Bowery Savings Bank v. Jenkins
Bowery Savings Bank v. Jenkins
Opinion of the Court
Plaintiff (respondent here) claims that defendant, being delinquent in connection with a June payment on a mortgage he had executed, was subject to foreclosure when he sent the July payment (and subsequent August and September payments) without that for June. This right of foreclosure ordinarily would be true, but in August and on September 16 the plaintiff’s escrow agent wrote to defendant and indicated no action would be forthcoming if defendant paid the aggregate of the payments due, including that for June. The trial court concluded that such confidential doubletalk could be resolved into a definitive, clear or effective notice of forfeiture, — • which an equity court may abhor but which a Scroogian mortgagee might adore. It is significant that defendant, only one week after plaintiff’s escrow mailed its letter offering to accept the full amount, called and offered to pay the full amount but was refused. On that same day defendant called plaintiff’s Denver office making the same offer and was refused. The same day he called the holder of the mortgage and plaintiff here, at the latter’s New York office, and again made the offer of payment in full, and instead of being refused, was told to send the payment to the Bowery Savings Bank in New York to see what might be done, which defendant did by mail the same day. On the ensuing day a complaint for ' foreclosure was filed on behalf of plaintiff by the attorneys for plaintiff to which they were the only signatories.
We consider the conclusion that there was no genuine issue as to any material fact is a gratuity inconsistent with the record. There is a genuine issue of fact as to 1) whether plaintiff’s escrow, in August
We think and hold that the matter should be returned for a plenary trial.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- The BOWERY SAVINGS BANK, a corporation, and v. Lynn A. JENKINS and Linda M. Jenkins, his wife, and
- Status
- Published