NEW RULES IN JUDGE CASE COURT; FEDERAL RULES OF EVIDENCE

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Start with the Federal Rules of Evidence. This is an act of congress signed into law by the President of the United States. You can’t get much higher than that for authority. At issue in this article are Rule 901 and 902. Judge Charles G Case issued his own local rules regarding motions to lift stay. These rules are revealing not only because they say, in part, what borrowers want to hear, but because they  contain a warning for both Borrowers and the pretender lenders.

The essence of what Judge Case is saying is that we have rules of evidence — follow them. And the next person who tries to use a buzz word without knowing what they are talking about will receive sanctions. In all probability that next person will be a pro se litigant and they may be fined literally out of court.

Judge Case’ “New Rules” say as follows, citing In Re VEAL: “A party seeking stay relief in order to enforce a secured obligation against real property has the burden of making a colorable showing that it has standing to enforce the note and deed of trust or mortgage. To meet this burden, Movant must provide evidence, in the form of assignments, endorsements or otherwise, demonstrating that it is a person entitled to enforce the note under the Uniform Commercial Code as well as a complete chain of title of the beneficial interest under the deed of trust or mortgage. Such evidence shall either be self authenticated under FRE 902 or accompanied by a declaration of a person with knowledge authenticating each document in a form sufficient under FRE 901. If the Movant is proceeding as a servicer or agent, evidence of the servicing or agency agreement must be provided, authenticated as indicated above. Absent such a showing, a hearing on the motion may be vacated and sanctions may be imposed.”

So the good news is that pretender lenders will be sanctioned if they attempt, without proper grounds, to come into court and state that they are entitled to a relief from the automatic stay order that issues in every bankruptcy proceeding. And Judge Case is very specific as to what is proper and what is not, so we can expect some orders levying sanctions against the pretender lenders as they try to get past Judge Case with their usual arguments of spin. It remains to be seen how strictly Judge Case will adhere to his own rules. But if he is trying to penetrate the fog of securitization, and if he really wants to know whether the party seeking to lift stay was the lender or actually acquired the loan, then the Banks are in for tough going at higher and higher levels.

On the other hand, a challenge to standing will not stand on its own. Just saying it doesn’t make it so and Judge Case is making it clear that he ie quite tired of hearing accusations without the foundation of fact and law required to challenge standing. “Any objection to standing must be made with particularity. If an objection to standing is made without an adequate basis in law or fact, the party making the objection may be subject to sanctions.” It appears that Judge Case is saying that he is going to enforce the rulers of evidence and pleading, very strictly against anyone who comes to court and presents either a claim or a defense. If you want to challenge standing, it must be either apparent from the face of the pretender’s own documents and pleadings, or backed up by information that is actually offered into evidence and which therefore is admissible evidence.

I don’t agree with Judge Case in that he continues to place the burden on the borrower to establish the case for the opposition and then establish a defense. It puts the burden on the borrower to come up with information that is admissible evidence when it is the borrower who has the least amount of information and the party with the least access to that information. In any other setting Judge Case would require any party seeking affirmative relief to satisfy its burden of pleading and proving a prima facie case in support of the relief requested. Somehow, borrowers still remain different.

Tags: AUTHENTICATION OF DOCUMENT, bankruptcy, borrower, countrywide, disclosure, foreclosure, foreclosure defense, foreclosure offense, foreclosures, FOUNDATION, fraud, fre 901, fre 902, In Re Sardana, In re Veal, Judge Charles G Case, LOAN MODIFICATION, modification, quiet title, rescission, RESPA, securitization, TILA audit, trustee, UCC, UNIFORM COMMERCIAL CODE, WEISBAND
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