral argument by April A.G. Hartman.

An amicus curiae brief by Grant F. Langley, city attorney; Danielle M. Bergner, deputy city attorney; and Kail J. Decker, assistant city attorney, on behalf of the City of Milwaukee.

An amicus curiae brief by Catherine M. Doyle, Amanda E. Adrian, and Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee, Inc., on behalf of the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee.

Opinion

ANN WALSH BRADLEY, J.

¶ 1 Petitioner, Bank of New York Mellon (“the Bank”), seeks review of a published decision of the court of appeals that reversed the circuit court's denial of Shirley Carson's motion to amend a judgment of foreclosure on her former home.¹ She requested that the court find the property to be abandoned and that it order a sale of the property upon expiration of five weeks from the date of entry of the amended judgment. The court of appeals concluded that the circuit court erroneously determined that it was without authority to grant the motion.

¶ 2 The Bank asserts that Wis. Stat. § 846.102 (2011–12)² , the statute governing foreclosure of abandoned properties, does not require it to sell a property after it obtains a judgment of foreclosure and the redemption period has passed. It maintains that the statute is permissive, not mandatory, and that it cannot be required to sell a property. The Bank further contends that even if the statute does mandate that the Bank sell the abandoned property after the redemption period, it provides no deadline for doing so. Thus, the Bank concludes that it is free to execute on its judgment at any time within five years after rendition of the judgment, and the circuit court is without authority to order it to sell the property at a specific time.

¶ 3 Based on the statute's plain language and context, we conclude that when the court determines that a property is abandoned, Wis. Stat. § 846.102 authorizes the circuit court to order a mortgagee to bring the property to sale after the redemption period. We further conclude, consistent with the purpose of the statute, that the circuit court shall order the property to be brought to sale within a reasonable time after the redemption period. The circuit court's determination of what constitutes a reasonable time should be based on the totality of the circumstances in each case.

¶ 4 In this case, the circuit court did not reach the issue of whether the property had been abandoned. Accordingly, we affirm the court of appeals and remand the cause to the circuit court for such a determination and further proceedings.

I

¶ 5 In 2007, Countrywide Home Loans loaned $52,000 to Carson. As security for the debt, Carson mortgaged her home on Concordia Avenue in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After Carson defaulted on her payments, Countrywide and Carson entered an agreement modifying the terms of the loan. Subsequently, Carson again defaulted on the loan payments.

¶ 6 The Bank, as trustee for Countrywide, filed a complaint against Carson, seeking a judgment of foreclosure and sale of the mortgaged premises. Attempts to serve Carson at the Concordia Avenue property were unsuccessful. In his affidavit, the process server observed that the house appeared to be vacant. On his first visit he reported that the garage had been boarded, that the snow was not shoveled, there were no footprints in it, and there was no furniture in the house. Notes from his successive visits state that the snow was still not shoveled and there were still no footprints around the house.

¶ 7 Thereafter, the Bank published notice of the foreclosure action in a local newspaper. Carson, who was physically and financially unable to care for the property, did not file an answer or otherwise dispute the foreclosure. In April 2011, BAC Home Loan Servicing, LP, apparently a loan servicer for Countrywide, filed a City of Milwaukee Registration of Abandoned Property in Foreclosure form for the property.³

¶ 8 The circuit court entered a judgment in favor of the Bank. It determined that Carson owed the Bank $81,356.59. After acknowledging that the property was not owner occupied, the court directed that the property “shall be sold at public auction under the direction of the sheriff, at any time after three month(s) from the date of entry of judgment.” The judgment also enjoined both parties from committing waste on the premises and specified that in the event the property is abandoned by the defendants, the Bank “may take all necessary steps to secure and winterize the subject property.”

¶ 9 After the judgment was entered, the Bank did not take steps to secure the property. It was repeatedly burglarized and vandalized. At one point someone started a fire in the garage. Despite an order from the City of Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services to maintain the property, the Bank did not do so. Carson received notices of accumulated trash and debris, as well as notices of overgrown weeds, grass, and trees. The City imposed approximately $1,800 in municipal fines on her and she made payments of approximately $25 per month toward the fines.

¶ 10 By November 2012, more than 16 months after the judgment of foreclosure was entered, the Bank had not sold the property and had no plans to sell it. Carson filed a motion to amend the judgment to include a finding that the property was abandoned and an order that the sale of the premises be made upon expiration of five weeks from the date of entry of the amended judgment, pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 846.102.⁴

¶ 11 In support of her motion, Carson referenced the affidavit from the process server indicating that the house appeared vacant. She produced her own affidavit stating that she had terminated her utility accounts, that the property had been vandalized, that the doors and windows on the house had been boarded, and that the garage had been damaged by fire. She also produced the form the loan servicer filed with the City of Milwaukee registering the premises as an abandoned property, violation notices from the City indicating that there was trash and debris on the property, a copy of the complaint record from the City, and a re-inspection fee letter from the City.

¶ 12 The circuit court denied Carson's motion. It observed that Wis. Stat. § 846.102 did not specifically grant it authority to order the Bank to sell the property at a specific time. It explained “I can't find anywhere in the statute [Wis. Stat. § 846.102 ] that I have the authority to grant the relief that [Carson is] requesting.” The court further noted that the statute contemplates that the redemption period be elected by the mortgagee, not the borrower, and questioned whether a mortgagee could be compelled to execute a judgment when someone else is seeking the order. Accordingly, it stated, “I'm specifically finding that I don't have the authority ... so the motion is denied on those grounds.”

¶ 13 Carson appealed, arguing that under Wis. Stat. § 846.102 the circuit court did have the authority to order sale of the property upon expiration of the redemption period. The court of appeals agreed with Carson.

Bank of New York v. Carson, 2013 WI App 153, ¶ 9, 352 Wis.2d 205, 841 N.W.2d 573. It determined that “the plain language of the statute directs the court to ensure that an abandoned property is sold without delay, and it logically follows that if a party to a foreclosure moves the court to order a sale, the court may use its contempt authority to do so.” Id., ¶ 13. Accordingly, it reversed the circuit court and remanded the case. Id., ¶ 16.

II

¶ 14 This case presents two issues. First, we are asked to determine whether Wis. Stat. § 846.102 authorizes a circuit court to order a mortgagee to bring a property to sale. Second, we are asked whether a court can require a mortgagee to bring a property to sale at a certain point in time. Both questions require us to determine the scope of authority granted to the circuit court by Wis. Stat. § 846.102. Statutory interpretation is a question of law that we review independently of the determinations rendered by the circuit court and the court of appeals. Bank Mut. v. S.J. Boyer Constr., Inc., 2010 WI 74, ¶ 21, 326 Wis.2d 521, 785 N.W.2d 462.

¶ 15 Our goal in statutory interpretation is to determine what the statute means so that it may be given its full, proper, and intended effect. State ex rel. Kalal v. Circuit Court for Dane Cnty., 2004 WI 58, ¶ 44, 271 Wis.2d 633, 681 N.W.2d 110. Interpretation of a statute begins with an examination of the statutory language. Id., ¶ 45. “Statutory language is given its common, ordinary, and accepted meaning, except that technical or specially-defined words or phrases are given their technical or special definitional meaning.” Id.

¶ 16 In seeking to give a statute its intended effect, we are cognizant that “[a] statute's purpose or scope may be readily apparent from its plain language or its relationship to surrounding or closely-related statutes—that is, from its context or the structure of the statute as a coherent whole.” Id., ¶ 49. Thus, statutory language is interpreted “in the context in which it is used; not in isolation but as part of a whole; in relation to the language of surrounding or closely-related statutes.” Id., ¶ 46.

¶ 17 Where the...