U.S. Bank Trust, N.A. v. Verhagen ( 2020 )


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  •   NOT FOR PUBLICATION IN WEST'S HAWAI#I REPORTS AND PACIFIC REPORTER
    Electronically Filed
    Intermediate Court of Appeals
    CAAP-XX-XXXXXXX
    02-OCT-2020
    08:08 AM
    NO. CAAP-XX-XXXXXXX
    IN THE INTERMEDIATE COURT OF APPEALS
    OF THE STATE OF HAWAI#I
    U.S. BANK TRUST, N.A., AS TRUSTEE FOR LSF9
    MASTER PARTICIPATION TRUST, Plaintiff-Appellee,
    v.
    PATRICK LOWELL VERHAGEN; PATRICK LOWELL VERHAGEN,
    TRUSTEE OF THE PATRICK LOWELL VERHAGEN REVOCABLE
    TRUST DATED OCTOBER 29, 1999, Defendants-Appellants,
    and
    WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A., Defendant-Appellee,
    and
    DOES 1 THROUGH 20, INCLUSIVE, Defendants
    APPEAL FROM THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SECOND CIRCUIT
    (CIVIL NO. 16-1-0147(1))
    AMENDED SUMMARY DISPOSITION ORDER
    (By:   Ginoza, Chief Judge, Chan and Hiraoka, JJ.)
    Defendant-Appellant Patrick Lowell Verhagen
    and Patrick Lowell Verhagen, Trustee of the Patrick Lowell
    Verhagen Revocable Trust Dated October 29, 1999 (collectively
    Verhagen) appeal from the Judgment entered on September 25, 2017,
    by the Circuit Court of the Second Circuit (Circuit Court).1               The
    Judgment was entered pursuant to the Circuit Court's "Findings of
    Fact and Conclusions of Law; Order Granting Plaintiff's Motion
    for Summary Judgment and for Interlocutory Decree of Foreclosure
    1
    The Honorable Rhonda I.L. Loo presided.
    NOT FOR PUBLICATION IN WEST'S HAWAI#I REPORTS AND PACIFIC REPORTER
    Filed January 31, 2017" (Summary Judgment Order) also entered on
    September 25, 2017.
    On appeal, Verhagen argues the Circuit Court erred in
    granting summary judgment in favor of Plaintiff-Appellee U.S.
    Bank Trust, N.A., as Trustee for LFS9 Master Participation Trust
    (U.S. Bank), when there were genuine issues of material fact as
    to whether U.S. Bank had standing to bring a foreclosure action
    against Verhagen.
    Upon careful review of the record and the briefs
    submitted by the parties and having given due consideration to
    the arguments advanced and the issues raised by the parties, as
    well as the relevant legal authorities, we resolve Verhagen's
    points of error as follows, and we vacate and remand.
    I. Background
    In its "Verified Complaint to Foreclose Mortgage" filed
    on March 23, 2016 (Verified Complaint), U.S. Bank alleged that
    Patrick Verhagen executed and delivered an Adjustable Rate Note
    (Note) dated September 24, 2007, to original lender Washington
    Mutual Bank, F.A. (Washington Mutual).          The Verified Complaint
    further asserted that "[U.S. Bank] is the current holder of the
    Note with standing to prosecute the instant action by virtue of
    the blank indorsement to the Note, which thereby converted the
    Note to a bearer instrument, and because [U.S. Bank] is in
    possession of the indorsed in blank Note." The Verified
    Complaint also asserted that the Note was secured by a Mortgage,
    dated September 24, 2007, in favor of Washington Mutual, and that
    the Mortgage was subsequently assigned to JP Morgan Chase Bank
    (JPMorgan) via an assignment recorded on November 24, 2014, and
    then assigned to U.S. Bank via an assignment recorded on July 31,
    2015.2
    Attached to the Verified Complaint is a "Verification
    to Foreclosure Complaint" executed by Julia Jackson (Jackson), an
    2
    The Assignment of Mortgage recorded on November 24, 2014, states that
    the Mortgage was assigned by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, as
    receiver of Washington Mutual, to JPMorgan.
    2
    NOT FOR PUBLICATION IN WEST'S HAWAI#I REPORTS AND PACIFIC REPORTER
    "Authorized Signatory" of Caliber Home Loans, Inc. (Caliber),
    which "has the contractual right and responsibility to service
    the Loan on behalf of [U.S. Bank]." Jackson's verification
    states, in relevant part, that she reviewed the Verified
    Complaint and "hereby confirm[s] the factual accuracy of the
    statements contained therein to the best of my knowledge," that
    she has "verified and hereby confirm[s] possession of the
    original Note by Plaintiff," and that "[t]he Note is indorsed in
    blank, which thereby converted the Note to a bearer instrument."
    On January 31, 2017, U.S. Bank filed a motion for
    summary judgment and attached, inter alia, a declaration by
    Alyssa Salyers (Salyers), a "Foreclosure Document Specialist II"
    employed by Caliber. Verhagen opposed the summary judgment
    motion, asserting, inter alia, that U.S. Bank failed to establish
    possession of the original Note when U.S. Bank filed the Verified
    Complaint, and thus failed to establish standing under Bank of
    Am., N.A. v. Reyes-Toledo, 139 Hawai#i 361, 
    390 P.3d 1248
     (2017)
    (Reyes-Toledo I). On September 25, 2017, the Circuit Court
    entered the Summary Judgment Order and the Judgment, from which
    Verhagen appealed.
    While this appeal was pending, U.S. Bank filed in the
    Circuit Court a "Motion to Ratify and/or Amend Findings of Fact
    and Conclusions of Law; Order Granting Plaintiff's Motion for
    Summary Judgment and for Interlocutory Decree of Foreclosure
    Filed January 31, 2017; and Judgment, Entered on September 25,
    2017" (Motion to Ratify). In filing the Motion to Ratify, U.S.
    Bank cited Rule 60(b) of the Hawai#i Rules of Civil Procedure
    (HRCP) and the procedure under Life of the Land v. Ariyoshi, 
    57 Haw. 249
    , 252, 
    553 P.2d 464
    , 466 (1976), seeking to have the
    Circuit Court certify how it would rule so that U.S. Bank could
    request a temporary remand of the case back to the Circuit Court.
    The Motion to Ratify noted that U.S. Bank had addressed the
    Reyes-Toledo criteria prior to the hearing on its motion for
    summary judgment, but asserted that after it submitted the
    proposed foreclosure judgment to the Circuit Court, the Hawai#i
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    NOT FOR PUBLICATION IN WEST'S HAWAI#I REPORTS AND PACIFIC REPORTER
    Supreme Court had issued U.S. Bank N.A. v. Mattos, 140 Hawai#i
    26, 30, 
    398 P.3d 615
    , 619 (2017), which U.S. Bank noted
    "clarified the evidentiary standard applicable in foreclosure
    cases." U.S. Bank thus asserted that the new requirements in
    Mattos arguably had not been considered by the Circuit Court and
    thus U.S. Bank sought to have the Circuit Court clarify that it
    had considered the evidence under the appropriate legal standard
    that now existed following Reyes-Toledo and Mattos. The Motion
    to Ratify contained, inter alia, a supplemental declaration by
    Melinda Patterson (Patterson), an "Authorized Officer" employed
    by Caliber. The Patterson supplemental declaration states, in
    part, that "Plaintiff, or its agent on Plaintiff's behalf, was in
    possession of the original wet-ink, indorsed in blank Note when
    the above-captioned foreclosure action was commenced on March 23,
    2016 and since" and that "Plaintiff, its agent on Plaintiff's
    behalf, or Plaintiff's counsel on Plaintiff's behalf, have been
    in possession of the original indorsed in blank Note since before
    this foreclosure action was commenced on March 23, 2016."
    Patterson also attests to the existence of a
    "Certification" executed by Jennifer Martin (Martin), an
    "Authorized Signatory, Collateral Management" and employee of
    Caliber, which purports to "evidence that the original wet ink,
    indorsed in blank Note was in Caliber's possession on Plaintiff's
    behalf on February 9, 2016" and "indicates that the original wet-
    ink Note was indorsed in blank no later than February 9, 2016, as
    the original wet-ink Note was electronically scanned and uploaded
    to Caliber's business records on or before February 9, 2016 and
    the scanned copy of the original wet-ink Note that was uploaded
    to Caliber's business records on or before February 9, 2016
    contains a blank indorsement on page 6 of the Note."
    In addition, Patterson declared that an attached
    "Attorney's Bailee Letter Agreement" (Attorney Bailee Letter)
    signed by Jennifer Williams (Williams), an "Authorized Signatory"
    employed by Caliber, is evidence that "the original wet-ink,
    indorsed in blank Note was transmitted to Plaintiff's legal
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    NOT FOR PUBLICATION IN WEST'S HAWAI#I REPORTS AND PACIFIC REPORTER
    counsel on or around December 9, 2016 and was received by
    Plaintiff's counsel on or around December 14, 2016."
    The Motion to Ratify was in essence a request for the
    Circuit Court to indicate that it would take further action on
    U.S. Bank's motion for summary judgment, considering the
    additional submissions of Patterson's supplemental declaration
    and the other attachments thereto.
    On July 27, 2018, the Circuit Court granted the Motion
    to Ratify and also entered its inclination to reconsider the
    September 25, 2017 Summary Judgment Order and Judgment "under the
    currently applicable legal standard that has developed since
    Plaintiff's Motion for Summary Judgment and for Interlocutory
    Decree of Foreclosure Filed January 31, 2017 (the "MSJ") was
    heard and decided on April 6, 2017, and based on the evidence
    submitted[.]" The Circuit Court confirmed that, should the
    intermediate court of appeals allow a partial remand, the Circuit
    Court intends to reconsider the Judgment and enter an order and
    judgment ratifying and/or amending the Judgment consistent with
    the currently applicable legal standard and evidence submitted,
    and/or setting aside the Judgment and entering an amended
    Judgment that will provide the same relief accorded in the
    original Judgment nunc pro tunc to September 25, 2017, when the
    original Judgment was entered.
    On August 10, 2018, U.S. Bank filed in this court a
    "Motion for Temporary Remand and for Fourth Extension of Time to
    File Answering Brief." This court granted the motion in part
    under the procedure set forth in Life of the Land (permitting a
    trial court to consider a Rule 60(b) motion during the pendency
    of an appeal and "if the trial court indicates that it is
    inclined to grant the motion, application may then be made to the
    appellate court for a remand."), noting that the Circuit Court
    had indicated its inclination to amend the Judgment. Hence, the
    case was temporarily remanded to the Circuit Court.
    On October 8, 2018, the Circuit Court entered an
    "Amended Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law; Amended Order
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    NOT FOR PUBLICATION IN WEST'S HAWAI#I REPORTS AND PACIFIC REPORTER
    Granting Plaintiff's Motion for Summary Judgment and for
    Interlocutory Decree of Foreclosure" (Amended Summary Judgment
    Order) and an Amended Judgment.      Jurisdiction then reverted to
    this court.
    II.   Discussion
    In order to establish a right to foreclose, the
    foreclosing plaintiff must establish standing, or entitlement to
    enforce the subject note, at the time the action was commenced.
    Reyes-Toledo I, 139 Hawai#i at 367-70, 390 P.3d at 1254-57. As
    expressed by the Hawai#i Supreme Court,
    a foreclosing plaintiff must prove "the existence of
    an agreement, the terms of the agreement, a default by
    the mortgagor under the terms of the agreement, and
    giving of the cancellation notice," as well as prove
    entitlement to enforce the defaulted upon note.
    Bank of America, N.A. v. Reyes-Toledo, 143 Hawai#i 249, 263-64,
    
    428 P.3d 761
    , 775-76 (2018) (quoting Reyes-Toledo I, 139 Hawai#i
    at 367-68, 390 P.3d at 1254-55) (format altered).
    Moreover, a declaration in support of a summary
    judgment motion must be based on personal knowledge, contain
    facts that would be admissible in evidence, and show that the
    declarant is competent to testify to the matters contained within
    the declaration. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v. Behrendt, 142 Hawai#i
    37, 44, 
    414 P.3d 89
    , 96 (2018) (citing Mattos, 140 Hawai#i at 30,
    398 P.3d at 619; Hawai#i Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 56(e);
    Rules of the Circuit Courts of the State of Hawai#i Rule 7(g)).
    Inadmissible evidence "cannot serve as a basis for awarding or
    denying summary judgment." Id. (quoting Haw. Cmty. Fed. Credit
    Union v. Keka, 94 Hawai#i 213, 221, 
    11 P.3d 1
    , 9 (2000)).
    In the context of foreclosures, the Hawai#i Supreme
    Court has adopted certain criteria for admissibility of
    promissory notes, including whether an employee of a business
    that receives records from another business can be a "qualified
    witness" to establish a sufficient foundation for admission of
    such records under Hawaii Rules of Evidence (HRE) Rule
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    NOT FOR PUBLICATION IN WEST'S HAWAI#I REPORTS AND PACIFIC REPORTER
    803(b)(6).3 Mattos, 140 Hawai#i at 30-33, 398 P.3d at 619-622;
    Behrendt, 142 Hawai#i 37, 44-46, 
    414 P.3d 89
    , 96-98; Nationstar
    Mortgage LLC v. Kanahele, 144 Hawai#i 394, 402-404, 
    443 P.3d 86
    ,
    94-96 (2019). In Mattos, the Hawai#i Supreme Court relied on the
    analysis in State v. Fitzwater, 122 Hawai#i 354, 365-66, 
    227 P.3d 520
    , 531-32 (2010), stating:
    Fitzwater addressed the admissibility of business documents
    authenticated by an employee of another business, stating:
    A person can be a "qualified witness" who can
    authenticate a document as a record of regularly
    conducted activity under HRE Rule 803(b)(6) or its
    federal counterpart even if he or she is not an
    employee of the business that created the document, or
    has no direct, personal knowledge of how the document
    was created. As one leading commentator has noted:
    ... [sic] The phrase "other qualified witness" is
    given a very broad interpretation. The witness need
    only have enough familiarity with the record-keeping
    system of the business in question to explain how the
    record came into existence in the ordinary course of
    business. The witness need not have personal
    knowledge of the actual creation of the documents or
    have personally assembled the records. In fact, the
    witness need not even be an employee of the
    record-keeping entity as long as the witness
    understands the entity's record-keeping system.
    There is no requirement that the records have been
    prepared by the entity that has custody of them, as
    long as they were created in the regular course of
    some entity's business.
    3
    HRE Rule 803(b)(6) states:
    Rule 803 Hearsay exceptions; availability of
    declarant immaterial. The following are not excluded
    by the hearsay rule, even though the declarant is
    available as a witness:
    . . . .
    (b) Other exceptions.
    (6) Records of regularly conducted activity. A
    memorandum, report, record, or data
    compilation, in any form, of acts, events,
    conditions, opinions, or diagnoses, made in
    the course of a regularly conducted
    activity, at or near the time of the acts,
    events, conditions, opinions, or diagnoses,
    as shown by the testimony of the custodian
    or other qualified witness[.]
    (Emphasis added).
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    The sufficiency of the foundation evidence depends in
    part on the nature of the documents at issue.
    Documents that are "standard records of the type
    regularly maintained by firms in a particular industry
    may require less by way of foundation testimony than
    less conventional documents proffered for admission as
    business records."
    Thus, an employee of a business that receives records
    from another business can be a qualified witness who
    can establish a sufficient foundation for their
    admission as records of the receiving business under
    HRE Rule 803(b)(6).
    Mattos, 140 Hawai#i at 32, 398 P.3d at 621 (quoting Fitzwater,
    122 Hawai#i at 366, 227 P.3d at 532).
    Subsequently, as further explained in Behrendt:
    The court in Mattos held that a witness may be qualified to
    provide the testimony required by HRE Rule 803(b)(6) even if
    the witness is not employed by the business that created the
    document or lacks direct, personal knowledge of how the
    document was created. Id. "There is no requirement that
    the records have been prepared by the entity that has
    custody of them, as long as they were created in the regular
    course of some entity's business." Id. (quoting State v.
    Fitzwater, 122 Hawai#i 354, 366, 
    227 P.3d 520
    , 532 (2010)).
    The witness, however, must have enough familiarity with the
    record-keeping system of the business that created the
    record to explain how the record was generated in the
    ordinary course of business. 
    Id.
    Records received from another business and incorporated into
    the receiving business' records may in some circumstances be
    regarded as "created" by the receiving business. 
    Id.
    Incorporated records are admissible under HRE Rule 803(b)(6)
    when a custodian or qualified witness testifies that the
    documents were incorporated and kept in the normal course of
    business, that the incorporating business typically relies
    upon the accuracy of the contents of the documents, and the
    circumstances otherwise indicate the trustworthiness of the
    document. See id.; Fitzwater, 122 Hawai#i at 367-68, 227
    P.3d at 533-34.
    142 Hawai#i at 45-46, 414 P.3d at 97-98 (emphases added).
    Here, neither the verification by Jackson, the
    declaration by Salyers, nor the supplemental declaration by
    Patterson, contain the necessary foundation to support admission
    of the Note under Mattos, Behrendt or Kanahele to establish that
    U.S. Bank had possession of the Note when it commenced this
    foreclosure action, as required by Reyes-Toledo I.
    In her verification, which was attached to the Verified
    Complaint, Jackson asserted "I have verified and hereby confirm
    possession of the original Note by [U.S. Bank][,]" and that "the
    8
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    Note is indorsed in blank[.]" However, Jackson does not
    establish she is a qualified witness under HRE Rule 803(b)(6) for
    admission of the Note. In terms of her qualifications to admit
    the Note, Jackson's verification states only that she is
    "employed as a[n] Authorized Signatory by [Caliber], and that:
    2.    I have access to and am familiar with Caliber's
    books and records regarding the Loan, including Caliber's
    servicing records and copies of the applicable loan
    documents. I am familiar with the manner in which Caliber
    maintains its books and records, including computer records
    relating to the servicing of the Loan. Caliber's records
    are made at or near the time of the occurrence of the
    matters set forth in such records, by an employee or
    representative with knowledge of the acts or events
    recorded. Such records are obtained, kept and maintained by
    Caliber in the regular course of Caliber's business.
    Caliber relies on such records in the ordinary course of its
    business.
    Jackson's verification does not state that she is a custodian of
    records for Caliber. Further, her verification does not
    demonstrate that she has "enough familiarity with the
    record-keeping system of the business that created the record to
    explain how the record was generated in the ordinary course of
    business." Behrendt, 142 Hawai#i at 45, 414 P.3d at 97; Mattos,
    140 Hawai#i at 32-33, 398 P.3d at 621-22. Thus, Jackson's
    verification fails to establish that she is a "qualified witness"
    for purposes of admitting the Note under the HRE Rule 803(b)(6).
    The Salyers Declaration, attached in support of U.S.
    Bank's summary judgment motion, likewise does not establish that
    Salyers is a custodian of records for Caliber or a qualified
    witness with regards to admitting the Note. Salyers, a
    "Foreclosure Document Specialist II" employed by Caliber, attests
    in pertinent part:
    2.    I have access to and am familiar with Caliber's
    books and records regarding the Loan, including Caliber's
    servicing records and copies of the applicable loan
    documents. I am familiar with the manner in which Caliber
    maintains its books and records, including computer records
    relating to the servicing of the Loan. Caliber's records
    are made at or near the time of the occurrence of the
    matters set forth in such records, by an employee or
    representative with knowledge of the acts or events
    recorded. Such records are obtained, kept and maintained by
    Caliber in the regular course of Caliber's business.
    Caliber relies on such records in the ordinary course of its
    business. Caliber's records include and incorporate records
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    for the Subject Loan obtained from JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.
    ("Prior Servicer"), the prior loan servicer for the Subject
    Loan. The records obtained by Caliber from the Prior
    Servicer are kept and maintained by Caliber in the ordinary
    course of its business for the purpose of maintaining an
    accounting of payments received, expenses incurred, and
    amounts advanced with regard to the Subject Loan, and such
    records are relied upon by Caliber in the regular course of
    its business.
    However, Salyers does not attest to being familiar with the
    record-keeping system of Washington Mutual or JP Morgan. See
    Behrendt, 142 Hawai#i at 45-46, 414 P.3d at 97-98; Mattos, 140
    Hawai#i at 32-33, 398 P.3d at 621-22.
    Finally, even the supplemental declaration by Patterson
    fails to establish under Mattos and Behrendt that she is a
    custodian of records or a qualified witness for purposes of
    admitting the Note as evidence pursuant to HRE Rule 803(b)(6).
    Patterson attests, in pertinent part:
    2.    I have access to and am familiar with Caliber's
    books and records regarding the Loan, including Caliber's
    servicing records and copies of the applicable loan
    documents. I am familiar with the manner in which Caliber
    maintains its books and records, including computer records
    relating to the servicing of the Loan. Caliber's records
    are made at or near the time of the occurrence of the
    matters set forth in such records, by an employee or
    representative with knowledge of the acts or events
    recorded. Such records are obtained, kept and maintained by
    Caliber in the regular course of Caliber's business.
    Caliber relies on such records in the ordinary course of its
    business. Caliber's records include and incorporate records
    for the Loan obtained from JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. ("Prior
    Servicer"), the prior loan servicer for the Loan. The
    records obtained by Caliber from the Prior Servicer are kept
    and maintained by Caliber in the ordinary course of its
    business for the purpose of maintaining an accounting of
    payments received, expenses incurred, and amounts advanced
    with regard to the Loan, and such records are relied upon by
    Caliber in the regular course of its business. The
    information regarding the Loan transferred to Caliber from
    the Prior Servicer has been validated in many ways,
    including, but not limited to, going through a due diligence
    phase, review of hard copy documents, and review of the
    payment history and accounting of other fees, costs, and
    expenses charged to the Loan by Prior Servicer. It is
    Caliber's regular practice, after these phases are complete,
    to receive records from prior servicers and integrate these
    records into Caliber's business records at the time of
    acquisition. Once integrated, Caliber maintains and relies
    on these business records in the ordinary course of its
    mortgage loan servicing business.
    Like Jackson and Salyers, Patterson does not attest to being
    familiar with the record-keeping system of JP Morgan (the prior
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    servicer) or Washington Mutual (which purportedly created and
    indorsed the Note in blank).
    Without the required foundation for admission of the
    Note, Patterson's assertion that U.S. Bank, or its counsel
    Aldridge Pite, LLP (Aldridge Pite), was in possession of the
    original Note when this action was filed does not meet the
    requirements under Reyes-Toledo I, Mattos, or Behrendt. Further,
    Patterson's reliance on an Attorney Bailee Letter Agreement,
    signed by Caliber "Authorized Signatory" Williams and a
    representative from Aldridge Pite, and the Certification signed
    by Caliber "Authorized Signatory" Martin, are similarly unhelpful
    in establishing the requirements under Reyes-Toledo I. Neither
    document helps to establish a sufficient basis to admit the Note,
    the Certification does not certify possession of the original
    Note by U.S. Bank at the time the Verified Complaint was filed,
    and the Attorney Bailee Letter was executed approximately nine
    months after U.S. Bank commenced the foreclosure action.
    Finally, we reject U.S. Bank's argument that Verhagen's
    failure to file an opposition to the Motion to Ratify constituted
    a waiver of Verhagen's right to challenge the Motion to Ratify or
    the Patterson declaration on appeal. The Motion to Ratify sought
    to have the Circuit Court clarify its previous summary judgment
    ruling. For purposes of summary judgment:
    the moving party has the burden of producing support for its
    claim that: (1) no genuine issue of material fact exists
    with respect to the essential elements of the claim or
    defense which the motion seeks to establish or which the
    motion questions; and (2) based on the undisputed facts, it
    is entitled to summary judgment as a matter of law. Only
    when the moving party satisfies its initial burden of
    production does the burden shift to the non-moving party to
    respond to the motion for summary judgment and demonstrate
    specific facts, as opposed to general allegations, that
    present a genuine issue worthy of trial.
    Mattos, 140 Hawai#i at 30, 398 P.3d at 619 (emphasis added).
    Here, where U.S. Bank as summary judgment movant did not meet its
    initial burden, the burden did not shift to Verhagen. Moreover,
    the ultimate burden of persuasion always remains with U.S. Bank
    and requires U.S. Bank to convince the court that no genuine
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    issue of material fact exists and that it is entitled to summary
    judgment as a matter of law. Id. U.S. Bank did not establish
    its entitlement to summary judgment and Verhagen's failure to
    challenge the Motion to Ratify is of no consequence in our review
    of the summary judgment rulings by the Circuit Court.
    In light of the admissible evidence in the record, U.S.
    Bank failed to demonstrate that it was in possession of the
    original, blank indorsed Note at the time this action was
    commenced. We need not address Verhagen's other arguments,
    including his contention that the blank indorsement on the Note
    by Cynthia A. Riley was fraudulent.
    Viewing the facts and inferences in the light most
    favorable to Verhagen, as we must for purposes of reviewing a
    summary judgment ruling, Reyes-Toledo I, 139 Hawai#i at 371, 390
    P.3d at 1258, there is a genuine issue of material fact as to
    whether U.S. Bank had standing and was entitled to enforce the
    subject Note when this foreclosure action was commenced. Thus,
    under Reyes-Toledo I, Mattos and Behrendt, U.S. Bank has not met
    its initial burden to show that it was entitled to summary
    judgment for the decree of foreclosure.
    III. Conclusion
    Based on the foregoing, the following entered by the
    Circuit Court of the Second Circuit are vacated:
    (1) the September 25, 2017 Judgment;
    (2) the September 25, 2017 "Findings of Fact and
    Conclusions of Law; Order Granting Plaintiff's Motion for Summary
    Judgment and for Interlocutory Decree of Foreclosure Filed
    January 31, 2017";
    (3) the October 8, 2018 "Amended Judgment"; and
    (4) the October 8, 2018 "Amended Findings of Fact and
    Conclusions of Law; Order Granting Plaintiff's Motion for Summary
    Judgment and for Interlocutory Decree of Foreclosure Filed
    January 31, 2017."
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    This case is remanded to the Circuit Court for further
    proceedings.4
    DATED: Honolulu, Hawai#i, October 2, 2020.
    On the briefs:                            /s/ Lisa M. Ginoza
    Chief Judge
    Gary Victor Dubin,
    Frederick J. Arensmeyer,                  /s/ Derrick H.M. Chan
    for Defendants-Appellants.                Associate Judge
    David B. Rosen,                           /s/ Keith K. Hiraoka
    David E. McAllister,                      Associate Judge
    Justin S. Moyer,
    for Plaintiff-Appellee.
    4
    On remand, the parties may need to address the Hawai #i Supreme
    Court's "Order Regarding Foreclosure or Non-Judicial Foreclosure Related
    Actions: Certification of Compliance With the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and
    Economic Security Act in Foreclosures" issued on June 26, 2020, which was
    further extended by way of an order filed by the Hawai #i Supreme Court on
    August 28, 2020.
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Document Info

Docket Number: CAAP-17-0000746

Filed Date: 10/2/2020

Precedential Status: Precedential

Modified Date: 10/2/2020