US Bank Trust National v. Walden, No. 23-50662 (5th Cir. 2024)
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An entity that owns and holds a loan agreement, including its note and the beneficiary interest in the security instrument, sought to foreclose on a property after borrowers failed to make required payments on the note. The entity entered a judgment for non-judicial foreclosure.
The district court denied the borrowers’ motion for an extension of time, adopted the magistrate judge’s report recommending summary judgment against the borrowers, entered a declaratory judgment, and denied the borrowers’ motion for an altered judgment, which was styled as a motion for a new trial. The borrowers challenged the district court’s orders, alleging abuse of discretion and plain error.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reviewed the case. The court concluded that the district court did not abuse its discretion in denying the motion for an extension of time or the motion for a new trial. However, the appellate court found that the district court erred in determining that the entity did not manifest an unequivocal intent to abandon acceleration. The appellate court held that the notice sent by the entity unequivocally manifested an intent to abandon acceleration, as it expressly withdrew, canceled, and abandoned any prior demands or notices of acceleration.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed the district court’s decisions in part, reversed in part, and remanded the case for further proceedings consistent with its opinion. The court directed the district court to address whether the lender must seek a new order authorizing foreclosure following the abandonment of acceleration.
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