Washington Mut. Bank, NA v Payne

[*1] Washington Mut. Bank, NA v Payne 2009 NY Slip Op 51240(U) [24 Misc 3d 1203(A)] Decided on June 15, 2009 Supreme Court, Suffolk County Whelan, J. Published by New York State Law Reporting Bureau pursuant to Judiciary Law § 431. This opinion is uncorrected and will not be published in the printed Official Reports.

Decided on June 15, 2009
Supreme Court, Suffolk County

Washington Mutual Bank, NA, Plaintiff,

against

Raymond R. Payne and Rhonda K. Payne, Defendants.



31557-02



Shapiro & DiCaro, LLP

Attys. For Plaintiff

250 Mile Crossing Blvd.

Rochester, NY 14624

David Gevanter, ESQ.

Attys. For Defendants

95 Old Country Rd.

Hicksville, NY 11801

Thomas F. Whelan, J.

ORDERED that this motion (#004) by defendant, Raymond R. Payne, for an order staying the public sale of the subject premises, vacating the judgment of foreclosure and sale and dismissing the complaint is considered under CPLR 5015 and is denied.

The plaintiff obtained a judgment of foreclosure and sale in this action on December 1, 2003. Prior thereto, the default on the part of the mortgagor defendants (Raymond and Rhonda Payne) was fixed and determined in an order appointing a referee to compute amounts due under [*2]the mortgage. For reasons not reflected in the record adduced on the instant motion, the public sale contemplated by the December 1, 2003 judgment has not yet been consummated.

By prior motion returnable February 23, 2007, the mortgagor/defendants, Raymond R. Payne and Rhonda Payne, moved to stay any impending sale of the premises, for a vacatur of the judgment of foreclosure and sale and dismissal of the complaint on the grounds that the plaintiff failed to acquire personal jurisdiction over them by due service of the summons and complaint. By order dated September 28, 2007, this court denied that application without a hearing, finding that the same was unmeritorious.

By the instant motion, defendant, Raymond R. Payne, moves again for a stay of the impending sale of the subject premises, an order vacating the judgment of foreclosure and sale and dismissal of the complaint pursuant to CPLR 5015. Although the order to show cause by which this motion was interposed lists several grounds for the requested relief, including improper service of the summons and complaint, the gravamen of the defendant's demands for relief rest upon claims that the plaintiff lacked standing to commence and maintain this action due to its lack of ownership of the subject note and mortgage at the time of commencement of this action. For the reasons set forth below the motion is denied.

Recent case authorities emanating from the Second Department have held that the issue of the plaintiff's standing is not a matter of subject matter jurisdiction but rather, is more akin to the issue of the plaintiff's capacity to sue. In Wells Fargo Bank Minnesota National Association v Mastropaolo, 42 AD3d 239, 837 NYS2d 247 (2d Dept 2003), the Appellate Division, Second Department, instructed that

"[w]here standing is put into issue by a defendant's answer, a plaintiff must prove its standing if it is to be entitled to relief (see TPZ Corp. v Dabbs, 25 AD3d 787, 789, 808 NYS2d 746 [2d Dept 2006]; see also Society of Plastics Indus. v County of Suffolk, 77 NY2d 761, 769, 570 NYS2d 778 [1991] [standing is an aspect of justiciability which, when challenged, must be considered at the outset of any litigation' [emphasis added])".

Continuing, the Court in Mastropaolo instructed that "where a defendant does not challenge a plaintiff's standing, the plaintiff may be relieved of its obligation to prove that it is the proper party to seek the requested relief". The Court went on to hold that "an argument that a plaintiff lacks standing, if not asserted in the defendant's answer or in a pre-answer motion to dismiss the complaint, is waived pursuant to CPLR 3211(e)" [citations omitted]). (see Wells Fargo Bank Minn., NA v Mastropaolo, 42 AD3d 239, 242, 837 NYS2d 247, 250).

More recently, the Appellate Division, Second Department held that a defaulting defendant who moves for vacatur of a judgment of foreclosure and sale and a dismissal of the complaint on the grounds that the plaintiff was without standing to prosecute its claims for foreclosure and sale due to its lack of ownership of the note and mortgage, could not prevail on such application because said defendant waived the standing defense by failing to assert it in an answer or by way of a pre-answer motion to dismiss under CPLR 3211 (see HSBC Bank v Dammond, 59 AD3d 679, 875 NYS2d 490 [*3][2d Dept 2009]). Since the moving defendant here has taken the same position as the unsuccessful movant in Dammond, this court denies defendant's motion to vacate the judgment of foreclosure and sale on the grounds that the plaintiff lacked standing to prosecute that claim.

To the extent that this motion may be read as one for a stay of the sale, a vacatur of the December 3, 2003 judgment and a dismissal of the complaint on the grounds of lack of personal jurisdiction, it is denied. This second application for such for relief by the moving defendant, Raymond R. Payne, is procedurally improper and substantively insufficient in light of his prior, unsuccessful application for the same relief and the absence of any proof whatsoever, in support thereof. Equally unavailing are the vague and conclusory claims of fraud which said defendant now asserts by his counsel against the plaintiff (see Wells Fargo Bank v Linzenberg, 50 AD3d 674, 853 NYS2d 912 [2d Dept 2008]; Aames Capital Corp. v Davidsohn, 24 AD3d 474, 808 NYS2d 229 [2d Dept 2005]).

In view of the foregoing, the instant motion is in all respects denied.

DATED: _______________

Thomas F. Whelan, J.S.C.