Press "Enter" to skip to content

Posts tagged as “Florida”

MD Fla. Disagrees With, Distinguishes Beauvais in Fla. Foreclosure Statute of Limitations Case

The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida recently confirmed that Florida’s statute of limitations did not bar a mortgagee from filing a new foreclosure action based on non-payment or other kinds of defaults within the past five years, even where the prior foreclosure action was dismissed without prejudice and acceleration of the mortgage occurred more than five years prior to the second foreclosure action. In so ruling, the Court dismissed an amended complaint for declaratory judgment seeking to invalidate a mortgage. A copy of the opinion is available at:  Link to Opinion. A property owner sought a…

Florida Court Cuts Off Extensive Discovery Requests to Mortgagee as to Standing, Satisfaction of Mortgage

The District Court of Appeal of Florida, First District, recently denied a property owner’s effort to appeal the trial court’s order limiting the property owner’s extensive discovery requests to a mortgagee relating to standing and satisfaction of mortgage. In so ruling, the Appellate Court concluded that the trial court’s order limiting discovery did not effectively eviscerate the property owner’s affirmative defenses. A copy of the opinion is available at:  Link to Opinion. A property owner propounded broad discovery requests related to the defenses that the mortgagee lacked standing to foreclose; and that all mortgages on the property had been satisfied…

Florida Court Holds V-Mail Message Asking Return Call Can Be Debt Collection Communication

The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida recently denied a motion to dismiss an amended complaint alleging that a time-share association violated the Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act (FCCPA) and the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), holding that: A debtor need not use any precise language or magic word to notify a debt collector that the debtor is represented by legal counsel with respect to a debt; A voicemail message merely asking the debtor to return the call to discuss the debt was a debt collection communication; and Declaratory relief may be available under the TCPA.…

Florida Bankruptcy Court Holds Debtor Who ‘Surrenders’ Property in BK Cannot Impede Foreclosure

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida recently held that, at a minimum, “surrender” under Bankruptcy Code §§ 521 and 1325 means a debtor cannot take an overt act that impedes a secured creditor from foreclosing its interest in secured property. In so holding, the Court found that actively contesting a post-bankruptcy foreclosure case is inconsistent with a “surrender” of the property. A copy of the opinion is available at:  Link to Opinion. The Court addressed two separate bankruptcy cases.  The first was a Chapter 7 bankruptcy case, in which the mortgagee instituted a foreclosure action five…

Fla. App. Ct. (3rd DCA) Applies ‘After Acquired Title’ Doctrine to Save Mortgage Loan

The Third District Court of Appeal of the State of Florida recently affirmed the entry of summary judgment in favor of a mortgagee and against the purchaser at a condominium association assessment foreclosure sale based on the after-acquired title doctrine. A copy of the opinion is available at: Link to Opinion. In July 2007, the borrowers obtained a mortgage loan secured by a condominium unit at a luxury building in Miami Beach. Although the mortgage contained the usual covenant that the borrowers owned legal title to and had the right to mortgage the property, the property was in fact owned…

Florida Appellate Court Confirms Mortgagee Need Only Prove FMV to Obtain Foreclosure Deficiency Judgment

The District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fifth District, recently reversed the denial of a motion for deficiency judgment in a foreclosure action, holding that the trial court erroneously required the mortgagee to introduce into evidence the final judgment of foreclosure previously entered in the same case to demonstrate the amount of debt owed. A copy of the opinion is available at:  Link to Opinion. The trial court granted summary judgment of foreclosure in favor of the mortgagee, specifically reserving jurisdiction to enter further orders, including deficiency judgments.  The borrower did not appeal the judgment of foreclosure. The mortgagee then…

SD Fla. Provides Mixed Ruling on RESPA RFI Responses, Property Inspection Fees Assessed Post-Default

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida recently dismissed with prejudice a borrowers’ allegations that a loan servicer’s response to their request for information regarding drive-by property inspections violated the federal Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), and dismissed the remaining state-law allegations that the drive-by inspections violated the Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act (FCCPA) for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. A copy of the opinion is available here: Link to Opinion. The borrowers defaulted on their home mortgage loan.  The loan servicer began conducting drive-by inspections pursuant to the mortgage. The borrowers sent a letter to the…

Florida Appellate Court Holds Statute of Limitations Did Not Bar Re-Filed Foreclosure

The District Court of Appeal of the State of Florida for the First District recently held that the statute of limitations does not bar a second mortgage foreclosure action based on a subsequent default, regardless of whether the first case was dismissed with or without prejudice. A copy of the opinion is available at: Link to Opinion. The borrowers defaulted on their mortgage in February of 2007. In April of 2007, the plaintiff mortgagee’s predecessor in interest accelerated the note based on the February, 2007 breach and sued to foreclose the mortgage. The case was dismissed without prejudice in October…

Florida Court Rejects Mortgagee’s Attempt to Limit Liability for HOA Dues After Foreclosure

The Florida Second District Court of Appeal recently reversed a trial court’s order in a mortgage foreclosure action limiting the liability of a loan servicer who acquired title by foreclosure for past-due condominium assessments, holding that the trial court lacked subject matter jurisdiction because the specific issue of assessments was not litigated or adjudicated by the trial court. A copy of the opinion is available at:  Link to Opinion. The owner of a condominium unit failed to pay his mortgage loan, resulting in the loan servicer suing to foreclose the mortgage and obtaining title at the foreclosure sale as the…

Florida Court: ‘Substantial Compliance’ is Sufficient for Mortgage Notice of Default

The Florida Second District Court of Appeal recently upheld a mortgagee’s notice of default that substantially complied with the applicable provision of the mortgage, ruling that strict compliance is not required. A copy of the opinion is available at:  Link to Opinion. The borrowers obtained a mortgage in May 2007 and defaulted in November 2008. In December 2008, the mortgagee sent the borrowers a letter demanding that they cure the default within 30 days, providing the amount needed to reinstate the loan, and warning that failure to cure would result in acceleration and foreclosure. In February 2009, the mortgagee filed…

Florida Court Denies Motion to Dismiss FCCPA Claim Against Loan Owner Based on Alleged Conduct of Servicer, Foreclosure Counsel

The Seventh Judicial Circuit Court of Florida recently denied a motion to dismiss a borrower’s counterclaims alleging violations of the Florida Consumer Collections Practices Act (FCCPA) against the owner of a mortgage loan, based on alleged communications by the servicer and foreclosure counsel with a debtor supposedly known to be represented by counsel and attempting to collect an allegedly invalid debt. In so ruling, the Court also held: Merely foreclosing on a mortgage, without more, did not constitute “debt collection” under the FDCPA; False statements regarding a debt made to a court instead of directly to the debtor are not…

Florida Court Confirms Rule Allowing ‘Incorporation’ of Prior Servicer’s Records

The Florida Second District Court of Appeal recently reversed a trial court’s dismissal of a mortgage foreclosure action because the plaintiff bank was the proper party to sue and proved that it had standing. In so ruling, the Second DCA applied its prior ruling allowing “incorporation” or “adoption” of a prior servicer’s records, which essentially allows a subsequent servicer to use a prior servicer’s records if the subsequent servicer verified the prior servicer’s records before using them as its own. A copy of the opinion is available at:  Link to Opinion The borrowers obtained their mortgage loan in 2006.  Attached…