CitiMortgage, Inc. v. Nyamusevya , 2016 Ohio 5588 ( 2016 )


Menu:
  • [Cite as CitiMortgage, Inc. v. Nyamusevya, 2016-Ohio-5588.]
    IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF OHIO
    TENTH APPELLATE DISTRICT
    CitiMortgage, Inc.,                                   :
    Plaintiff-Appellee,                   :
    v.                                                    :
    No. 14AP-464
    Leonard Nyamusevya,                                   :       (C.P.C. No. 10CVE-09-13480)
    Defendant-Appellant,                  :       (REGULAR CALENDAR)
    (Consolata Nkurunziza et al.,                         :
    Defendants-Appellees).                :
    D E C I S I O N
    Rendered on August 30, 2016
    On brief: Lerner, Sampson & Rothfuss, and Rick D.
    DeBlasis, for appellee CitiMortgage, Inc. Argued: Rick D.
    DeBlasis.
    On brief: Doucet & Associates Co., L.P.A., Troy J. Doucet,
    and Daniel A. Yarmesch, for appellant. Argued: Brian A.
    Flick.
    APPEAL from the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas
    SADLER, J.
    {¶ 1} Defendant-appellant, Leonard Nyamusevya, appeals from a judgment of the
    Franklin County Court of Common Pleas in favor of plaintiff-appellee, CitiMortgage, Inc.
    ("Citi"). For the reasons that follow, we affirm the judgment of the trial court in part and
    reverse in part.
    No. 14AP-464                                                                             2
    I. FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY
    {¶ 2} On June 26, 2002, appellant executed a first mortgage on certain real
    property located 2064 Worcester Court, Columbus, Ohio ("mortgage"), as security for a
    promissory note ("note") to Capitol Mortgage Services, Inc. ("Capitol") in the amount of
    $136,700. Capitol subsequently assigned the mortgage and endorsed the note to ABN
    AMRO Mortgage Group, Inc. ("ABN"). The Franklin County Recorder duly recorded the
    mortgage on July 5, 2002. Citi subsequently acquired ABN by way of merger.
    {¶ 3} When appellant defaulted on payment, Citi commenced a foreclosure action
    against appellant on September 14, 2010 in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas.
    The caption of the complaint identifies plaintiff as "CitiMortgage, Inc. successor by
    merger to ABN AMRO Mortgage Group, Inc." (Compl. at 1.) The complaint seeks a
    judgment on the note in the amount of $98,452.56, plus interest at 6.25 percent per
    annum from May 1, 2010, plus court costs, advances, and other allowable charges. Citi
    also named the Franklin County Treasurer as a defendant.
    {¶ 4} Citi attached a copy of the mortgage as an exhibit to the complaint along
    with a "Corporation Assignment of Mortgage," dated June 26, 2002, purporting to assign
    the mortgage from Capitol to ABN. (Compl. at Ex. B.) The complaint alleges that a copy
    of the note "is not available at this time." (Compl. at 2.) On September 28, 2010, Citi
    submitted a notice of filing containing a copy of the note bearing a special indorsement
    from Capitol to ABN.
    {¶ 5} On October 8, 2010, defendant-appellee Consolata Nkurunziza filed an
    answer to the complaint. On October 14, 2010, appellant, pro se, filed an answer and a
    counterclaim alleging violations of the Consumer Sales Practices Act and conversion. On
    June 6, 2011, Citi filed a motion for summary judgment both as to its claims for relief and
    the counterclaim. In the ensuing two-year period, appellant filed numerous motions
    seeking a dismissal of the complaint and for reconsideration of the trial court's rulings
    thereon. An unsuccessful mediation also took place.
    {¶ 6} On July 10, 2013, the trial court issued a decision granting Citi's motion for
    summary judgment. Following the trial court's decision on summary judgment, appellant
    removed the action to the United State District Court. On March 24, 2014, the United
    No. 14AP-464                                                                               3
    Sates District Court, Southern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, issued an order
    remanding the case to the trial court.
    {¶ 7} On May 20, 2014, the trial court issued a judgment and decree in
    foreclosure in favor of Citi in the amount sought in the complaint. Appellant filed a timely
    notice of appeal to this court on June 11, 2014.
    II. ASSIGNMENTS OF ERROR
    {¶ 8} Appellant assigns the following as error:
    1. The Trial Court erred when it granted CitiMortgage
    summary judgment on its foreclosure claims.
    2. The Trial Court erred when it denied Mr. Nyamusevya's
    Motions to Dismiss filed on October 14, 2010, August 1, 2011,
    August 9, 2011, August 15, 2011, and April 18, 2013.
    3. The Trial Court erred when it denied Mr. Nyamusevya's
    Motion to Strike Cindy Schneider's Affidavit filed
    December 21, 2011.
    III. STANDARD OF REVIEW
    {¶ 9} Appellate review of summary judgment is de novo. Comer v. Risko, 
    106 Ohio St. 3d 185
    , 2005-Ohio-4559, ¶ 8. To obtain summary judgment, the movant must
    show that (1) there is no genuine issue of material fact, (2) the moving party is entitled to
    judgment as a matter of law, and (3) it appears from the evidence that reasonable minds
    can come to but one conclusion when viewing evidence in favor of the nonmoving party
    and that conclusion is adverse to the nonmoving party. Civ.R. 56(C); New Destiny
    Treatment Ctr., Inc. v. Wheeler, 
    129 Ohio St. 3d 39
    , 2011-Ohio-2266, ¶ 24.
    IV. LEGAL ANALYSIS
    A. First Assignment of Error
    {¶ 10} In appellant's first assignment of error, appellant contends that the trial
    court erred by granting Citi's motion for summary judgment because Citi did not submit
    sufficient proof of its standing to enforce the note and foreclose on the mortgage and
    because Citi failed to establish the amount owed on the note. We disagree.
    {¶ 11} Summary judgment in a foreclosure action is not appropriate unless the
    party seeking foreclosure presents evidentiary-quality materials showing (1) the movant is
    No. 14AP-464                                                                                 4
    the holder of the note and mortgage or is a party entitled to enforce the instrument, (2) if
    the movant is not the original mortgagee, the chain of assignments and transfers, (3) the
    mortgagor is in default, (4) all conditions precedent have been met, and (5) the amount of
    principal and interest due. Deutsche Bank Natl. Trust Co. v. Thomas, 10th Dist. No.
    14AP-809, 2015-Ohio-4037, ¶ 9, 19; Regions Bank v. Seimer, 10th Dist. No. 13AP-542,
    2014-Ohio-95, ¶ 19; Bank of New York Mellon v. Rankin, 10th Dist. No. 12AP-808, 2013-
    Ohio-2774, ¶ 23.
    1. Standing
    {¶ 12} Appellant first contends that Citi is not entitled to judgment in its favor, as a
    matter of law, because it failed to establish that it had standing to enforce the note and to
    foreclose on the mortgage at the time it filed the complaint. In making this claim,
    appellant contends that under the Supreme Court of Ohio decision in Fed. Home Loan
    Mtge. Corp v. Schwartzwald, 
    134 Ohio St. 3d 13
    , 2012-Ohio-5017, a mortgagee must
    attach to the complaint all documents necessary to establish that it has standing to
    enforce the note and foreclose on the mortgage. We disagree with appellant's
    interpretation of Schwartzwald.
    {¶ 13} In Schwartzwald, the plaintiff (Federal Home Loan) commenced a
    foreclosure action before it obtained an interest in the promissory note or an assignment
    of mortgage securing the loan. 
    Id. at ¶
    2. The Schwartzwalds maintained that Federal
    Home Loan lacked standing to sue. The trial court granted Federal Home Loan's motion
    for summary judgment and issued a decree of foreclosure. The appellate court held that
    Federal Home Loan remedied its lack of standing when it obtained an assignment from
    the real party in interest subsequent to the commencement of the foreclosure action.
    {¶ 14} The Supreme Court of Ohio concluded that the plaintiff did not have
    standing because "it failed to establish an interest in the note or mortgage at the time it
    filed suit." 
    Id. at ¶
    28. The decision in Schwartzwald is grounded on the proposition that
    " '[i]t is an elementary concept of law that a party lacks standing to invoke the jurisdiction
    of the court unless he has, in an individual or representative capacity, some real interest in
    the subject matter of the action.' " (Emphasis deleted.) 
    Id. at ¶
    22, quoting State ex rel.
    Dallman v. Franklin Cty. Court of Common Pleas, 
    35 Ohio St. 2d 176
    , 179 (1973). Under
    No. 14AP-464                                                                               5
    Schwartzwald, a "lack of standing at the commencement of a foreclosure action requires
    dismissal of the complaint * * * without prejudice." 
    Id. at ¶
    40.
    {¶ 15} Appellant argues that summary judgment in favor of Citi is inappropriate
    under Schwartzwald because Citi failed to attach to its complaint either a copy of the note
    or documents evidencing its merger with ABN. This court, however, has taken the
    position that under Schwartzwald, a mortgagee can offer proof after the filing of the
    foreclosure action to establish that it was a holder of the note at the time the mortgagee
    filed the complaint. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v. Odita, 10th Dist. No. 13AP-663, 2014-
    Ohio-2540, ¶ 9. This court has also held that "a mortgagee can offer proof after the filing
    of the foreclosure action to establish that the mortgage was assigned to the mortgagee
    prior to or at the time of the filing of the foreclosure action." Bank of New York Mellon v.
    Watkins, 10th Dist. No. 11AP-539, 2012-Ohio-4410, ¶ 18.
    {¶ 16} Appellant relies on the decision of the Ninth District Court of Appeals in
    Wells Fargo Bank N.A. v. Horn, 9th Dist. No. 12CA010230, 2013-Ohio-2374, as support
    for their interpretation of the Schwartzwald case. In Horn, the original lender was
    Norwest Mortgage, Inc. 
    Id. at ¶
    2. In Wells Fargo's complaint for foreclosure, Wells
    Fargo identified itself as the "successor by merger to Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, Inc. fka
    Norwest Mortgage, Inc." 
    Id. at ¶
    12. Wells Fargo did not, however, attach documents to
    the complaint evidencing the merger.       
    Id. Wells Fargo
    subsequently submitted the
    merger documents in connection with its motion for summary judgment. 
    Id. at ¶
    13.
    Relying on the decision of the Supreme Court in Schwartzwald, the Ninth District
    concluded that Wells Fargo "was required to demonstrate that it had standing to invoke
    the jurisdiction at the time the complaint was filed, and it failed to do so in the complaint
    and the documents attached thereto." Horn at ¶ 13.           Because Wells Fargo had not
    attached documentation to its complaint showing that Wells Fargo was the successor to
    the previous mortgagee, the Ninth District concluded that Wells Fargo lacked standing to
    bring the foreclosure action against Horn. The Ninth District remanded the case to the
    trial court to dismiss the complaint without prejudice. 
    Id. at ¶
    14.
    {¶ 17} Subsequent to the briefing in this case, the Supreme Court in Wells Fargo
    Bank, N.A. v. Horn, 
    142 Ohio St. 3d 416
    , 2015-Ohio-1484, reversed the Ninth District
    decision. In so doing, the Supreme Court clarified its prior decision in Schwartzwald by
    No. 14AP-464                                                                              6
    explaining that a mortgagee need not prove standing at the time the foreclosure action is
    filed. Horn, 2015-Ohio-1484, at ¶ 1. "Rather, although the plaintiff in a foreclosure action
    must have standing at the time suit is commenced, proof of standing may be submitted
    subsequent to the filing of the complaint." 
    Id. Accordingly, the
    Supreme Court concluded
    that Wells Fargo had standing to commence an action on the note and to foreclose on the
    mortgage as a successor in interest to Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, Inc. f.k.a. Norwest
    Mortgage, Inc., even though Wells Fargo did not attach copies of the merger documents to
    the complaint in foreclosure.
    {¶ 18} Here, Citi alleged in the complaint that it is the "successor by merger to
    ABN AMRO Mortgage Group, Inc." (Compl. at 1.) Based on the holding of the Supreme
    Court in Horn, Citi was not required to attach the merger documents to the complaint in
    order to show that it had an interest in the note and the mortgage at the time it filed the
    complaint. Rather, Citi could submit proof that it was the successor in interest to ABN
    with its motion for summary judgment.
    {¶ 19} Appellant argues, in the alternative, that subsequent to the filing of the
    complaint, Citi failed to produce evidence establishing that it had an interest in both the
    note and mortgage at the time it filed the complaint. We disagree.
    {¶ 20} In support of the motion for summary judgment, Citi submitted the
    March 13, 2011 affidavit of Cindy Schneider, a Citi Business Operations Analyst.
    Schneider's affidavit provides, in relevant part, as follows:
    1. In my job position I have access to and I am authorized to
    take custody of the loan origination files, collateral files,
    mortgage loan account records and all other documents
    maintained and controlled by Citi, that relate to residential
    mortgage loan accounts which are serviced by Citimorgage
    [sic], Inc.
    2. Affiant states that the collateral file, maintained by Citi,
    includes the original promissory Note ("Note") dated June 26,
    2002, executed by Defendants, originally payable to Capital
    Mortgage Corporation, Inc. for the original amount of
    $136,700.00. The collateral file also includes the original
    Mortgage executed by Defendants in favor of Capital
    Mortgage Corporation, Inc. The Mortgage identifies and
    encumbers the real property commonly known as 2064
    Worcester Court, Columbus, OH 43232 ("Property"). The
    No. 14AP-464                                                                              7
    Mortgage duly filed for record on July 5, 2002, at Instrument
    No. 200207050165969, in the Franklin County Recorders
    [sic] Office. Citi's records further include the Assignment of
    the subject Mortgage from Capitol Mortgage Corporation to
    ABN AMRO Mortgage Group, Inc. True and accurate copies
    of the Note, Mortgage and Assignment as they are
    maintained by Citi are attached as Exhibits "B", "C" and "D"
    respectively.
    3. A review of Exhibit "A" establishes that the Defendants did
    not tender the monies necessary to cure the default, as
    required by the July 30, 2010 demand letter and as a result,
    Plaintiff elected to accelerate the entire amount due and
    owing.
    4. Attached hereto as Exhibit "F" is a true copy of corporate
    merger documents, which indicate that ABN AMRO Mortgage
    Group, Inc. was acquired by Citimortgage, Inc. These merger
    documents are kept in the course of the regular business
    activity of Citimortgage, Inc. and are maintained in
    accordance with paragraph number 1 herein.
    (Emphasis added.) (Schneider Aff. at 1-2.)
    {¶ 21} The trial court concluded that Schneider's unrebutted affidavit and the
    documents attached thereto established that Citi had standing to enforce the note and
    mortgage when Citi filed the complaint on September 14, 2010. With regard to the
    mortgage, Citi attached to its complaint both a copy of the mortgage for the subject
    property to Capitol and an assignment of the mortgage to ABN. Schneider's affidavit and
    the attached "Certificate of Merger" issued by the state of New York establish that on
    September 1, 2007, Citi became the successor in interest to ABN by way of merger. Thus,
    the evidence in the record establishes that Citi had an interest in the mortgage at the time
    it filed the complaint in foreclosure.
    {¶ 22} With regard to the note, appellant points to alleged deficiencies in the
    affidavit which, according to appellant, creates an issue of fact whether Citi had an
    interest in the note at the time it filed the complaint. Appellant points out that Schneider
    fails to aver that ABN was a person in possession of the note at the time of the merger or
    that Citi had possession of the note when it filed the complaint.
    No. 14AP-464                                                                               8
    {¶ 23} Our review of the evidence reveals that ABN had the right to enforce the
    note prior to the 2007 merger either by virtue of the special indorsement from Capitol or
    as the possessor of the note indorsed in blank. See former R.C. 1301.01(T)(1)(a) and (b)
    (repealed), now R.C. 1301.201(B)(21)(a). It is also without question that Citi became the
    successor to ABN's interest in the note on September 1, 2007, by virtue of the merger. Citi
    alleged in the complaint that it was the holder of the note and subsequently produced a
    "true and accurate" copy of the note indorsed in blank by ABN. Schneider averred that a
    "true and accurate" copy of the note is contained in Citi's collateral file. Thus, the
    evidence produced by Citi established that it was entitled to enforce the note at the time it
    filed the complaint. The fact that Citi earlier produced an unauthenticated copy of the
    note bearing only the special indorsement from Capitol to ABN does not give rise to a
    factual issue whether Citi had an interest in the note when it filed the complaint.
    Appellants produced no evidence in response to Citi's motion for summary judgment to
    support the allegation that ABN was not a holder of the note at the time of the merger or
    that Citi was not a holder of the note at the time it filed the complaint. Appellant's
    assertions to the contrary are pure speculation. See, e.g., U.S. Bank Natl. Assn. v.
    Urbanski, 10th Dist. No. 13AP-520, 2014-Ohio-2362, ¶ 21 ("It is well understood that
    using mere speculation to raise questions of material fact is not enough to defeat a
    summary judgment motion."); Poliseno v. Mitchell, 10th Dist. No. 09AP-1001, 2010-
    Ohio-2615, ¶ 26 (finding mere speculation is not sufficient to overcome a motion for
    summary judgment), citing Whiteside v. Conroy, 10th Dist. No. 05AP-123, 2005-Ohio-
    5098, ¶ 66.
    {¶ 24} Because there were no genuine issues of fact with regard to Citi's right to
    enforce the mortgage and the note at the time it filed the complaint, Citi had standing to
    commence the foreclosure action against appellant.
    2. Amount Due and Owing on the Note
    {¶ 25} Appellant next contends that Citi is not entitled to judgment as a matter of
    law because it failed to establish the absence of a factual issue regarding the amount owed
    on the note. Schneider's affidavit provides, in relevant part, as follows:
    1. Attached hereto as Exhibit "A" is an authentic printout of
    said business activity and payment history of the mortgage
    No. 14AP-464                                                                                       9
    loan account of Leonard Nyamusevya and Consolata
    Nkurunziza ("Defendants"), Defendants-Borrowers in this
    foreclosure proceeding. Said printout [is] known as the
    Consolidated Note Report * * *.
    ***
    5. Affiant states that a review of the payment history attached
    as Exhibit "A" indicates that the account is due for the June 1,
    2010 payment and all subsequent payments. Exhibit "A"
    further establishes that Defendants Leonard Nyamusevya and
    Consolata Nkurunziza owe Citimortgage, Inc. a principal
    balance of $98,452.56 with interest at the rate of 6.25000%
    per year from May 1, 2010.
    (Schneider Aff. at 1-2.)
    {¶ 26} Appellant argues that the amount Schneider claims is due and owing on the
    note is erroneous because the Consolidated Note Report on which Schneider relies does
    not reflect account activity in the 23-month period between June 2002 and April 15,
    2004. Appellant's affidavit provides, in relevant part, as follows:
    The Court's Records factually prove and substantiate that
    Defendant Leonard Nyamusevya paid a principal lump sum
    amount of $26,000 on August 14, 2002, to ABN AMRO
    Mortgage Group, Inc. and therefore, the Court's Records and
    facts prove that on August 14, 2002, the mortgage loan
    repayment account balance was in the amount of
    $110,412.80, which is lower than the April 15, 2004 starting
    mortgage premium balance in the amount of $130,344.04
    per Plaintiff Citimortgage's redacted, forged and manipulated
    "Consolidated Note Report."1
    (Emphasis sic.)
    {¶ 27} Appellant argues that his affidavit creates an issue of fact as to the amount
    owed on the loan. Citi relies on Deutsche Bank Natl. Trust Co. v. Najar, 8th Dist. No.
    98502, 2013-Ohio-1657, in arguing that appellant's self-serving affidavit standing alone
    and without corroborating materials under Civ.R. 56 is insufficient to demonstrate
    material issues of fact. In Najar, the lender submitted the affidavit of a loan servicing
    1Appellant submitted his affidavit in connection with his May 1, 2013 amended reply memorandum contra
    Citi's June 6, 2011 motion for summary judgment.
    No. 14AP-464                                                                             10
    agent who averred as to the amount owed on the loan based on the lender's "payoff
    statement." 
    Id. at ¶
    40. The only evidence the borrowers offered to contradict the balance
    due on the note was an affidavit from the wife of one of the borrowers who averred that
    the payoff statement was "not a record of my payment history" and does not "accurately
    reflect the amount I owe on this account." 
    Id. at ¶
    41, 43. Affiant also claimed she had
    receipts showing that she "remitted at least 4 payments * * * after October of 2009," but
    the receipts did not appear in the record on appeal. 
    Id. at ¶
    41. The court in Najar found
    "little relevance" in affiant's claim that the lender's documentation did not "accurately
    reflect the amount I owe on this account," given the fact that affiant "was not one of the
    borrowers and, therefore, was not personally liable on the note." 
    Id. at ¶
    43. With regard
    to the value of the remaining averments, the court of appeals concluded that the affidavit
    contained only conclusory, self-serving assertions without any corroborating materials
    and was insufficient to demonstrate issues of material fact. 
    Id. at ¶
    42. In reaching this
    conclusion, the court noted that the affiant failed to identify what additional payments she
    contended were made, when they were made, the amount of the payments, or the amount
    she believed was due on the loan. 
    Id. at ¶
    43.
    {¶ 28} By contrast, in Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v. Fridley, 9th Dist. No. 13CA0049,
    2014-Ohio-5604, the lender made a general averment in her affidavit that payments had
    not been made and that a certain sum was due and owing. The borrower, Fridley, averred
    in her affidavit that she made payments in January or February 2013 that were not posted
    to her account. Viewing the evidence in a light most favorable to Fridley, the Ninth
    District concluded that a genuine dispute of material fact remained with respect to the
    amount due. 
    Id. at ¶
    21. The Ninth District found Najar to be factually distinguishable
    because the borrower's affidavit in Najar was less specific then Fridley's affidavit
    regarding the date of the disputed payments and because the lender in Najar "submitted
    more evidentiary materials (such as a copy of the payoff statement for the loan) in support
    of its motion." 
    Id. at ¶
    20.
    {¶ 29} In UAP-Columbus JV326132 v. Young, 10th Dist. No. 14AP-422, 2014-
    Ohio-4590, this court found that a borrower's affidavit was insufficient to create an issue
    of fact as to the amount owed on the loan. 
    Id. at ¶
    18. In Young, the borrower's affidavit
    contained only the conclusory statement that he made payments on the note that the
    No. 14AP-464                                                                              11
    lender did not attribute to his account. The borrower failed to specify in the affidavit
    when those payments were made, the amount of such payments, and the amount he
    believed was currently due.     The borrower also failed to provide any documentary
    evidence to support his claim. This court, citing Najar, agreed with the trial court that the
    borrower's affidavit was insufficient to prevent summary judgment. 
    Id. at ¶
    18.
    {¶ 30} Appellant's affidavit in this case is more specific than the affidavit
    considered by this court in Young and by the Eighth District in Najar. Here, appellant
    avers that he made a large payment to principal during the 23-month period that is not
    shown on the Consolidated Note Report attached to Schneider's affidavit. Appellant
    specifies the amount of the payment he made, the date he made the payment, and the
    amount he claims was due and owing as of April 15, 2004, the date of the first entry on the
    Consolidated Note Report. According to appellant, he owed $110,412.80 as of April 15,
    2004, not $130,344.04 as shown in the Consolidated Note Report. Because Schneider's
    averment regarding the amount owed on the loan at the time of default is based on an
    assumption that the Consolidated Note Report shows the correct balance owed on
    April 15, 2004, appellant's affidavit casts doubt on the accuracy of Schneider's averment.
    {¶ 31} Citi asks this court to reject appellant's affidavit because appellant did not
    provide any support for his claim that he made the lump sum payment in 2002. We
    agree, however, with the observation of the court in Fridley regarding the burden of
    production under Civ.R. 56:
    While affidavits are required in some instances to
    authenticate documents submitted in support of or in
    response to a motion for summary judgment, the reverse is
    not true. In other words, neither a moving party nor a
    nonmoving party is required by Rule 56 to provide
    documents, discovery responses, or transcripts of evidence in
    addition to properly framed affidavits.
    
    Id. at ¶
    19, quoting Stone v. Cazeau, 9th Dist. No. 07CA009164, 2007-Ohio-6213, ¶ 14.
    {¶ 32} In our view, appellant's affidavit in this case is specific enough to meet
    appellant's reciprocal burden of producing evidence in response to Schneider's averment
    regarding the amount due on the loan. Viewing the evidence in a light most favorable to
    appellant, we find that appellant's affidavit creates an issue of fact as to the amount owed
    No. 14AP-464                                                                               12
    on the loan at the time of default. Accordingly, appellant's first assignment of error shall
    be sustained in part as to the amount appellant owes on the loan, and the case shall be
    remanded to the trial court for further proceedings to determine the amount owed.
    {¶ 33} For the foregoing reasons, appellant's first assignment of error is sustained
    in part and overruled in part.
    B. Second Assignment of Error
    {¶ 34} In appellant's second assignment of error, appellant contends that the
    complaint does not allege sufficient facts to support a finding that Citi has standing to
    enforce the note and to foreclose on the mortgage. In appellant's numerous motions to
    dismiss the complaint, appellant alleged that Citi's failure to attach to its complaint copies
    of the note and merger documents required dismissal of Citi's action for lack of standing.
    As noted above, the caption of the complaint identifies Citi as "successor by merger" to
    ABN. Under the Supreme Court's decision in Horn, the complaint sufficiently alleges that
    Citi has standing to enforce the note and to foreclose on the mortgage as a successor by
    merger to ABN, even though Citi did not attach the merger documents as an exhibit to the
    complaint. Similarly, for the reasons expressed by the Supreme Court in Horn, we are not
    persuaded by appellant's argument that the complaint is subject to dismissal for lack of
    standing because Citi did not prove that it was a holder of the note at the time it filed the
    complaint and did not attach the note as an exhibit to the complaint. The complaint
    alleges that Citi "is the holder of a note, a copy of which is not available at this time."
    (Compl. at 2.) This allegation is sufficient to withstand a motion to dismiss for lack of
    standing. Schwartzwald; Horn.
    {¶ 35} For the foregoing reasons, appellant's second assignment of error is
    overruled.
    C. Third Assignment of Error
    {¶ 36} In appellant's third assignment of error, appellant contends that the trial
    court erred by denying the motion to strike Schneider's affidavit. Appellant's argument
    on appeal is that Schneider's averment as to the amount owed on the loan should be
    stricken because Schneider failed to attach documents to her affidavit evidencing
    appellant's entire payment history.
    No. 14AP-464                                                                           13
    {¶ 37} In sustaining appellant's first assignment of error in part, we determined
    that appellant's affidavit created an issue of fact regarding the amount appellant owed on
    the loan. Thus, our ruling on appellant's first assignment of error disposed of the issue
    raised in appellant's third assignment of error. Accordingly, appellant's third assignment
    of error is moot. App.R. 12(C).
    V. CONCLUSION
    {¶ 38} Having sustained in part and overruled in part appellant's first assignment
    of error, having overruled appellant's second assignment of error, and having found
    appellant's third assignment of error moot, we affirm in part and reverse in part the
    judgment of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas and remand the matter for
    further proceedings to determine the amount appellant owes on the loan.
    Judgment affirmed in part and reversed in part;
    cause remanded with instructions.
    BROWN and KLATT, JJ., concur.
    _________________
    

Document Info

Docket Number: 14AP-464

Citation Numbers: 2016 Ohio 5588

Judges: Sadler

Filed Date: 8/30/2016

Precedential Status: Precedential

Modified Date: 8/31/2016