61 Conn. App. 244 | Conn. App. Ct. | 2000
In this mortgage foreclosure action, the defendant James F. Connelly appeals from the trial court’s denial of his motion to set aside the judgment of foreclosure by sale.
The record discloses that the plaintiff, Wendover Financial Services Corporation, commenced a foreclosure action against the defendant on May 13,1999, with respect to real property in Oakville.
On November 3, 1999, the court denied the defendant’s motion to set aside the judgment “for the reasons set forth in [the] plaintiffs objection thereto.” The defendant appealed to this court from that decision. On January 5, 2000, the defendant filed a motion for articulation with this court, which the trial court denied on January 13, 2000. On appeal, the defendant argues that the trial court improperly denied his motion to set aside the judgment of foreclosure by sale because (1) the plaintiff failed to issue a notice of acceleration pursuant to federal regulations, 12 C.F.R. § 590 et seq., (2) equity required a demand for acceleration of payment before the plaintiff could foreclose the mortgage and (3) the defendant has a cognizable defense of misrepresentation against the plaintiffs predecessor in interest for its statement that the defendant’s decedent could not obtain mortgage life insurance.
Although the defendant filed a motion for articulation, which the court denied, the defendant did not seek a review of the court’s denial pursuant to Practice Book § 66-7.
The judgment is affirmed and the case is remanded for the purpose of setting a new sale date.
Also named as defendants are the mortgagor, Marion Logue Connelly, who died fifteen months after giving the mortgage at issue to the predecessor in interest of the plaintiff, Wendover Financial Services Corporation; the state of Connecticut, department of revenue services; the state of Connecticut, department of social services; Middlebury Convalescent Home, Inc.; and the United States of America, secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Because James F. Connelly is the only defendant appealing from the court’s decision, we refer to him in this opinion as the defendant.
The defendant is the executor and sole beneficiary of the estate of Marion Logue Connelly. On April 17, 1997, the defendant’s decedent entered into a reverse mortgage agreement with Freedom Choice Mortgage LLC (Freedom), predecessor in interest to the plaintiff, whereby the decedent agreed to mortgage her property in exchange for a loan not to exceed $165,000. On that same date, Freedom assigned the note and mortgage to the plaintiff.
The plaintiff initially brought an action against Connelly individually and in his capacity as the executor of the estate of Marion Logue Connelly. On or about August 3,1999, however, the plaintiff withdrew its complaint against Connelly in his capacity as the executor. Thereafter, he remained in the case solely in his individual capacity.
The court also entered defaults against Middlebury Convalescent Home, Inc.; the United States of America, secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development; and the state of Connecticut, department of social services, for failure to disclose a defense.
The defendant claimed that the judgment should be set aside for the following reasons: (1) the plaintiff failed to issue a demand notice before filing the foreclosure action; (2) the judgment was null and void because the defendant, as the executor of Marion Logue Connelly’s estate, was a necessary party to the action and because the estate had an interest in the property for settlement of claims against the estate; and (3) the attorney for the plaintiffs predecessor in interest refused to permit the defendant’s decedent to obtain mortgage life insurance.
Practice Book § 66-7 provides in relevant part: “Any party aggrieved by the action of the trial judge as regards . . . articulation under Section 66-5 may, within ten days of the issuance of notice of the order sought to be reviewed, make a written motion for review to the court, to be filed with the appellate clerk, and the court may upon such a motion, direct any action it deems proper. . .