Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v. Hezekiah HRM Inc.

Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v Hezekiah HRM Inc. 2024 NY Slip Op 33558(U) October 1, 2024 Supreme Court, Kings County Docket Number: Index No. 511193/2016 Judge: Derefim B. Neckles 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.

FILED: KINGS COUNTY CLERK 10/03/2024 INDEX NO. 511193/2016 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 141 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 10/07/2024

AtanlAS Tenn, P<!-rt FRP;;._i .of thte Supreme::Cow:f of· the --State· of New Yqtk, .heid ih ruid for · the.

Conuty of Kings. at the.Co_urthous~~- at:J.60 Ad&ms Street~ Btooklyn~_NewYor~~) 1201 on the-lst daY' of October; 2024.

PR'E:S-E'NT: • 0 • •.i • I

HON. DEREFIM B. NECK.LES _ • . !" •.• " . . ,- I

.Attijig)µsticfe. --- -----:- - -- -- - - _,_ -- -- .....,- -----.- -- --:~ .. -....;._.-.. - --·-: -X- WELLS FARGO ~AM.<, N.A.,AS'TRUSTEE'FOR OPTION ONE:MORTGAGELOAN TRUST_ 2007;;.¢p l, ASSET:eS:ACKED.CERTCFi¢ATES-, SERIE~ ·2007-CPl.

Plaintift_ - against.- Index No. 5111:93/2016 HEZEKIAHHRM-INCORPORATED•.JPMORGAN. . . .. _,. ·,. . .

CHA'.SE BANK,.N:A.-;TlNlTED StAtES°"dF .

AMERICA"'-INTERNAL . : - .. - -. . - • REV.ENUE:SERVICE;, . , ~ ' ·.• : _._ '1' NEWYORK:STATEDEPAR-lMENT OF TAXArr'ION " ·. .

AND-FINANCE· ... ' ''JANE DOE",' -·.' _-. : ' ·- ' ' . .•. . .

''.JOHN DOE"-;i''JOHN DOE'·',_ Defendants; ------ ->·-- --:·--.. -- -.., .. ----- ---- -- ----,- ______ . , --;.,- . , -X 1he following -e-filed papers· read herein: NYSCEFDoc Nos. Notj.ce;<:'f Motion/Affii;l~:vi.ts (AffiJ;ni.atio;is} Annexed ·81,-88, 126-.134 Op_pos{tion:fo ·Motion Cros.s .fylotiowAffidavits-(Affirml_'itipns} Ariri.exeo. 'J04--ll4, 135-137 ,:-up,on th.e' foregping paper& ,itt this pi;-o.ceed_ing to foredo_se" Ori a mortgage· OQ- the· subj ecfprbperty · located·.at 3614 J\:venue.-D/B.rooklyn1 NY l 1203, plaintiff-moves (under mot~ s~q. '.l) for-~ qrclet·(lJ cqhfiqnii;lg Ute refeJ,"~ejs report made ip. ·a~cQrd~~-e- with ro»APt § 1-32-1,_ (2} graritin,g ·a jµdgme:rit: offoreclosure,an,f: sal~- pursuant!o RPAP!;,··.§ 13 5,L, and (3) directlng.:he distribution of.the salc.,_prpce.eds,pursuant toRPAPt §1°3 S-4.

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\Defendant! Hezekiah FIRM Incol;'J)orated· ('~ezekiah"). cross,-moves (under mot. ' se9'. 4) for an order dismfssing,plai'nti:ff:s complaint c,n .th~:_.gr.oµnds that (1):·plairitiff does not h,aye stap.qing, {2) tl;,.e lawsuit is.b~te4 l:>ythe statute of limita_tion l.llidet tb,e· Foteclostri'e Abµsef Ptevenfion Act ('-$APA' 1),, .and {3}-for plaintiffs failure- to: give ·mandatory notices- under llPAPL §1303 and §'1304.

Background /B9i;rower Gloria_ Thornhill ("B:orrower'·'), _now dec;eJ1se4, tec.eived :a loan :in ·tb.e airlc:iu~t of$456,000.00 from0Ail1ance::MortgageBankingCorp (''AlHance'');.memorialized by a nt?te dat.ed November 28,-200~, :secured by a mortgage, which encumbers the subject ptope11J. Borrowei: defaulted l,Ul<;le.r '.the tettns gfihe foan and plaintiff c'omtneµced ·an action to, foreclose:.on the loan ·on August" 23" ;· 20:07, The 20.07 action was then discontinued ·~y pla,ntµf ·on .Augu$t 2:t ·:z:007. PI~irttjff then .corrti;n:enp,ed' a. mortgage: fote¢1osure on I . . .

Feb11-1iiry7, 2008; to.fore:close:01,1 t4e.Ioan_,' hutthe·action was di~plisseq for lar;kofstanding on September:17~.2013.

:Qn November l, 2'0.0_'8,the:B'orro.wer executed· a Lo.an Moditic.atipn_Agreement ,With a mod~fic.d :Principal balance:.of $543',~23 ,56, -On Jilly .9·~- 2010, Borrowc,rfiled for Chapter l~ Ba~kru.ptcy ·and on Oetcfl~~r _21,, 2013, :the Unjted S~at¢s .Ba(lkniptcy Court .Northern District of New Yotk,_ -~nted a discharge of the debts of the Borrower. Borrower pass·ect ' aw.ay qn Odober 2,..2.014; -bµf:·co1;1vey;!!d h~r ow:nership h1t!!r~st in the subj~ct prpperty to 4i;!fenqant, HezekiahJ>,riot'to .her· .deatlt.,

!As,aJ~esuit of.theBorrower'·s:default on t}J.e loanroodification"pi1:1inti_ffco01(Qenced !

,a forC9losure· action on June lC), 2015. This action was. voluntarily discontinuedby :plafotiff.

.Pl~inti.ff-.then commenc.e4Jhis instant ac.ticm.toforeclose on th~ modffied. loanon June 30, 2Ql6. jDefenqant I:Iezekia.h was $erved with the. ,i;;;ummons and c;0Il1ph1int anci filecl !ln answ¢r; This court 'granted- plaintiff's. motion for -~urnmary judgmeµt and defendant's answer was stricken on February 8, '2'022.

_: Viaintiff q.ow, fi.l~s th~ instant incition for. a_judginetit ofJorecl<;>sure and sale a,nd defendant cr9ss..,m·oves _t6 dismi~s'tlie plaintiff's cqrnp fai,nt.

Discussion iAn aQdon tq fo.r~cl9se· a morlgag_e is goVenit_d by a_ s~:.year s·tau.ite of lijn.itatiqrts (see L~bon()! v US.-BankNA;t -159 AD3d 962; 963. [2d Dt::pt 2lJ18)J; .:TE]ven if a'rnoqgage i_s_, p~y~'&le -in installments, .once. a mori:g~g,e:-debt is a,ccelerated,:"the entire amount is due and th:e Statute ofLimjtatfo_ns· be~)ns·toxun on the entire,d~bC (fd. at_ 963).

j Under the,. law, plaintiff's· discontjnuance ofthe,_ioo1 priot -foreclosure· actic,n did not d¢ia~celerate the,debuha.t plaintiffpreviously accelerated when it commeii.ced·thtf2007 priQr_foreclosute action on August 23,2007 (Anglestohe l1eatEst;· Ve.nttfre-Pa1·mers,Corp. v Bctnk:.ofNev,(YorkMel/p,i, ;221 AD3.d, 94_3:, 94.6":[2d:pept·to2·3] [holdJug .that:.under FAPA, ·"the ~oluntaty discontinuances of the. pri;or actions did not serve to reviye _or reset the statute; o£1im.itations•~Jj. thus, the six-:year stat~te oflimitations b,egi._m:running on August 23., 2qoT_a,iiµ expireij oh:A.1,1gµst 2.3., 2.013,. Refq:i;e· plaintiff cornm~pc¢tl thi.s foreclosµre :!

!Pl!liiltfff, i'n opposition, contenqs that FAPA is inapplicable ·to thjs action because ! ' the ho~<>Wer-receive.¢( a loa_n tnocH:f:icatiori in 200.R-1 therefore the applicable acceleration date is wlren the 201 5. action was commenced.,. ·since it was to foreclose on the loan modifi¢ation, C.ontra,ry to plaintiff"s contention, the Jo.an modificatipn. was·exe:c1,1.ted-dlitit1g I the pe?dency ◊Ube 2008 action, which·was. later d_ispii_ssed; and·does rtot.chang"t, the. fact.

that le~der accelerat.e:d the l'o~n.i11-2007._ ' iGiVen ·this: action is time-barred·_plll'suant to FAPA, _the court .need not .address the.

.P~rtie~' rem~ining ~rguments; I

Accor.9-ingly., it..'is .tierby iORDERED that pfaintiffs motion (mot. seq. 3) for ajudgment .offoreclosure and sale j's :denied in;its·entirety;:and ' jORDERED th~t :defeh,dant Bez_ ekia,h1 s ·motion (mot. seq ..4J to dismi:~~ _plaintiffs compl~int : .. . ·plaintiffs action .is d'ism1ssed as:tinte barred,.and (2) ·the-June is granted, and (l).

7~.202~, .·notice of pendency filed ag~inst the sli~J~.cq:ll:opt;:tfy :js cancelll;:d, '·Thi~ coJJ,~titute1,'the qe.cision an cforder of t~e court.

ENTER,