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Foreclosure Case Killer! - An Allonge Is Not Admissable Evidence of Bank's Ownership
Foreclosure Case Killer! - An Allonge Is Not Admissable Evidence of Bank's Ownership
CIVIL DIVISION
PLAINTIFF,
v.
DANIEL DYMINSKI,
DEFENDANT.
------------------------------~/
DEFENDANT'S MOTION TO DISMISS ACTION
through the undersigned counsel MATTHEW D. WEIDNER and respectfully moves this Court
to DISMISS WITH PREJUDICE the above entitled civil action, pursuant to Rules 1.210(a) and
1. 140(b)(6) Fla. R. Civ. P., and precedent case law, and in support thereof states:
FACTS
2. The named Plaintiff in this case is WELLS FARGO, N.A., AS TRUSTEE FOR OPTION
3. In its Complaint, the Plaintiff alleges that "[o]n August 25, 2006, [the Defendant],
executed and delivered a promissory note and a mortgage securing payment of same to SAND
on the Mortgage and Promissory Note attached to the Plaintiff's Complaint and, as further
described below, Defendant has no idea how Sand Canyon is a party to this case. The named
"Option One").
5. Records obtained from the California Division of Corporations reflect that Option One,
has had its status as a California corporation suspended since 1990. (California Division of
Corporations Records attached hereto as "Exhibit A.") The California Division of Corporations
lists Sand Canyon as an active corporation, but the only name appearing on the documents shows
that Option One Mortgage Corporation is the real party in interest in this litigation. There is no
record or mention of any connection between the two entities and the contradictory information
contained both within the pleadings and the attached exhibits introduce a real question of fact
6. When the complaint was initially filed, attached to the complaint was a copy of the note
at issue in this case along with a blank allonge which, if authentic, may have made the note in
7. On or about July 24,2009, the original note, including the alleged allonge, was filed with
the court, but the allonge now appearing in the court file was changed to provide a special
endorsement in favor of, "Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. As Trustee for Option One Mortgage Loan
8. The allonge is not dated, or notarized and it is unclear when the alleged allonge was
changed to specially endorse the note in question to the lender but the fact that the special
endorsement appears on the original note after the instant litigation was initiated raises questions
as to the veracity of the alleged special endorsement via allonge. Specifically, how can a
corporation which the public records reveal has been suspended since 1990 endorse or pledge
any security and what person had the authority to create the special endorsement that appears
now on the original document after the instant litigation was initiated?
9. Next and most importantly, the Defendant asserts that the purported allonge is ineffective
to transfer ownership of the note at issue given the facts of this particular case and the existing
case law and statutes. Quite simply, while an allogne may be authorized by statute and case law
in cases where there is not ample space on the promissory note to affix an original endorsement,
an allonge is not authorized when, as in this case, the document sought to be transferred and
entered into evidence includes abundant space upon which to record a proper endorsement.
STANDARD OF REVIEW
10. In ruling on a defendant's motion to dismiss, a trial court is limited to the four corners of
the Complaint, and it must accept all the allegations in the Complaint as true. See Lutz Lake Fern
Rd. Neighborhood Groups, Inc. v. Hillsborough County, 779 So.2d 380, 383 (Fla. 2d DCA
2000). However, when a question has not been previously decided by a Florida court, the
decisions of a court of another state may be considered. Old Plantation Corp. v. Maule
Industries, Inc., 68 So. 2d 180 (Fla. 1953). Such a decision, when on point, is regarded as
persuasive. Tonkovich v. South Florida Citrus Industries, Inc., 185 So. 2d 710 (Fla. 2d DCA
1966).
INTRODUCTION
11. There is surprisingly small universe of case law in the entire body of American
jurisprudence to which this Court could look to for guidance when deciding matters dealing with
allonges. A search on Westlaw reveals that the entire universe of Florida cases, both in State and
Federal courts, is limited to two cases: Booker v. Sarasota, Inc., 707 So. 2d 886 (Fla 1st DCA
1998) and In re Canellas, 2010 WL 571808 (Bankr. M.D. Fla. Feb. 9,2010). {note especially the
late date on the Canellas case} Moreover, a search of the word "allonge" on Westlaw for the
entire American judicial system, both State and Federal, reveals only 274 documents. It should
be noted, however, that the vast majority of these cases only mention allonges in passing, most
often reciting the Black's Law Dictionary definition of an allonge in the footnote ofthe decision
or simply making reference to an allonge when reciting the facts of the case. According to the
only Florida appellate case which deals with these ancient documents, "[a]n allonge is a piece of
paper annexed to a negotiable instrument or promissory note, on which to write endorsements for
which there is no room on the instrument itself. Such must be so firmly affixed thereto as to
become a part thereof." Booker, 707 So. 2d at 886 (Fla 1st DCA 1998). See also U.S. Bank
National Association v. Weigand, 2009 WL 1623764 (Conn. Super. 2009); P&B Properties 1,
LLC v. Owens, 1996 WL 111128 (Del. Super. 1996). Furthermore, while "Florida's Uniform
Commercial Code does not specifically mention an allonge, [the Code] notes that 'for purposes
made part of the instrument.' Fla. Stat. §673.2041(1) (1995)." Booker, 707 So. 2d at 886 (Fla.
t st DCA 1998). Amazingly, very few opinions in the entire country delve into actual substantive
matters regarding allonges and there is scant direction in these opinions on the technical and
legal requirements particular to allonges. As exhibited by the facts of this case, and as would be
shown by a review of the hundreds of thousands of foreclosure cases filed across the state and
country, allonges are being used to show evidence of ownership of debts when this "evidence"
a. Legal Standards
12. Fla. R. Civ. P. 1.210(a) provides, in pertinent part, that "[e]very action may be prosecuted
in the name of the real party in interest, but a personal representative, administrator,
guardian, trustee of an express trust, a party with whom or in whose name a contract has been
made for the benefit of another, or a party expressly authorized by statute may sue in that
person's own name without joining the party for whose benefit the action is brought."
13. Recently, the Second District held that Plaintiffs in foreclosure actions are required to
establish, through admissible evidence, that it held the note and mortgage in question and so
had standing to foreclose the mortgage before it would be entitled to summary judgment in
its favor. BAC Funding v. Jean-Jacques, 2010 WL 476641 (Fla. 2d DCA 2010).
Furthermore, the Second District held that whether such a Plaintiff does so through valid
assignment, proof of purchase of the debt, or evidence of an effective transfer, they are
nevertheless required to prove that it validly held the note and mortgage which it sought to
foreclose. rd. In BAC Funding, the Second District ultimately ruled that an incomplete,
response to the Defendant's motion to dismiss did not constitute admissible evidence
establishing the Plaintiff's standing to foreclose on the note and mortgage in question.
14. Additionally, the Bankruptcy Court of the Middle District of Florida recently denied a
movant's motion for relief from stay so the movant could foreclose on real property owned
by a debtor, in part, because the movant did not establish that it was the real party in interest
through a valid allonge. In re Canellas, 2010 WL 571808 (Bankr. M.D. Fla. Feb. 9,2010).
There, the movant accompanied its motion with a mortgage and note which were endorsed to
someone other than itself. Some three months later, the movant filed an allonge with the
Court which purportedly endorsed to it the mortgage and the note. However, the allonge was
not notarized nor was it dated. The Court ultimately denied the movant's motion and
questioned the veracity of the allonge because, amongst other reasons, the allonge was not:
b. Argument
15. In this case before the court, the Plaintiff filed its case and attached documents that showed
affinnatively that another party, namely, Option One Mortgage was entitled to proceed on
the mortgage foreclosure count. The named lender according to the Plaintiff sown
CORPORATION; however, Option One, the actual named lender on the Mortgage and Note,
has had its corporate status suspended since 1990 and the Record is completely devoid of
how Sand Canyon has come into existence or how it can legally hold a mortgage or note.
Furthennore, the purported allonge which the Plaintiff alleges gives it the power to enforce
the Mortgage and Note in question is not dated nor is it notarized. Option One's suspended
corporate status, the unclear and undefined existence of Sand Canyon, and the lack of a date
or notarization on the purported allonge itself are firm grounds for the Court to doubt the
veracity of this document and, as an extension, the Plaintiffs status as the real party in
interest.
WHEREFORE, because the Plaintiff failed to prosecute this cause in the name of the
a. Legal Standards
16. Fla. R. Civ. P. 1.140(b)(6) provides, in pertinent part, that "the following defenses may
be made by motion at the option of the pleader ... failure to state a cause of action." In ruling
on a motion to dismiss for failure to state a cause of action, the trial court must assume that
all allegations in the complaint are true and decide whether the Plaintiff would be entitled to
relief. Carmona v. McKinley, Ittersagen, Gunderson & Bemtsson, P.A., 952 So.2d 1273
(Fla. 2d DCA 2007). Nevertheless, as indicated in the Standard of Review discussion, supra,
exhibits attached to the Plaintiff s complaint are part of the complaint, and where the
allegations made in the complaint do not agree with the exhibits attached, the exhibits
control.
17. There is no Florida case on point which provides guidance as to how an allonge must be
physically attached to an instrument in order for it to become "firmly affixed" to same, but
the court can rely on the plain meaning of the words, "firmly affixed" and the Court may
look to decisions of courts in other states for persuasive authority. To begin, two reasons
have been cited for the "firmly affixed" rule: (1) to prevent fraud; and (2) to preserve a
traceable chain of title. See Adams v. Madison Realty & Development, Inc., 853 F. 2d 163,
167 (3d Cir. 1988). A draft of the 1951 version of the UCC Article 3 included the comment
that "[t]he indorsement must be written on the instrument itself or an allonge, which, as
the instrument as to become part of it." ALI, Comments & Notes to Tentative Draft No.1
Article III 114 (1946), reprinted in 2 Elizabeth Slusser Kelly, Uniform Commercial Code
Drafts 311, 424 (1984). More recently, however, courts have held that "stapling is the
modem equivalent of gluing or pasting." Lamson v. Commercial Credo Corp., 187 Colo. 382
(Colo. 1975). See also Southwestern Resolution Corp. V. Watson, 964 S.W. 2d 262 (Texas
1997) (holding that an allonge stapled to the back of a promissory note is valid so long as
there is no room on the note for endorsement, but affixed does not include paperclips.).
Regardless of the exact method of affixation, numerous cases have rejected endorsements
made on separate sheets of paper loosely inserted in a folder with the instrument and not
physically attached in any way. See Town of Freeport v. Ring, 1999 Me. 48 (Maine 1999);
Adams V. Madison Realty & Development, Inc., 853 F. 2d 163 (3d Cir. 1988); Big Builders,
b. Argument
18. Here, the Plaintiffs purported allonge, as found in the Court File, is in no way so firmly
affixed to the Promissory Note as to give the Plaintiff the ability to raise a cause of action for
foreclosure of a mortgage and note which is made out to someone other than itself.
Specifically, when undersigned counsel examined the Court File, this purported allonge was
not affixed to the Promissory Note at all, but is unattached and "floating" in the court file.
Because the purported allonge is not affixed to the Note, the twin aims of affixation, namely
to prevent fraud and to preserve a traceable chain of title, have expressly not been met.
WHEREFORE, because the Plaintiff failed to state a cause of action upon which relief
can be granted within the four comers of the Complaint or in any other Pleading or Filing, the
III. Plaintiff's Complaint Should be Dismissed for Failure to State a Cause of Action
Because the Promissory Note Contained Room for Endorsement
a. Legal Standards
19. There is also no Florida case law which provides guidance on how to decide "No-Space
Tests", or how to proceed when there is room on the instrument for an endorsement but an
only where, because of multiple endorsements, no additional space for signatures remains on
the negotiable instrument. See Shepherd Mall St. Bank v. Johnson, 603 P. 2d 1115, 1118
(Okla. 1979); Tallahassee Bank & Trust Company v. Raines, 187 S.E. 2d 320, 321 (Ga. App.
1972); James Talcott, Inc. v. Fred Ratowsky Assoc., Inc., 38 Pa. D. & C.2d 624 (Pa. Ct. of
Common Pleas 1965). But see Crosby v. Roub, 16 Wis. 616,626-27 (Wis. 1863) (allonge
permitted even where space remains on note). Perhaps the seminal case which deals with the
issue is Pribus v. Bush, 118 Cal. App. 3d 1003 (Cal. App. 1981), which reasoned that
the law merchant rule [which permits the use of allonges only when there is no
room on the instrument itself! ...was developed as a refinement of the basic rule
that an indorsement must be on the instrument itself. This basic rule must have
become impractical when strictly applied in certain multiple indorsement
situations, due to the finite amount of space on any given instrument. The allonge,
then, was apparently created to remedy the inconveniences of the basic rule, not
as an alternative method of indorsement. Id at 1008. Emphasis added.
The Pribus court ultimately decided that the majority view is to follow the law merchant rule and
only permit allonges when there is no physical space left on the instrument itself. Id.
h. Argument
20. Here, the allonge was improper because there is ample blank space on the Promissory
Note filed with the Plaintiff s Complaint to stamp an endorsement. This includes abundant space
both below the Plaintiff's alleged signature and on the back of the Note. Florida courts, in the
absence of a Florida case directly on point, should follow the majority rule which only allows the
use of an allonge when there is no room on the instrument itself for endorsement. Doing so
preserves the law merchant rule, an ancient principal of commercial law. Because the allonge
was improper, the Mortgage and the Note are endorsed to someone other than the Plaintiff, and
therefore the Plaintiff does not have the ability to raise the cause of action for foreclosure.
WHEREFORE, because the Plaintiff failed to state a cause of action upon which relief
can be granted within the four comers of the Complaint or in any other Pleading or Filing, the
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I HEREBY cERT~rue and correct copy of the foregoing has been furnished by
U.S. Mail on this -.May of March, 2010 to PASCALE ACHILLE, Ben-Ezra & Katz, P.A.,
or Defendant
122 Central Avenue
St. Petersburg, FL 33705
(727) 894-3159
FBN: 0185957
DISCI_AlMER: The information displayed here is current as of DEC 26, 2008 and is updated weekly. It is not
a complete or certified record of the Corporation.
Corporation
iOPTION ONE MORTGAGE CORP.
!·Numt;;.~~Ci5621·92-·- i D~t;Fii;d:-7/i9;1989
iJurisdiction: California
Address
,**3109 LOS FLORES A
iLYNWOOD, CA 90262
............•............
Blank fields indicate the information is not contained in the computer file.
If the status of the corporation is "Surrender", the agent for service of process is automatically revoked. Please
refur to California Corporations Code Section 2114 for information relating to service upon corporations that
have surrendered
DISCLAIMER: The information displayed here is current as of DEC 26, 2008 and is updated weekly. II is not
a complete or certified record of the Corporation.
Corporation
SAND CANYON CORPORATION
... ~------~------ ... -~--~ .. ».-.------------.-c-------~.---
Blank fields indicate the information is not contained in the computer file.
lflbe stalUs of the corporation is "Surrender", the agent for service of process is automatically revoked. Please
refer to California Corporations Code Section 2114 for information relating to service upon corporations that
have surrendered.