Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v. Behrendt.

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Electronically Filed
Supreme Court
SCAP-16-0000645
15-MAR-2018
07:52 AM
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF HAWAIʻI
---o0o---
WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A. AS TRUSTEE FOR OPTION ONE MORTGAGE LOAN
TRUST 2006-2 ASSET-BACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2006-2,
Petitioner/Plaintiff-Appellee,
vs.
JONATHAN BEHRENDT,
Respondent/Defendant-Appellant,
and
ASSOCIATION OF APARTMENT OWNERS OF WAIALAE GARDENS; SAND CANYON
CORPORATION; JOHN DOES 1-10; JANE DOES 1-10; DOE PARTNERSHIPS 1-
10; DOE PARTNERSHIPS 1-10; DOE CORPORATIONS 1-10; DOE ENTITIES
1-10 and DOE GOVERNMENTAL UNITS 1-10,
Respondents/Defendants-Appellees.
SCAP-16-0000645
APPEAL FROM THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE FIRST CIRCUIT
(CAAP-16-0000645; CIV. NO. 15-1-0407)
MARCH 15, 2018
RECKTENWALD, C.J., NAKAYAMA, McKENNA, POLLACK, AND WILSON, JJ.
OPINION OF THE COURT BY POLLACK, J.
This case involves the question of whether a purchaser
of property that is subject to a mortgage to which the purchaser
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is not a party may challenge a foreclosing plaintiff’s
entitlement to enforce the note. Because the requirement--that
a party seeking to foreclose must be entitled to enforce the
note at the inception of the foreclosure action--is based on
principles of standing and statutory construction rather than
contractual rights, we hold that the purchaser may assert such a
challenge. In this case, the evidence Wells Fargo presented
regarding its entitlement to foreclose at the time the complaint
was filed was not admissible on the grounds asserted, and
therefore we vacate the order granting summary judgment and
remand the case for further proceedings.
I. BACKGROUND
A. Factual History
On January 30, 2006, Karen Zakarian executed a
promissory note (Note) in favor of the Funding Group, Inc.
(Funding Group) for $408,000. Funding Group then endorsed the
note to Option One Mortgage Corp. (Option One) via an allonge,1
and Option One endorsed the Note in blank via another allonge.2
1
“An ‘allonge’ is defined as ‘[a] slip of paper sometimes attached
to a negotiable instrument for the purpose of receiving further indorsements
when the original paper is filled with indorsements.’” Mortgage Elec.
Registration Sys., Inc. v. Wise, 130 Hawaii 11, 14 n.6, 304 P.3d 1192, 1195
n.6 (2013) (quoting Allonge, Black’s Law Dictionary (9th ed. 2009)).
2
If an instrument is endorsed in blank, it is payable to the
bearer. Hawaii Revised Statutes § 490:3-205(b) (2008). For example, a
holder of an instrument may write “pay to the order of” and not write the
(continued . . .)
2
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The Note was secured by a mortgage executed by Zakarian in favor
of Funding Group (Mortgage) on property located at 1430-4
Hunakai Street #106 in Honolulu (the “Property”), which is in a
condominium project called Waialae Gardens. The Mortgage was
subsequently assigned from Funding Group to Option One on July
5, 2006, and then from Option One to Wells Fargo on May 10,
2007.
Following a bankruptcy proceeding, Zakarian entered
into a security retention agreement on March 14, 2011, with
American Home Mortgage Servicing, Inc. (AHMS), a loan servicer
acting on Wells Fargo’s behalf, which required that she continue
to make payments and comply with the terms of the Note and the
Mortgage in order to remain in the Property. Subsequently, as a
result of a separate foreclosure action between the Association
of Apartment Owners of Waialae Gardens (AOAO) and Zakarian, a
court-appointed commissioner conveyed the Property via a
commissioner’s apartment deed to Jonathan Behrendt on November
23, 2011. An exhibit to the deed noted the Mortgage as an
encumbrance. AHMS notified Zakarian in a written notice dated
(. . . continued)
name of the endorsee. See Uniform Commercial Code § 3-205 cmt. 2 (Am. Law.
Inst. & Unif. Law Comm’n 2002). This is a blank endorsement. Id.
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November 29, 2011, that she was in default under the terms of
the Note and Mortgage.
B. Circuit Court Proceedings
Wells Fargo filed a complaint in the Circuit Court of
the First Circuit (circuit court) on March 9, 2015, against
Behrendt and the AOAO, inter alia, seeking foreclosure of the
Mortgage and sale of the Property. The complaint asserted that
Wells Fargo was the holder of the Note and entitled to enforce
it, that the Note was secured by the Mortgage, and that Wells
Fargo was the mortgagee of record. Additionally, the complaint
alleged that Zakarian had defaulted in the performance of the
terms set forth in the Note and Mortgage. Copies of, inter
alia, the Note, two allonges--one made out to Option One and one
endorsed in blank, the Mortgage, and assignments from Funding
Group to Option One and from Option One to Wells Fargo were
attached to the complaint as exhibits. The complaint also
stated that the AOAO had previously foreclosed on the Property,
that the Property was conveyed to Behrendt by virtue of a
commissioner’s deed, and that the interest of Behrendt in the
Property was subject to the Mortgage. Wells Fargo asserted that
it was entitled to foreclosure of the Mortgage and the sale of
the Property.
Following Behrendt’s answer to the complaint, Wells
Fargo moved for summary judgment and for a decree of
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foreclosure. Wells Fargo attached as an exhibit to the summary
judgment motion, inter alia, a declaration of Vanessa Lewis
(Lewis Declaration). Lewis averred that she was a contract
management coordinator for Ocwen Loan Servicing, LLC (Ocwen),
the new servicer for Wells Fargo for the Mortgage, and in that
capacity had access to and was familiar with Wells Fargo’s
records pertaining to the case, including Ocwen’s records
related to servicing the loan. Lewis indicated that she had
personal knowledge of the facts and matters stated, based on her
review of the business records described in her declaration.
Lewis stated that Ocwen’s records related to the loan were made
and are maintained in the regular course of Ocwen’s business.
According to those records, Lewis represented, Wells Fargo is in
possession of the original Note between Zakarian and Funding
Group, a copy of which was attached to the summary judgment
motion along with copies of the allonges and Mortgage.
Additionally, Lewis stated that written notice was sent to
Zakarian regarding her default on payments and Zakarian did not
timely cure the default.
In opposition to the motion for summary judgment,
Behrendt responded that, although Lewis claimed to be an Ocwen
contract management coordinator and alleged that Ocwen was the
servicing agent for Wells Fargo, Wells Fargo did not provide the
court with any such authorization or agency agreement. Behrendt
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also asserted that neither Lewis nor Wells Fargo explained what
her role or relationship to Wells Fargo was besides claiming
that she had access to Ocwen’s business records. Lewis did not
claim to be the custodian of the records, Behrendt argued, or
provide any foundation to establish her competency to
authenticate those records beyond merely being familiar with
them. Thus, Lewis did not establish that she could authenticate
the documents, Behrendt concluded, and her statements were
inadmissible hearsay. Behrendt therefore maintained that Wells
Fargo did not meet its burden of production to succeed on the
summary judgment motion because there was a genuine issue of
material fact as to the authenticity of the Note and as to
whether Wells Fargo was the holder of the Note.
In its reply, Wells Fargo asserted that the testimony
in the Lewis Declaration was admissible because it was subject
to the hearsay exception for records of regularly conducted
activity. (Citing Hawaii Rules of Evidence (HRE) Rule
803(b)(6).)
On August 30, 2016, the circuit court granted the
summary judgment motion and issued a foreclosure decree in its
“Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law and Order Granting
Plaintiff’s Motion for Summary Judgment and Decree of
Foreclosure Against All Defendants on Complaint Filed March 9,
2015” (Order Granting Summary Judgment). The court concluded
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that Wells Fargo was entitled to have the Mortgage foreclosed,
to have the Property sold free and clear of Behrendt’s claim,
and to judgment in its favor as a matter of law on the
complaint. The court filed the Judgment the same day. Behrendt
timely appealed to the Intermediate Court of Appeals (ICA) from
the Order Granting Summary Judgment and the Judgment.3
II. STANDARDS OF REVIEW
A trial court’s findings of fact are reviewed under
the clearly erroneous standard of review. Dan v. State, 76
Hawaiʻi 423, 428, 879 P.2d 528, 533 (1994). Conclusions of law,
in contrast, are reviewed de novo under the right/wrong standard
of review. Marvin v. Pflueger, 127 Hawaiʻi 490, 495, 280 P.3d
88, 93 (2012). Specifically, this court reviews “the circuit
court’s grant or denial of summary judgment de novo.” Querubin
v. Thronas, 107 Hawaiʻi 48, 56, 109 P.3d 689, 697 (2005)
(citation omitted). Similarly, “[o]n appeal, the issue of
standing is reviewed de novo under the right/wrong standard.”
Abaya v. Mantell, 112 Hawaiʻi 176, 180, 145 P.3d 719, 723 (2006)
(citation omitted).
3
After the parties submitted briefs to the ICA, Wells Fargo’s
application for transfer to this court was granted.
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III. DISCUSSION
A. Behrendt May Challenge The Foreclosure
Behrendt contends that Wells Fargo did not meet its
prima facie burden of demonstrating that it was the holder of
the Note at the time its complaint was filed and did not provide
any admissible evidence that it possessed the Note at the time
it filed its motion for summary judgment. Behrendt argues that
the Lewis Declaration did not demonstrate personal knowledge of
any such facts, but that it instead offered vague, unfounded
testimony that amounted to inadmissible hearsay at best. Thus,
Behrendt contends that genuine issues of material fact remain in
dispute with respect to Wells Fargo’s standing to sue and
whether Wells Fargo was the holder of the Note secured by the
Mortgage.
Wells Fargo contends that because Behrendt was not a
party to the Mortgage and because there is no reasonable
interpretation of the Mortgage that confers contractual rights,
obligations, and standing on Behrendt or upon any subsequent
purchaser who does not assume the Mortgage, Behrendt could not
“seek protection” under the Mortgage. In other words, Wells
Fargo argues that Behrendt could not attack the foreclosure
because he was a stranger to the Note and Mortgage transactions.
Further, even if Behrendt did have standing to challenge the
foreclosure, Wells Fargo asserts, the circuit court’s Judgment
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should still be affirmed because the Lewis Declaration
authenticates4 the original Note and states that Lewis had
“personal knowledge of the facts and matters stated” based on
her access to and familiarity with its records and the records
of Ocwen.
Under our law, a foreclosing party “must demonstrate
that all conditions precedent to foreclosure under the note and
mortgage are satisfied and that all steps required by statute
have been strictly complied with” to prove entitlement to
foreclose. Bank of Am., N.A. v. Reyes-Toledo, 139 Hawaiʻi 361,
367, 390 P.3d 1248, 1254 (2017). Typically, this requires that
the plaintiff “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.” Id. A
foreclosing plaintiff must also prove that the plaintiff is
entitled to foreclose the note and mortgage. Id. (citing Hawaii
Revised Statutes (HRS) §§ 490:3-301, 490:3-308).
The “burden to prove entitlement to enforce the note
overlaps with the requirements of standing in foreclosure
actions.” Id. (quoting Mottl v. Miyahira, 95 Hawaiʻi 381, 388,
23 P.3d 716, 723 (2001)). Under the doctrine of standing, a
4
Wells Fargo uses the term “authenticate” to describe the act of
confirming through a declaration that a document is a record of regularly
conducted business activities admissible under HRE Rule 803(b)(6).
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plaintiff typically must have suffered an injury-in-fact to
“justify exercise of the court’s remedial powers on his or her
behalf.” Id. at 368, 390 P.3d at 1255 (citing Mottl, 95 Hawaiʻi
at 389, 23 P.3d at 724). For a foreclosing plaintiff, the
injury-in-fact is the mortgagor’s “failure to satisfy its
obligation to pay the debt obligation to the note holder.” Id.Thus, a person seeking to judicially foreclose on a mortgage
following a promissory note default must establish that it was
the “person entitled to enforce the note” as defined by HRS §
490:3-301 at the time the foreclosure complaint was filed to
satisfy standing and to be entitled to prevail on the merits.5
5
HRS § 490:3-301 (2008) provides as follows:
“Person entitled to enforce” an instrument means (i) the
holder of the instrument, (ii) a nonholder in possession of
the instrument who has the rights of a holder, or (iii) a
person not in possession of the instrument who is entitled
to enforce the instrument pursuant to section 490:3-309 or
490:3-418(d). A person may be a person entitled to enforce
the instrument even though the person is not the owner of
the instrument or is in wrongful possession of the
instrument.
“Holder” as it appears in the statute is a term of art, defined in HRS §
490:1-201(b) (2008) as
(1) The person in possession of a negotiable instrument
that is payable either to bearer or to an identified person
that is the person in possession;
(2) The person in possession of a negotiable tangible
document of title if the goods are deliverable either to
bearer or to the order of the person in possession; or
(3) The person in control of a negotiable electronic
document of title.
(continued . . .)
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Id. at 368-69, 390 P.3d at 1255-56; see also U.S. Bank N.A. v.
Mattos, 140 Hawaii 26, 33, 398 P.3d 615, 622 (2017); In re 1250
Oceanside Partners, 260 F. Supp. 3d 1300, 1312-13 (D. Haw.
2017).
Wells Fargo claims that Behrendt’s defense is
contractually-based and thus barred by the fact that Behrendt
was a stranger to the Note and Mortgage. This court’s reasoning
in Reyes-Toledo, however, was based on standing and the
statutory foreclosure requirements and was not tied to the
contractual relationship between the parties. See 139 Hawaii at
367–68, 390 P.3d at 1254–55 (“[A] foreclosing plaintiff does not
have standing to foreclose on mortgaged property unless the
plaintiff was entitled to enforce the note that has been
defaulted on.” (citing Hanalei, BRC Inc. v. Porter, 7 Haw. App.
304, 310, 760 P.2d 676, 680 (1988))). Thus, principles
governing standing and statutory construction--and not
contracts--apply here.6
(. . . continued)
As Wells Fargo claims to be entitled to enforce the Note as the holder of the
Note and in turn argues that it is the holder of the Note by virtue of its
possession of the endorsed-in-blank Note, Wells Fargo appears to use the
terms “hold” and “possess” and their derivatives interchangeably.
6
Additionally, Behrendt’s argument--that Wells Fargo did not hold
the Note and was thus itself a stranger to the transaction--does not rely on
Behrendt’s contractual rights. Although it is true that Behrendt cannot
assert an affirmative defense based on rights derived from a contract that he
is not a party to, no privity of contract is required for Behrendt to argue
(continued . . .)
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As we observed in Reyes-Toledo, requiring “that a
foreclosing plaintiff prove its entitlement to enforce the note
at the commencement of the proceedings ‘provides strong and
necessary incentives to help ensure that a note holder will not
proceed with a foreclosure action before confirming that it has
a right to do so.’” Reyes-Toledo, 139 Hawaiʻi at 369, 390 P.3d
at 1256 (quoting Deutsche Bank Nat’l Trust Co. v. Johnston, 369
P.3d 1046, 1052 (N.M. 2016)).
This procedural safeguard is vital because the
securitization of mortgages has given rise to a pervasive
failure among mortgage holders to comply with the technical
requirements underlying the transfer of promissory notes
and, more generally the recording of interests in property.
Indeed, scholars have commented on the widespread
documentation problems that are associated with modern
mortgage securitization practices. It appears that under
these circumstances, not even the plaintiffs may be sure if
they actually own the notes they seek to enforce.
Id. (brackets, quotations marks, footnotes, and citations
omitted).
Thus, requiring a foreclosing plaintiff to prove an
entitlement to foreclose serves “essential purpose[s],” such as
“protect[ing] the maker of an instrument from multiple
enforcements of the same instrument.” Id. (citing Porter, 7
(. . . continued)
that Wells Fargo has not met the burden of proving its right to foreclose on
the Property. Indeed, under Wells Fargo’s argued rule, a property owner
could not defend against an ejectment or replevin action by a plaintiff
falsely claiming to have purchased the property from a prior owner because
the current property owner would not have been a party to the fabricated
transaction. This approach is plainly flawed.
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Haw. App. at 308, 760 P.2d at 679). The requirement also serves
to ensure that a foreclosing party in an action brought against
a homeowner is actually entitled to bring the action, thus
protecting the homeowner from an improper foreclosure. Id.This prerequisite serves no less an essential purpose when the
homeowner is a subsequent purchaser of the property as Behrendt
is here.
The ICA has concluded that a party who obtains an
interest in property subsequent to a foreclosing party can
challenge the foreclosure. In Bank of New York Mellon v. Lemay,
a defendant obtained its interest in the subject property at a
foreclosure sale, and a party with a senior secured interest
later brought a foreclosure action. 137 Hawaiʻi 30, 34, 364 P.3d
928, 932 (App. 2015). The defendant sought discovery regarding
an employee of the purported loan servicer who submitted a
declaration in support of the plaintiff’s summary judgment
motion. See id. at 34-35, 364 P.3d at 932-33. At a motion to
compel hearing, the defendant argued that the requested
information was relevant to determine if the foreclosing party
had standing and was entitled to foreclose. Id. at 33, 364 P.3d
at 931. The trial court indicated that it was not inclined to
grant the motion as the defendant was not a party to the note
and mortgage. Id. at 34, 364 P.3d at 932. The trial court
later granted summary judgment in favor of the plaintiff, which
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the ICA concluded was effectively a denial of the motion to
compel. Id.
On review, the ICA reasoned that the defendant was
“permitted to seek discovery of information relevant to
defending its interest in the property.” Id. (citing Hawaiʻi
Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 26(b)(1)(A)). The ICA concluded
that the trial court’s “hesitation” to grant the motion to
compel because the defendant was not a party to the note or
mortgage was “unwarranted” and that denying the motion was
error. Id. at 34–35, 364 P.3d at 932–33. The ICA accordingly
vacated the order granting summary judgment, ruling that the
effective denial of the defendant’s motion to compel constituted
an abuse of discretion that substantially prejudiced the
defendant. Id. at 35, 364 P.3d at 933.
Although the defendant was not a party to the note or
mortgage in Lemay, the ICA recognized that information rebutting
the plaintiff’s claim that it was entitled to enforce the note
was relevant to the defense of the junior interest in the
property. Id. at 34–35, 364 P.3d at 932–33. Thus, the Lemay
decision allowed a subsequent purchaser to challenge whether the
lender was entitled to foreclose on the mortgage securing the
note.
Under facts similar to this case, a court of appeals
in Florida also concluded that a subsequent purchaser has
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standing to challenge the plaintiff’s authority to bring the
foreclosure proceeding. 3709 N. Flagler Drive Prodigy Land
Trust v. Bank of Am., N.A., 226 So. 3d 1040, 1042-43 (Fla. Dist.
Ct. App. 2017) (per curiam) [hereinafter Prodigy Land Trust].
There, the original property owners transferred title of the
subject property via quitclaim deed to a trust, after which the
foreclosing bank filed a foreclosure complaint naming the trust
as a party. Id. at 1041. At trial, the foreclosing bank argued
that, because the trust was not a party to the note or mortgage,
the trust “should not be allowed to contest anything other than
damages.” Id.
The court of appeals disagreed, reasoning that,
because “[a]n owner of property must be joined in a foreclosure
proceeding of that property in order to make a decree of
foreclosure valid,” there was “no question that [the trust] had
standing to contest the foreclosure proceeding.” Id. (citations
omitted). The court explained that a “subsequent purchaser has
an interest in assuring that the foreclosing plaintiff actually
has the authority to bring the suit and is entitled to raise
such a defense.” Id. at 1042. Holding otherwise, the court
concluded, “would allow a stranger to the note and mortgage to
foreclose on the property, and a subsequent purchaser would
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never have the ability to defend against the taking of a bona
fide interest in the property through a foreclosure sale.” Id.7
B. Wells Fargo Did Not Satisfy Its Burden
Behrendt contends that Wells Fargo has not met its
burden of proving that it was the holder of the Note at the time
the complaint was filed because it has not offered admissible
evidence on this point. Wells Fargo responds that the Lewis
Declaration was sufficient to authenticate the copy of the Note
attached to its summary judgment motion and that its possession
of the Note at the time the action was initiated is in turn
proven by the identical copy of the Note attached to the
complaint.
Under Hawaii Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 56(e)
(2000) and Rules of the Circuit Courts of the State of Hawaii
7
The cases Wells Fargo cites in support of its position are
inapposite, unpersuasive, or lack precedential value. They largely involve
either challenges by individuals who did not possess an interest in the
property at the time of the foreclosure action, see, e.g., United States v.
Palmer, 578 F.2d 144, 145-46 (5th Cir. 1978) (per curiam); Thriving Invs.,
LLC v. Chao, 184 So. 3d 552 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2015), or subsequent
purchasers who challenged the substantive terms of the mortgage or the manner
in which the mortgage was administered, see, e.g., Johnson v. Ocwen Loan
Servicing, 374 F. App’x 868, 871 (11th Cir. 2010) (per curiam); CCM
Pathfinder Palm Harbor Mgmt., LLC v. Unknown Heirs of Gendron, 198 So. 3d 3,
6 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2015). Wells Fargo also cites an unpublished
concurrence that is flatly contradicted by a published majority opinion of a
court of equal authority within the same jurisdiction, compare Pealer v.
Wilmington Tr. Nat’l Ass’n, 212 So. 3d 1137, 1137 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2017)
(Sleet, J., concurring) (per curiam), with Prodigy Land Trust, 226 So. 3d at
1040-41, and a case that addresses the separate issue of whether a subsequent
purchaser may affirmatively bring an action based on an allegedly wrongful
foreclosure after the foreclosure is complete--a matter on which we expressly
reserve judgment. See Garner v. Wells Fargo Home Mortg., Inc., 505 F. App’x
837 (11th Cir. 2013) (per curiam).
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Rule 7(g) (1997), “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 as to the matters contained
within the declaration.” U.S. Bank N.A. v. Mattos, 140 Hawaiʻi
26, 30, 398 P.3d 615, 619 (2017). Inadmissible evidence “cannot
serve as a basis for awarding or denying summary judgment.”
Haw. Cmty. Fed. Credit Union v. Keka, 94 Hawaii 213, 221, 11
P.3d 1, 9 (2000) (quoting GE Capital Haw., Inc. v. Miguel, 92
Hawaii 236, 242, 990 P.2d 134, 140 (App. 1999)).
Wells Fargo contended before the circuit court that
the loan documents attached to its summary judgment motion were
admissible under the hearsay exception for records of regularly
conducted business activities.8 (Citing HRE Rule 803(b)(6)
8
The circuit court’s conclusions of law did not specify the ground
on which it determined that the loan documents were admissible. Because the
court granted the summary judgment motion after considering Wells Fargo’s
argument regarding HRE Rule 803(b)(6), which was the sole basis contended for
admissibility, we consider the court’s ruling as having been premised on HRE
Rule 803(b)(6).
On appeal, Wells Fargo also does not cite an evidentiary rule as
a basis for the admissibility of the loan documents. However, it identifies
State v. Fitzwater as controlling precedent on the issue of the documents’
admissibility. (Citing 122 Hawaii 354, 367-68, 227 P.3d 520, 533-34 (2010)
(outlining HRE Rule 803(b)(6)’s application to third-party business records
that have been incorporated into the receiving company’s business records).)
Accordingly, this opinion addresses whether the proffered loan documents fall
within the requirements of the HRE Rule 803(b)(6) exception and does not
consider whether the instruments would be admissible under any other basis.
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(2002).) HRE Rule 803(b)(6) (Supp. 2002) provides that the
following are not excluded by the rule against hearsay:
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, or by certification that complies
with rule 902(11) or a statute permitting certification,
unless the sources of information or other circumstances
indicate lack of trustworthiness.
(Emphasis added.) Wells Fargo argues that the Lewis Declaration
establishes that the Note met the requirements for admission
under HRE Rule 803(b)(6).
The Lewis Declaration reads in pertinent part as
follows:
1. I am a[] contract Management Coordinator of Ocwen Loan
Servicing, LLC (“Ocwen”), servicer for WELLS FARGO BANK,
N.A. AS TRUSTEE FOR OPTION ONE MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST 2006-2
ASSET-BACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2006-2 (“[Wells Fargo]”)
of the mortgage loan at issue in this case (the “Loan”).
As such, I am authorized to make this Declaration.
2. I am over the age of 18 years, and I have personal
knowledge of the facts and matters stated herein based on
my review of the business records described below. The
statements set forth in this Declaration are true and
correct, to the best of my knowledge and belief.
3. In the regular performance of my job functions, I have
access to and am familiar with [Wells Fargo]’s records and
documents relating to this case (the “Records”), including
Ocwen’s business records relating to the servicing of the
Loan (the “Ocwen Records”). In making this Declaration, I
relied upon the Records.
4. The Ocwen Records document transactions relating to the
Loan and were made and are maintained in the regular course
of Ocwen’s business consistent with Ocwen’s regular
practices, which require that records documenting
transactions relating to serviced mortgage loans be made at
or near the time of the transactions documented by a person
with knowledge of the transactions or from information
transmitted by such a person.
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5. According to the Ocwen Records, [Wells Fargo] is in
possession of an original promissory note dated January 30,
2006 in the principal amount of $408,000.00 executed by
KAREN LYNN ZAKARIAN in favor of THE FUNDING GROUP, INC.
(the “Note”). A true and correct copy of the Note is
attached hereto as Exhibit 1.
6. The Note is endorsed in blank.
7. According to the Ocwen Records, the Note is secured by
a mortgage dated January 30, 2006 and recorded on February
7, 2006 in the Bureau of Conveyances of the State of
Hawaii, as Document Number 2006-023995 (the “Mortgage”). A
true and correct copy of the Mortgage is attached hereto as
Exhibit 2.
8. According to the Ocwen Records, the Mortgage was
assigned to OPTION ONE MORTGAGE CORPORATION by that
assignment dated February 3, 2006 and recorded on July 5,
2006 in the Bureau of Conveyances of the State of Hawaii,
as Document Number 2006-123207. The Mortgage was then
assigned to [Wells Fargo] by that assignment dated April
24, 2007 and recorded on May 10, 2007 in the Bureau of
Conveyances of the State of Hawaii, as Document Number
2007-084291 (the “Assignments”). True and correct copies
of the Assignments are attached hereto as Exhibits 3 and 4.
In Mattos, this court reviewed the sufficiency of a
nearly identical declaration attesting to a promissory note and
other documents relating to a foreclosure under the HRE Rule
803(b)(6) business records exception. 140 Hawaiʻi at 31, 398
P.3d at 620. The Lewis Declaration, apart from information
specific to this case, is virtually identical to the declaration
in Mattos, which was also prepared by an Ocwen employee.
Compare Lewis Declaration, supra, with Mattos, 140 Hawaiʻi at 30–
31, 398 P.3d at 619–20. This court’s decision in Mattos is
therefore dispositive as to whether HRE Rule 803(b)(6) may serve
as a basis to admit into evidence the documents attached to the
Lewis Declaration.
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Lewis did not aver that she was the custodian of
records for her employer, Ocwen, or for Wells Fargo. Thus, the
documents attached to her declaration are admissible under HRE
Rule 803(b)(6) only if the declaration demonstrates that Lewis
is a “qualified witness” with respect to those documents. See
Mattos, 140 Hawaiʻi at 32, 398 P.3d at 621.
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 Hawaiʻi 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
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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.
Here, as in Mattos, the Lewis Declaration does not
establish that the loan documents were received by Ocwen and
then incorporated into Ocwen’s records. In addition, although
Lewis averred that Ocwen’s records relating to the loan were
made and maintained in the regular course of Ocwen’s business,
Lewis asserted only that she had “access to and [was] familiar”
with Wells Fargo’s records and documents relating to this case.
(Emphasis added.) The Lewis Declaration does not establish that
Lewis was familiar with Wells Fargo’s record-keeping system. It
also makes no assertions as to Lewis’s familiarity with the
record-keeping systems of Funding Group or Option One, which
first created the Note and allonges. Thus, the Lewis
Declaration satisfies the foundational requirements to make
Lewis a qualified witness only with respect to Ocwen’s original
records about the loan and not any records of Wells Fargo or the
loan documents themselves. See Mattos, 140 Hawaiʻi at 32-33, 398
P.3d at 621-22.
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The Lewis Declaration also refers only to the Note and
not the allonges that Wells Fargo asserts were used to endorse
the Note in blank. As noted, the Lewis Declaration does not
establish that Lewis was a qualified witness, and thus she could
not have satisfied the requirements of HRE Rule 803(b)(6) with
respect to the allonges. But, as with the declaration in
Mattos, the Lewis Declaration did not attempt to admit the
allonges under the business records exception. See id. Thus,
even if the Note fell within the bounds of HRE Rule 803(b)(6),
the allonges endorsing it in blank did not because the
declaration did not provide the requisite foundation. This is
to say that the documents purporting to allow Wells Fargo to
enforce the Note were not admissible under the business record
exception. Since the documents were not admissible as asserted,
Wells Fargo did not meet its burden of establishing facts
necessary for a grant of summary judgment. See id.
In sum, Lewis was not a qualified witness with respect
to the documents attached to her declaration, and thus she could
not provide the foundation to admit them under HRE Rule
803(b)(6). The circuit court therefore erred in granting
summary judgment to the extent it relied on the documents’
admissibility under the business record exception to the hearsay
rule.
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IV. CONCLUSION
There is no bar to Behrendt challenging Wells Fargo’s
standing to foreclose on the Note, and Wells Fargo submitted no
properly admitted evidence demonstrating that it was entitled to
enforce the Note at the time the complaint was filed, as
required by Reyes-Toledo. See Bank of Am., N.A. v. Reyes-
Toledo, 139 Hawaiʻi 361, 368, 390 P.3d 1248, 1255 (2017). The
circuit court thus erred in its grant of summary judgment in
favor of Wells Fargo. Accordingly, the circuit court’s Order
Granting Summary Judgment and the August 30, 2016 Judgment are
vacated, and the case is remanded to the circuit court for
further proceedings.
J. Blaine Rogers and /s/ Mark E. Recktenwald
Lori King Stibb
for petitioner /s/ Paula A. Nakayama
Gary Victory Dubin and /s/ Sabrina S. McKenna
Frederick J. Arensmeyer
for respondent /s/ Richard W. Pollack
/s/ Michael D. Wilson
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