Bank of N.Y. v. S. Highlands Cmty. Ass'n
Bank of N.Y. v. S. Highlands Cmty. Ass'n
Opinion of the Court
Plaintiff Bank of New York (BONY) sues to determine whether a non-judicial foreclosure sale conducted by defendant Southern Highlands Community Association (Southern Highlands) extinguished BONY's deed of trust that encumbered property located at 10995 Calcedonian Street in Las Vegas, Nevada. Defendant SFR Investments Pool 1, LLC (SFR) purchased the property at the homeowners association (HOA) foreclosure sale.
BONY sues for declarations that its deed of trust remains as an encumbrance against the property and that it may enforce the deed of trust through either a judicial or non-judicial foreclosure sale. BONY also sues Southern Highlands and its foreclosure agent, defendant Alessi & Koenig, LLC (Alessi), for equitable indemnification and wrongful foreclosure in the event that BONY's deed of trust was extinguished by the HOA sale.
SFR and Southern Highlands separately move to dismiss, contending BONY's claims are untimely. After briefing on the motions to dismiss was completed, I issued a decision in another case in which I held that the four-year catchall was the applicable limitation period for similar quiet title claims by lienholders. See Bank of Am., N.A. v. Country Garden Owners Ass'n , No. 2:17-cv-01850-APG-CWH,
The parties are familiar with the facts, and I will not repeat them here except where necessary to resolve the motions. I grant in part Southern Highlands' motion, grant SFR's motion, deny the motion to certify, and grant BONY leave to amend.
II. ANALYSIS
In considering a motion to dismiss, "all well-pleaded allegations of material fact are taken as true and construed in a light most favorable to the non-moving party." Wyler Summit P'ship v. Turner Broad. Sys., Inc. ,
"A claim may be dismissed as untimely pursuant to a 12(b)(6) motion only when the running of the statute of limitations is apparent on the face of the complaint." United States ex rel. Air Control Techs., Inc. v. Pre Con Indus., Inc. ,
The HOA foreclosure sale took place on September 19, 2012, the trustee's deed upon sale was recorded on October 9, 2012, and BONY filed the original complaint in this matter on October 20, 2017. ECF Nos. 1 at 1; 17 at 6. Consequently, claims that are governed by a limitation period of five years or less are untimely.
A. Declaratory Relief (Count One)
Count one of the amended complaint seeks a declaration that the deed of trust still encumbers the property or that the HOA sale was void. ECF No. 17 at 6-8. Southern Highlands argues this claim is essentially one to quiet title so a five-year limitation period applies. SFR argues that this claim alleges statutory violations under Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 116 and generally challenges Southern Highlands' authority to foreclose as it did, and thus a three-year limitation period applies under Nevada Revised Statutes § 11.190(3)(a). Alternatively, SFR argues the four-year catchall provision in § 11.220 applies.
BONY responds that no limitation period applies because the sale was conducted pursuant to an unconstitutional statute and thus is void as a matter of law. BONY also argues that its claim is based on the fact that it tendered the superpriority amount and that the sale should be set aside for fraud, oppression, or unfairness, so its claim does not necessarily rely on statutory violations. BONY asserts a variety of reasons as to why its claim is timely, including that (1) the time to enforce the deed of trust has not expired, so its claim about the continued validity of the deed of trust is timely; (2) its declaratory relief claim is a defense to a future wrongful foreclosure claim by SFR if BONY proceeds with a foreclosure; (3) non-judicial foreclosures are not subject to a statute of limitations, so a declaratory relief claim seeking permission to foreclose likewise has no limitation period; and (4) even if a limitation period applies, it would be 10 years from acceleration or maturity under § 106.240.
Alternatively, BONY argues that if a shorter limitation period applies, BONY's complaint should relate back to when it initiated non-judicial foreclosure proceedings in November 2008, or the limitation period should be equitably tolled because BONY did not delay initiating non-judicial foreclosure proceedings, less than three years after the borrower was in default.
I have previously ruled that the four-year catchall limitation period in § 11.220 applies to claims under § 40.010 *1214brought by a lienholder seeking to determine whether an HOA sale extinguished its deed of trust. See Country Garden Owners Ass'n ,
BONY relies on Facklam v. HSBC Bank USA for Deutsche ALT-A Sec. Mortg. Loan Tr. , --- Nev. ----,
Alternatively, BONY contends that if a limitation period applies, its claim is governed by Nevada Revised Statutes § 106.240. That section provides:
The lien heretofore or hereafter created of any mortgage or deed of trust upon any real property, appearing of record, and not otherwise satisfied and discharged of record, shall at the expiration of 10 years after the debt secured by the mortgage or deed of trust according to the terms thereof or any recorded written extension thereof become wholly due, terminate, and it shall be conclusively presumed that the debt has been regularly satisfied and the lien discharged.
This section is not a statute of limitation. It "creates a conclusive presumption that a lien on real property is extinguished ten years after the debt becomes due." Pro-Max Corp. v. Feenstra ,
Finally, BONY argues that its declaratory relief claim is a defense to a future wrongful foreclosure claim by SFR if BONY proceeds with a foreclosure and that defenses have no statute of limitations. Generally, a party can assert defenses "that, if raised as claims, would be time-barred," because the statute of limitations "should be used only as a shield, not a sword." City of Saint Paul, Alaska v. Evans ,
For example, in City of Saint Paul , the City filed suit for declaratory relief against a counter-party to a settlement agreement two years after the limitation period for a claim by a governmental entity had expired.
On appeal, the Ninth Circuit held the City's defenses were also time-barred.
*1215At bottom, this lawsuit boils down to the City's effort to invalidate the agreement. TDX's counterclaims were filed in response to the City's claims, not as affirmative claims for relief. Indeed, the City's defenses to those counterclaims are mirror images of its time-barred claims. No matter what gloss the City puts on its defenses, they are simply time-barred claims masquerading as defenses and are likewise subject to the statute of limitations bar. In launching the current litigation, the City abandoned its right to seek solace in the status of a defendant. In the circumstance presented here, the City cannot hide behind the maxim applicable to defenses asserted in the normal course nor may it sidestep the temporal bar to its claims.
Like the City in Evans , at bottom, count one of BONY's lawsuit is to determine whether the HOA sale extinguished the deed of trust. That claim is expired, however, and I predict
BONY's first claim for declaratory relief is thus untimely, unless some other reasons exist to extend or dispense with the statute of limitations. BONY suggests multiple grounds for why its claim is still timely, including that the sale was conducted pursuant to an unconstitutional statute, that the amended complaint should relate back to when BONY initiated non-judicial foreclosure proceedings, or that the limitation period should be equitably tolled.
BONY cites no authority for its argument that if the sale was conducted pursuant to an unconstitutional statute, no limitation period applies. The Supreme Court of Nevada has applied a statute of limitations to a claim alleging that tax revenues were unevenly distributed pursuant to an unconstitutional statute. See City of Fernley v. State, Dep't of Tax , --- Nev. ----,
BONY likewise cites no authority for the proposition that a complaint may relate back to pre-litigation events. Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 15(c) an "amendment to a pleading relates back to the date of the original pleading" under certain circumstances. The Rule applies to amendments of pleadings, not the original complaint, and it allows relation back to the date of the original complaint, not some event prior in time. Nevada's relation-back rule is the same. See Nev. R. Civ. P. 15(c) ("Whenever the claim or defense asserted in the amended pleading arose out of the conduct, transaction, or occurrence set forth or attempted to be set forth in the original pleading, the amendment relates back to the date of the original pleading."). BONY's complaint does not relate back to when BONY filed the notice of default and election to sell.
As for equitable tolling,
B. Declaratory Relief in Count Two
In count two, BONY seeks a declaration that it may enforce the deed of trust through a judicial or non-judicial foreclosure. ECF No. 17 at 9-10. The parties raise similar arguments about this claim's timeliness. Additionally, Southern Highlands argues this claim is contingent on the first claim, and so it must be dismissed if count one is dismissed.
"A claim for declaratory relief is subject to a statute of limitations generally applicable to civil claims." Zuill v. Shanahan ,
That leads to the question of what form of action is at issue in count two. BONY states that it seeks a declaration that it may foreclose non-judicially or judicially. A foreclosure is a remedy for breach of a promissory note secured by a deed of trust. Facklam ,
Count two is not only the same as count one, it raises potential problems with this court issuing an advisory opinion, which I cannot do. Golden v. Zwickler ,
C. Equitable Indemnification (Count Three)
Count three asserts that Southern Highlands and Alessi must equitably indemnify BONY if the deed of trust was extinguished by the HOA foreclosure sale. ECF No. 17 at 10-11. Southern Highlands argues this claim is untimely because it is subject to a four-year limitation period in § 11.190(2)(c) or alternatively it is based on alleged statutory violations and subject to a three-year limitation period in § 11.190(3)(a). BONY responds that this claim is timely because the limitation period does not begin to run for this type of claim until BONY suffers an actual loss due to an underlying judgment, which BONY contends would be if and when a court rules that its deed of trust is extinguished.
Equitable indemnity claims are governed by § 11.190(2)(c)'s four-year limitations period for actions on implied contracts. Saylor v. Arcotta ,
This is not to say that I am holding BONY has a viable equitable indemnification claim in these circumstances. To the contrary, the doctrine does not appear to apply at all to this situation. See, e.g. , Rodriguez ,
D. Wrongful Foreclosure (Count Four)
Count four asserts a wrongful foreclosure claim against Southern Highlands and Alessi. Southern Highlands argues this claim is barred by the three-year limitation period in § 11.190(3)(a) because it is based on statutory violations or it challenges Southern Highlands' statutory authority to foreclose. BONY responds that it did not know its deed of trust might have been extinguished by the HOA sale until the Supreme Court of Nevada issued its decision in SFR Investments Pool 1, LLC v. U.S. Bank, N.A. ,
As an initial matter, I reject BONY's argument that the limitation period began running when the Supreme Court of Nevada issued the SFR decision. Simply reading the statute that grants HOAs a superpriority lien would have put BONY on notice of the possibility that its deed of trust was in jeopardy. Indeed, its own allegations show the SFR decision was not unanticipated, nor did banks assume that the superpriority lien was not triggered until the deed of trust holder foreclosed, because BONY alleges that its predecessor attempted to pay off the superpriority amount. ECF No. 17 at 5-6. Further, SFR "did not create new law or overrule existing precedent; rather, that decision declared what NRS 116.3116 has required since the statute's inception." K&P Homes v. Christiana Tr. , --- Nev. ----,
BONY contends this claim is not ripe because no court has declared its deed of trust extinguished so it has not yet suffered any damages. This argument is belied by the fact that BONY brings this claim now even though its deed of trust has not been declared extinguished. See Country Garden Owners Ass'n ,
*1219U.S. Bank Nat'l Ass'n v. Woodland Vill. , No. 3:16-cv-00501-RCJ-WGC,
That leaves the question of what limitation period applies to this claim. "The nature of the claim, not its label, determines what statute of limitations applies." Perry v. Terrible Herbst, Inc. , --- Nev. ----,
A wrongful foreclosure claim may be based on statutory violations or it may be a tort. Hines v. Nat'l Default Servicing Corp. , No. 62128,
BONY also asserts the foreclosure was wrongful for reasons that are not necessarily based on statutory violations. For example, BONY alleges the sale should be equitably set aside and that Southern Highlands or Alessi wrongfully rejected tender. Id. at 11-12. I recently ruled in another case that because a tortious wrongful foreclosure claim could be analogous to many different claims with varying limitation periods depending on the reasons the foreclosure allegedly was wrongful, the claim cannot consistently be analogized to any other type of claim. I thus ruled that the four-year catchall limitation is appropriate for a tortious wrongful foreclosure claim. Deutsche Bank Nat'l Trust Co. v. Absolute Collection Servs., LLC , 2:17-cv-02436-APG-VCF, ECF No. 30 (D. Nev. July 18, 2018). Because BONY filed its complaint more than four years after the HOA foreclosure sale, its tortious wrongful foreclosure claim is untimely, so I dismiss it. However, as with BONY's declaratory relief claim in count one, I grant leave to amend to add facts that would support equitable tolling.
*1220E. Certifying Question to the Supreme Court of Nevada
BONY asserts that the Supreme Court of Nevada's decision in City of Fernley establishes that BONY's declaratory relief claims are timely. But BONY argues that if I disagree, I should certify to that court what statute of limitations governs BONY's claims because there is a lack of consensus on the issue. SFR argues BONY should be estopped from arguing anything other than a five-year limitations period applies because that is what BONY argued to another judge in another case. SFR contends certification is unnecessary because I have already ruled what limitation period applies. Alternatively, SFR contends that if I choose to certify, the question BONY proposes needs to be modified. Southern Highlands filed a joinder to SFR's opposition. ECF No. 56.
City of Fernley does not support BONY's argument that no limitation period applies to its declaratory relief claims. In that case, the declaratory and injunctive relief claims were not time-barred because those claims sought to prevent future constitutional violations. City of Fernley ,
Whether to certify a question to a state supreme court lies within my discretion. Thompson v. Paul ,
F. Summary
Counts one and four of BONY's complaint are untimely, but I grant BONY leave to amend to add facts supporting equitable tolling. Count three is timely. Count two is duplicative of count 1 so it is untimely, and it seeks an advisory opinion. I deny the motion to certify.
*1221III. CONCLUSION
IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that defendant Southern Highlands Community Association's motion to dismiss (ECF No. 24) is GRANTED in part .
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that defendant SFR Investments Pool 1, LLC's motion to dismiss (ECF No. 25) is GRANTED .
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that plaintiff Bank of New York may file an amended complaint to allege facts supporting equitable tolling on or before September 21, 2018.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that plaintiff Bank of New York's motion to certify a question of law to the Supreme Court of Nevada (ECF No. 44) is DENIED.
See Orkin v. Taylor ,
"Equitable tolling operates to suspend the running of a statute of limitations when the only bar to a timely filed claim is a procedural technicality." State Dep't of Taxation v. Masco Builder Cabinet Grp. ,
Amendment would not be futile, despite Southern Highlands' argument that declaratory relief is a remedy and not a claim. The Declaratory Judgment Act allows federal courts to provide the remedy of a declaratory judgment in a case involving an actual controversy falling within the federal court's subject matter jurisdiction. See
Seeking a judicial declaration that BONY may proceed with a non-judicial foreclosure is also inconsistent with a non-judicial foreclosure, which is to be conducted without court intervention.
City of Fernley positively cited Wayne County for the proposition that statutes of limitations may vary depending on the type of relief sought.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- BANK OF NEW YORK, as Trustee FOR the CERTIFICATEHOLDERS OF CWALT, INC., Alternative Loan Trust 2005-84 Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates, Series 2005-84 v. SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION and SFR Investments Pool 1, LLC
- Cited By
- 7 cases
- Status
- Published