Edwards v. Fed. Nat'l Mortg. Ass'n
Edwards v. Fed. Nat'l Mortg. Ass'n
Opinion of the Court
In this appeal, we review a summary judgment foreclosing a lien on a home that Appellant, James T. Edwards, inherited from his mother. Like some cases of this type, the relatively straightforward contract issues blur because of the inaccuracies in mass produced loan documents and foreclosure paperwork. Nonetheless, we affirm.
FACTUAL BACKGROUND
James T. Edwards inherited a house in Trophy Club, Texas, from his mother, Ruth Edwards. Sometime after her death, Bank of America, N.A., the successor of Countrywide Home Loans Servicing LP, filed suit to foreclose on the property. The suit claimed that a "home equity loan agreement" created under the TEX.CONST. art. XVI, § 50 (a)(6), and secured by a deed of trust on the property, was in arrears. Edwards filed a pro se unverified answer that asserted the signature on the promissory note was not that of Ruth Edwards. He also claimed that any Texas home equity loan must be executed in the offices of a lawyer, lender, or title company to be valid, and this loan was not so executed.
The Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) was substituted as plaintiff. It filed an amended petition claiming that Ruth Edwards executed a promissory note (the Note) secured by a deed of trust, omitting any reference to a home equity loan or the Texas Constitution. The amended petition alleged that Ruth passed away in 2009, and that Edwards held title to the property through a general warranty deed dated May 13, 2010. As of the date of the amended petition, fifty-two monthly payments had not been made. Fannie Mae sought a declaration establishing its lien, as well as judicial foreclosure of the lien. The amended petition attached the Note and Deed of Trust that require further discussion.
The Note is dated "March 15, 2007," and contains Ruth's promise to pay $156,500.00 along with interest to the original lender in monthly installments of $963.60, beginning *173May 1, 2007. The final payment was due April 1, 2037. The Note refers to a property address of "308 Village Trl., Trophy Club, Texas." The Note also refers to a deed of trust, dated the same date as the Note, which secures the loan.
The Deed of Trust has a type written date on the first page of "March 6, 2007," but Ruth actually signed the document on March 15, 2007. The Deed of Trust refers to a note, dated "March 6, 2007," with the principal sum of $158,400.00 and a final payment date of April 1, 2037. The Deed of Trust transfers the rights to property at "308 Village Trl, Trophy Club, Texas" (and provides the legal description of the same). The Deed of Trust further describes the note as a renewal and extension of a previous 2003 note, but expressly disclaims that the note is a home equity loan as defined by Section 50(a)(6) of the Texas Constitution.
Ruth apparently had three living children at the time of her death in 2009. Two of Edwards' siblings filed a general warranty deed conveying their interest in the Trophy Club property to him. The warranty deed states that Edwards would assume the obligations under the promissory note dated "March 15, 2007" and in the principal amount of "$156,500.00." The date and loan amount are handwritten into the deed, with the original typed date of "March 6, 2007" and the original typed loan amount of "$158,400.00" having been struck through.
Fannie Mae filed a traditional motion for summary judgment seeking judicial foreclosure on the property. The motion was supported in part by the affidavit of Amy D. Gauthier a "foreclosure specialist" for Seterus, Inc., which she identifies as the mortgage servicer for Fannie Mae. She attached as business records several documents in Seterus's file, including the Note. She similarly identified the Deed of Trust that was executed "[i]n conjunction with the Note." The affidavit attaches additional records showing that Edwards stopped making payments in 2011, and paperwork documenting the notice of default and acceleration of the Note.
Gauthier's affidavit makes one other assertion important to this appeal:
On or about March 15, 2005, Ruth Edwards executed a Texas Home Equity Note ('Note') in the amount of $156,500.00 originally payable to Countrywide Home Loans, Inc. [Emphasis added].
Edwards filed a response to the summary judgment, pointing out discrepancies in the documents attached to Fannie Mae's own motion. Edwards highlighted the statement in Gauthier's affidavit describing the loan as a "Texas Home Equity Loan executed on March 15, 2007." The Deed of Trust refers to a Note dated March 6, 2007. The Deed of Trust also expressly states that the Loan is not a Texas Home Equity Loan. Given these variances, Edwards claims the Note referred to in the Deed of Trust cannot be the same note attached to the summary judgment motion and made the basis of the lawsuit. Edwards then claimed that Fannie Mae failed to produce a note tied to its Deed of Trust, and the deed is therefore not enforceable. He also claimed that if the Note is indeed a home equity loan, it is not enforceable because it was not signed in the office of a lender, attorney, or title company, as required by the Texas Constitution.
Finally, Edwards' response included his own declaration which states in relevant part, "I am familiar with my deceased mother, Ruth Edwards' signature. The signature purporting to be her signature on the last page of the Note dated March 15, 2007 and attached as Exhibit A-l to Plaintiff's Motion for Summary Judgment is not *174my mother's signature." The trial court granted the motion and this appeal follows.
STANDARD OF REVIEW
We review a trial court's decision to grant summary judgment de novo. Travelers Ins. Co. v. Joachim ,
PROPRIETY OF SUMMARY JUDGMENT
Edwards presents three issues on appeal. He contends Fannie Mae failed to prove its entitlement to summary judgment because: (1) the Note and Deed of Trust are not clearly linked to one another; (2) Edwards denied that the signature on the Note was that of his mother; and (3) Fannie Mae's affiant claimed the Note was a home equity loan, and if so, it was not executed in the office of an attorney, lender, or title company, as required by the Texas Constitution.
Is There A Missing Note?
Edwards first issue argues that Fannie Mae's own evidence, and particularly the discrepancies in that evidence, suggest the existence of another note. If so, then Fannie Mae's summary judgment motion failed to produce the note that is tied to its Deed of Trust such that any lien purportedly created by the deed is unenforceable. The summary judgment record reflects potential discrepancies on two levels. The first is in the transactional documents themselves. The Deed of Trust refers to a note dated March 6, 2007 when the Note sued upon is dated March 15, 2007.
Before addressing the merits, however, we turn to Fannie Mae's claim that the argument is waived. Fannie Mae contends that because Edwards did not object to the summary judgment evidence, any challenge to the authenticity of the Note is forfeited. See Calvillo v. Carrington Mortg. Services ,
As long as scriveners have plied their trade, there have undoubtedly been typographical errors. While sometimes nothing more a mere annoyance,
The date discrepancy between the Note and Deed of Trust similarly falls into this immaterial category. The documents contain enough other connections that we can say they unquestionably reference each other. The maker and borrower referred to in both documents is the same. The final installment payment date referred to in both documents is also the same. The documents were both executed at the same time. And both documents reference the exact same piece of property. The difference in date is analogous to that addressed in Rosestone Properties, Inc. v. Schliemann ,
The complaint regarding the erroneous date of the promissory note in the assumption clause unquestionably has reference to the original promissory note. If the instrument containing the reference has enough information to enable *176one, by pursuing an inquiry based upon the information contained therein, to identify the particular properly to the exclusion of all others, the reference and description are sufficient. See Maupin v. Chaney,139 Tex. 426 ,163 S.W.2d 380 , 383 (1942). The date of the promissory note as listed in the assumption clause was an error that did not affect the validity of the assumption clause.
Id. at 52. Moreover, documents executed by the same parties on the same date which refer to the same real property, and refer to each other, are generally construed together. Mathis v. DCR Mortg. III Sub I, L.L.C. ,
The second claimed discrepancy relates to Fannie Mae's affidavit proving up the documents. The affiant refers to the Note as a Texas home equity loan when the Deed of Trust says otherwise. Fannie Mae likewise contends this is also nothing but a typographical error, relying on Hernandez v. Lukefahr ,
We contrast the discrepancies in Lukefahr with the inconsistency found in FFP Marketing Company, Inc. v. Long Lane Master Trust IV ,
Edwards does not argue the conflict between the affidavit and the Note language renders the affidavit "inconsistent" under Rule 166a(c). Rather, he argues it creates a genuine issue of material fact as to whether the Note attached to the motion is the one referenced by the Deed of Trust. We find that position unavailing. The statement in the affidavit was a superfluous descriptor of the Note, which is otherwise *177clearly identified as a specifically numbered exhibit. The affiant attached the Note as "Exhibit A-1," correctly stating it was dated March 15, 2007, in the amount of $156,500.00, and payable to Countrywide Home Loans, Inc. The affiant then states "in conjunction with the Note" Ruth executed a Deed of Trust, similarly attached as a specified exhibit. The erroneous descriptive term used by the affiant would not in this context lead to any confusion over which Note was in default, and to which note the Deed of Trust referred. We overrule issue one.
Did Appellant Raise a Fact Issue on Forgery?
Edwards claims he raised a genuine issue of material fact that the Note was forged. He did so through his own declaration stating that he was familiar with his mother's signature and the signature on the Note "is not my mother's signature." He also asked the trial court to compare the signature on the Note with Ruth's signature found on an exhibit outside the summary judgment record. A truly forged signature would render the transaction void. See Dyson Descendant Corp. v. Sonat Exploration Co. ,
Fannie Mae contends Edwards did not properly raise the issue because it was never asserted in a sworn denial challenging execution of the document. TEX.R.CIV.P. 93(7) (an answer verified by affidavit is required to assert "[d]enial of the execution ... of any instrument in writing, upon which any pleading is founded ..."). Edwards did raise the issue in his pro se answer to the Original Petition, but that answer is not verified as required by Rule 93. Edwards also raised the issue in his response to the motion to summary judgment, which is supported by his own declaration. A properly worded unsworn declaration qualifies as an affidavit or verification. TEX.CIV.PRAC.&REM.CODE ANN. § 132.001(a) (West Supp. 2016)(if it conforms to the proper form, "an unsworn declaration may be used in lieu of a written sworn declaration, verification, certification, oath, or affidavit required by statute or required by a rule, order, or requirement adopted as provided by law.").
We conclude Edwards' failure to file a verified denial under Rule 93(7) is a defect in his pleadings, but it is one that must have been raised below by Fannie Mae. Several cases dictate this result. In Roark v. Stallworth Oil and Gas, Inc. ,
The converse situation, and the one we face here, arose in Via Net v. TIG Ins. Co. ,
Fannie Mae contends that Edwards' proof of forgery is based on an "inadmissible conclusory affidavit." Fannie Mae did not object to the declaration in the trial court, and it therefore waived any defects in the form of the declaration. See TEX.R.CIV.P. 166a(f) ; Albright v. Good Samaritan Socy.-Denton Village , 02-16-00090-CV,
A statement is conclusory if it provides a conclusion but no underlying facts in support of the conclusion. See Brown v. Brown ,
First, Edwards provides no factual basis for how he is familiar with his mother's signature. While we do not doubt that many children are well acquainted with a parent's handwriting, they usually have some basis for that knowledge. They have gone through their parents' papers, or they regularly exchanged handwritten notes. TEX.R.EVID. 901(b)(2) permits a non-expert to testify that handwriting is genuine based on familiarity with the handwriting that was not acquired for the current litigation. Early cases focused on the basis for that familiarity. E.g. , *179Joffre v. Mynatt ,
Second, his bare claim that the signature on the Note is not his mother's is also conclusory. It does not explain what unique qualities of his mother's signature were missing or different on the Note. Cases finding lay testimony sufficient include something more than a simple claim the signature is forged. In Wasserberg v. 84 Lumber Co., L.P. , 14-10-00136-CV,
Conversely, bare opinions that a signature is a forgery are insufficient. In Cotten v. Cotten ,
Edwards' response below also contends that there are obvious differences between Ruth's signature on the Note and her signature on a copy of her Will. The Will is not attached to the summary judgment *180motion or response, but to another pleading in the file. No witness, expert or lay, offered any opinion as to those signatures. In effect, Edwards asked the trial court, and now this court, to make the comparison. We decline to do so. Edwards advances no authority that a trial or appellate court can situate itself as a lay witness to compare signatures.
Was It a Home Equity Loan?
To be valid, a home equity loan must comply with numerous requirements set forth in the constitution. See TEX.CONST. art. XVI, § 50 (a)(6)(A)-(Q). One of these requirements states that a home equity loan must be "closed only at the office of the lender, an attorney at law, or a title company."
We first disagree that the single statement in the Gauthier affidavit is some evidence that the Note is a home equity loan. The Deed of Trust expressly states the loan is not a home equity loan. A witness cannot by parol evidence add to, vary, or contradict the terms of an unambiguous contract. J.D. Edwards World Solutions Co. v. Estes, Inc. ,
Because there is some claim that there may have been more than one note, we use the capitalized term Note and Deed of Trust to refer to the two specific documents that are attached to Fannie Mae's amended petition and its motion for summary judgment.
The Deed of Trust also refers to a note with a principal amount of s of $158,400.00 while the Note was made for $156,500.00. Edwards did not raise this issue below, nor in briefing to this court, and we note it only in passing.
Author Julio Alexi Genao is reputed to have said "I'm absolutely certain the thing that will one day stop my heart for good is the inchoate rage I feel when I read over something I've published and discover a typo." https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/typos (last visited May 11, 2017).
The regular monthly payments that Ruth and James Edwards had made up until 2011 were also in the same amount as that stated on the Note: $963.60.
We acknowledge that in certain election contests, trial courts may on their own compare signatures to verify vote counts. See Reese v. Duncan ,
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.