United States v. Ronald L. Wieczorek , 48 F. App'x 226 ( 2002 )


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  •                    United States Court of Appeals
    FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT
    ___________
    No. 01-3877
    ___________
    United States of America,            *
    acting through the Small             *
    Business Administration,             *
    *
    Plaintiff – Appellee,         *
    * Appeal from the United States
    v.                            * District Court for the District of
    * South Dakota.
    Ronald L. Wieczorek;                 *
    Deanna M. Wieczorek;                 *       [UNPUBLISHED]
    *
    Defendants – Appellants,      *
    *
    Rocky Wieczorek; John Wieczorek;     *
    Massey-Ferguson Credit               *
    Corporation; Massey-Ferguson,        *
    Inc.; Farmers Elevator Co.           *
    of Mount Vernon; Davison             *
    County, South Dakota,                *
    *
    Defendants.                   *
    ___________
    Submitted: October 11, 2002
    Filed: October 18, 2002
    ___________
    Before LOKEN, BEAM, and MELLOY, Circuit Judges.
    ___________
    PER CURIAM.
    Ronald and Deanna Wieczorek appeal from the district court's1 grant of
    summary judgment in favor of the government in this foreclosure action. In 1981,
    Ronald, doing business as Davison County Implement, executed a promissory note
    for a loan from the Small Business Administration (SBA). The note was secured by
    real estate mortgages on two parcels of land. The Wieczoreks defaulted on the note,
    and the SBA obtained a money judgment on the note in 1984. The judgment has
    remained unsatisfied since that time. In 1998, one of the above-mentioned parcels
    of land was sold and the proceeds were deposited into the court registry. The
    government then brought this action to foreclose on the mortgages.
    The district court granted summary judgment in favor of the SBA, entered
    judgment of foreclosure, and ordered the sale of the remaining parcel. This parcel has
    since been sold, as the Wieczoreks did not obtain a stay of the district court's
    judgment. The Wieczoreks appeal, arguing that the 1984 money judgment
    extinguished the SBA note and with it any security interest represented by the
    mortgage.
    The Wieczoreks do not dispute that Ronald defaulted on the note, that the SBA
    accelerated and reduced this note to judgment in 1984, and that the 1984 judgment
    remains unsatisfied. Instead, they argue that the reduction of the note to judgment in
    1984 somehow invalidated the SBA's right to foreclose on the mortgage because the
    word "cancelled" was allegedly typed on the note following the 1984 judgment. The
    district court rejected that argument as being contrary to longstanding South Dakota
    law that entry of a money judgment on a promissory note does not extinguish the
    right to foreclose a mortgage, citing Federal Land Bank of Omaha v. Schley, 
    293 N.W. 879
    (S.D. 1940) and St. Paul Fire & Marine Insurance Co. v. Dakota Land &
    1
    The Honorable Lawrence L. Piersol, Chief Judge, United States District Court
    for the District of South Dakota.
    -2-
    Live-Stock Co., 
    72 N.W. 460
    (S.D. 1897). The court granted summary judgment in
    favor of the SBA.2 Based on the record before us, we find no error that would require
    reversal. Accordingly, we affirm.3 See 8th Cir. R. 47B.
    A true copy.
    Attest:
    CLERK, U.S. COURT OF APPEALS, EIGHTH CIRCUIT.
    2
    Regarding the remaining defendants, the district court either entered default
    judgment in favor of the SBA, granted judgment on the pleadings in favor of the
    SBA, or ruled on the status of the remaining defendants' interests in the subject
    property. These defendants have not joined in the Wieczorek's appeal.
    3
    The government moves to dismiss the appeal as moot because the property
    that was the subject of this action has been sold and the sale confirmed. To the extent
    that the Wieczoreks attempt to recover the land which has been sold, we agree that
    the appeal is moot. The Wieczoreks did not obtain a stay from either the district court
    or this court. "Once foreclosed property is sold to a bone fide third-party purchaser,
    a court generally lacks the power to craft an adequate remedy for the debtor." United
    States v. Fitzgerald, 
    109 F.3d 1339
    , 1342 (8th Cir. 1997). Because the Wieczoreks
    did not secure a stay of these proceedings, they cannot recover the land. To the extent
    that they seek this relief, their appeal is dismissed as moot. 
    Id. We therefore
    grant
    in part and deny in part the government's motion to dismiss the appeal.
    -3-
    

Document Info

Docket Number: 01-3877

Citation Numbers: 48 F. App'x 226

Judges: Loken, Beam, Melloy

Filed Date: 10/18/2002

Precedential Status: Non-Precedential

Modified Date: 11/6/2024