U.S. Bank National Assn. v. Jackson
CourtConnecticut Appellate Court
Date FiledJune 2, 2026
DocketAC48595
JudgeCradle; Moll; Westbrook
StatusPublished
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Full Opinion
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U.S. Bank National Assn. v. Jackson
U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, TRUSTEE
v. GARLAND JACKSON ET AL.
(AC 48595)
Cradle, C. J., and Moll and Westbrook, Js.
Syllabus
The defendant property owner appealed from the trial court’s judgment of
foreclosure by sale rendered for the plaintiff. He claimed, inter alia, that the
court improperly denied his motion for summary judgment predicated on
his contention that the plaintiff failed to provide him with an Emergency
Mortgage Assistance Program (EMAP) notice required pursuant to statutes
(§§ 8-265dd and 8-265ee). Held:
The trial court properly denied the defendant’s motion for summary judg-
ment on the basis of its conclusion that the plaintiff provided an EMAP
notice to the defendant in accordance with § 8-265dd, as notice is given for
purposes of § 8-265dd (b) when the notice provisions of § 8-265ee are met,
and the notice provisions of § 8-265ee (a) do not require delivery of an EMAP
notice but, rather, a plaintiff need only demonstrate that the EMAP notice
was mailed as directed in § 8-265ee (a).
The trial court properly granted the plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment
as to liability only, as, after the plaintiff met its initial burden to demonstrate
the lack of a genuine issue of material fact that it owned the note, the burden
shifted to the defendant to establish the existence of such an issue, and the
defendant failed to produce any evidence to satisfy that burden.
Argued February 2—officially released June 2, 2026
Procedural History
Action to foreclose a mortgage on certain real property
owned by the named defendant, and for other relief,
brought to the Superior Court in the judicial district of
New Haven, where the defendant United States Depart-
ment of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, was
defaulted for failure to appear and the defendant Depart-
ment of Revenue Services was defaulted for failure
to plead; thereafter, the court, Stone, J., granted the
plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment as to liability
only and denied the defendant’s motion for summary
judgment; subsequently, the court, Stone, J., rendered
judgment of foreclosure by sale, from which the named
defendant appealed to this court. Affirmed.
Christopher G. Brown, for the appellant (named defen-
dant).
U.S. Bank National Assn. v. Jackson
Benjamin T. Staskiewicz, for the appellee (plaintiff).
Opinion
MOLL, J. The defendant Garland Jackson, also known
as Garland Jackson, Jr.,1 appeals from the judgment of
foreclosure by sale rendered by the trial court in favor of
the plaintiff, U.S. Bank National Association, as Trustee
for the CIM Trust 2018-R6 Mortgage-Backed Notes,
Series 2018-R6. On appeal, the defendant claims that
the court improperly (1) denied his motion for summary
judgment predicated on his contention that the plain-
tiff failed to provide him with an EMAP2 notice and (2)
granted the plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment
as to liability only when the plaintiff failed to satisfy
its burden to establish an undisputed prima facie case.
We disagree and, accordingly, affirm the judgment of
the trial court.
The following procedural history is relevant to our
resolution of this appeal. On October 19, 2022, the plain-
tiff commenced the present action. In its complaint, the
plaintiff alleged in relevant part as follows. By way of a
promissory note dated July 31, 2006 (note), the defen-
dant promised to pay the principal sum of $329,282.42
payable with interest to American General Financial
Services, Inc. To secure the note, the defendant executed
a mortgage on real property that he owned at 66 Wood-
field Road in Woodbridge (property). The mortgage deed
was recorded on August 2, 2006, on the Woodbridge
land records, which deed later was modified by a loan
modification agreement dated May 18, 2016. Following
several prior assignments, the mortgage was assigned to
the plaintiff by a predecessor in interest by an assignment
1
The complaint also named the United States Department of the Trea-
sury, Internal Revenue Service, and the Department of Revenue Services
as defendants, but those parties were defaulted for failure to appear
and for failure to plead, respectively, and are not participating in this
appeal. For purposes of clarity, we refer to Jackson as the defendant.
2
“ ‘EMAP’ stands for the Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program.
General Statutes §§ 8-265cc through 8-265kk.” 7 Germantown Road,
LLC v. Danbury, 351 Conn. 169, 185 n.8, 329 A.3d 927 (2025).
U.S. Bank National Assn. v. Jackson
dated August 29, 2022, and recorded on the Woodbridge
land records on September 14, 2022. On or sometime
prior to August 12, 2022, “the plaintiff became and at
all times since then has been the party entitled to collect
the debt evidenced by [the] note and is the party entitled
to enforce [the] mortgage.” Following a default for non-
payment, the plaintiff exercised its option to declare the
entire balance of the note due and payable. On August
10, 2023, the defendant filed an answer and asserted
one special defense “den[ying] the authenticity of, and
the authority to make, each signature on the note, or
any paper affixed to the note, except his own signature.”
On July 8, 2024, the plaintiff filed a motion for sum-
mary judgment as to liability only, accompanied by a
supporting memorandum of law and exhibits, which
included an affidavit of Mario Selva (Selva affidavit),
an assistant vice president of the plaintiff’s mortgage
loan servicer. On August 22, 2024, the defendant filed
a memorandum of law in opposition to the plaintiff’s
motion. On September 27, 2024, the plaintiff filed a reply
brief and a supporting exhibit. On November 1, 2024,
the trial court, Stone, J., granted the plaintiff’s motion.
On November 8, 2024, the defendant filed a motion
for summary judgment, accompanied by a supporting
memorandum of law and a personal affidavit, with an
appended exhibit, claiming that the plaintiff failed to
provide him with an EMAP notice. On November 12,
2024, the plaintiff filed a memorandum of law in opposi-
tion to the defendant’s motion. On November 22, 2024,
the defendant filed a reply brief. On January 15, 2025,
the court denied the defendant’s motion.
On March 10, 2025, the court rendered a judgment of
foreclosure by sale,3 finding the fair market value of the
property to be $608,000 and the amount of the debt to
be $377,856.86, and setting a sale date of May 31, 2025.
This appeal followed. Additional procedural history will
be set forth as necessary.
3
On December 20, 2022, the plaintiff filed a motion for a judgment
of strict foreclosure.
U.S. Bank National Assn. v. Jackson
Before addressing the defendant’s claims, we set forth
the standard of review applicable to the court’s deci-
sions adjudicating the parties’ respective motions for
summary judgment. “Practice Book § 17-49 provides
that summary judgment shall be rendered forthwith if
the pleadings, affidavits and any other proof submitted
show that there is no genuine issue as to any material
fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment
as a matter of law. In deciding a motion for summary
judgment, the trial court must view the evidence in the
light most favorable to the nonmoving party. . . . The
courts are in entire agreement that the moving party . .
. has the burden of showing the absence of any genuine
issue as to all the material facts . . . . When documents
submitted in support of a motion for summary judg-
ment fail to establish that there is no genuine issue of
material fact, the nonmoving party has no obligation
to submit documents establishing the existence of such
an issue. . . . Once the moving party has met its burden,
however, the [nonmoving] party must present evidence
that demonstrates the existence of some disputed factual
issue. . . . A material fact . . . [is] a fact which will make
a difference in the result of the case. . . . Our review of
the trial court’s decision to grant [or to deny a motion]
for summary judgment is plenary.” (Internal quotation
marks omitted.) Chase Home Finance, LLC v. Scrog-
gin, 224 Conn. App. 549, 559–60, 313 A.3d 1260, cert.
denied, 350 Conn. 911, 324 A.3d 143 (2024).
I
The defendant first claims that the trial court improp-
erly denied his motion for summary judgment predicated
on his claim that the plaintiff failed to provide him with
an EMAP notice. We disagree.
Insofar as the defendant’s claim requires us to construe
statutory provisions, we are presented with an issue “of
statutory interpretation subject to plenary review. . . .
When construing a statute, [o]ur fundamental objective
is to ascertain and give effect to the apparent intent of
the legislature. . . . In seeking to determine that meaning,
U.S. Bank National Assn. v. Jackson
General Statutes § 1-2z directs us first to consider the
text of the statute itself and its relationship to other
statutes. If, after examining such text and considering
such relationship, the meaning of such text is plain and
unambiguous and does not yield absurd or unworkable
results, extratextual evidence of the meaning of the
statute shall not be considered. . . . It is a basic tenet of
statutory construction that [w]e construe a statute as a
whole and read its subsections concurrently in order to
reach a reasonable overall interpretation.” (Citations
omitted; internal quotation marks omitted.) Civic Mind,
LLC v. Hartford, 229 Conn. App. 615, 637–38, 328 A.3d
225 (2024), cert. denied, 351 Conn. 919, 333 A.3d 103
(2025).
We next set forth the following relevant legal prin-
ciples. EMAP “is designed to assist homeowners in avoid-
ing foreclosure by providing a mechanism and funding
for emergency mortgage and lien assistance payments,
among other resources.” KeyBank, N.A. v. Yazar, 347
Conn. 381, 385, 297 A.3d 968 (2023). General Statutes
§ 8-265dd (b) provides in relevant part: “Notwithstanding
any provision of the general statutes, or any rule of law
to the contrary, on and after July 1, 2008, no judgment
of strict foreclosure nor any judgment ordering a fore-
closure sale shall be entered in any action instituted by
the mortgagee to foreclose a mortgage commenced on or
after said date, for the foreclosure of an eligible mortgage
unless (1) notice to the homeowner who is a mortgagor
has been given by the mortgagee in accordance with sec-
tion 8-265ee and the time for response has expired, and
(2) a determination has been made on the homeowner’s
application for emergency mortgage assistance payments
in accordance with section 8-265ff or the applicable time
periods set forth in sections 8-265cc to 8-265kk, inclu-
sive, have expired, whichever is earlier. . . .” General
Statutes § 8-265ee (a) provides in relevant part: “On and
after July 1, 2008, a mortgagee who desires to foreclose
upon a mortgage which satisfies the standards contained
in subdivisions (1), (9), (10) and (11) of subsection (e) of
section 8-265ff, shall give notice to each homeowner who
U.S. Bank National Assn. v. Jackson
is a mortgagor by registered, or certified mail, postage
prepaid at the address of the property which is secured
by the mortgage. No such mortgagee may commence a
foreclosure of a mortgage prior to mailing such notice. .
. .”4 In Yazar, our Supreme Court held that “[t]he EMAP
notice requirement in § 8-265ee is a nonjurisdictional
requirement but is nonetheless a mandatory condition
precedent that a plaintiff bears the burden of satisfy-
ing before it commences any mortgage foreclosure.”
KeyBank, N.A. v. Yazar, supra, 404.
The following additional procedural history is relevant
to our resolution of the defendant’s claim. In the Selva
affidavit, which the plaintiff submitted in support of
its motion for summary judgment as to liability only,
Selva averred in relevant part that (1) the defendant
was sent a notice of default on April 21, 2022, by both
first class mail and certified mail, postage fully prepaid,
addressed to him at the property, and (2) the notice of
default “contained information in accordance with . . .
[§] 8-265ee” or, stated otherwise, an EMAP notice. A
copy of the notice of default was attached to the Selva
affidavit. Also attached to the Selva affidavit was a docu-
ment containing United States Postal Service (USPS)
tracking information for the notice of default, with the
last entry, dated April 30, 2022, providing “a reminder
to arrange for redelivery of [the notice of default] or [the
notice of default] will be returned to sender.”
In moving for summary judgment, the defendant
claimed that the plaintiff failed to provide him with an
EMAP notice.5 The defendant construed §§ 8-265dd (b)
4
Later in this opinion, we discuss case law that considered prior
revisions to § 8-265ee; however, the amendments that followed those
prior revisions are not germane to this appeal. See Public Acts 2009,
No. 09-209, § 29; Public Acts 2009, No. 09-219, § 1; Public Acts, Spec.
Sess., June, 2012, No. 12-1, § 126; Public Acts 2021, No. 21-44, § 8.
In the interest of simplicity, all references in this opinion to § 8-265ee
are to the current revision of the statute.
5
The defendant further contended that he was entitled to an EMAP
notice because, pursuant to § 8-265dd (b), (1) the mortgage at issue
is an “eligible mortgage” and (2) he is a “homeowner who is a mort-
gagor.” These issues were not addressed either by the plaintiff in its
U.S. Bank National Assn. v. Jackson
and 8-265ee (a) together to provide that “a plaintiff may
commence a foreclosure action after ‘mailing’ [an EMAP]
notice [pursuant to § 8-265ee (a)], [but] no judgment
can enter unless the [EMAP] notice has been ‘given’ [in
accordance with § 8-265dd (b)].” (Emphasis omitted.)
The defendant further maintained that an EMAP notice
must be actually delivered, not merely mailed, in order
for it to have “been given” pursuant to § 8-265dd (b).
Relying on the USPS tracking information submitted
by the plaintiff in support of its motion for summary
judgment as to liability only and his personal affidavit
that he submitted in support of his motion for summary
judgment, the defendant contended that there was no
dispute that the notice of default containing the EMAP
notice mailed to him by the plaintiff was never actually
delivered and that the presumption of delivery arising
pursuant to the “mailbox rule”6 had been rebutted. In
response, the plaintiff argued that (1) compliance with
the statutory EMAP notice requirement necessitated
only that it place an EMAP notice in the mail and (2) there
was no dispute that it had placed the notice of default
containing the EMAP notice in the mail.
In denying the defendant’s motion for summary judg-
ment, the trial court determined that, “in order to be
compliant with § 8-265dd, a plaintiff need only comply
with the notice provisions in § 8-265ee.” The trial court
further stated that, “[i]n determining whether a plaintiff
has complied with § 8-265ee, [this court] has repeatedly
confirmed that the relevant question for challenges to
an EMAP notice is not whether a defendant actually
receives the EMAP notice, but rather whether a plaintiff
has provided sufficient evidence that the EMAP notice
memorandum of law in opposition to the defendant’s motion for summary
judgment or the court in its decision denying the motion, and they are
not germane to this appeal.
6
The “mailbox rule” is a “common-law presumption . . . provid[ing] that
a properly stamped and addressed letter that is placed into a mailbox
or handed over to the United States Postal Service raises a rebuttable
presumption that it will be received.” (Internal quotation marks omit-
ted.) Aurora Loan Services, LLC v. Condron, 181 Conn. App. 248, 271,
186 A.3d 708 (2018).
U.S. Bank National Assn. v. Jackson
was sent,” citing Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v. Melahn,
222 Conn. App. 828, 307 A.3d 911 (2023), cert. denied,
348 Conn. 951, 308 A.3d 1038 (2024), Pennymac Corp.
v. Tarzia, 215 Conn. App. 190, 281 A.3d 469 (2022),
and Aurora Loan Services, LLC v. Condron, 181 Conn.
App. 248, 186 A.3d 708 (2018). The trial court then con-
cluded that the Selva affidavit and the exhibits attached
thereto established that there was no genuine issue of
material fact “that the plaintiff sent an EMAP notice
to the defendant at the [property] address, as required
by the mortgage deed, and that the defendant failed to
retrieve the [EMAP] notice,” such that, as a matter of
law, the plaintiff had satisfied § 8-265dd.
On appeal, the parties do not dispute that (1) the plain-
tiff mailed an EMAP notice to the defendant by certi-
fied mail, but (2) the EMAP notice was not delivered to
the defendant. The defendant’s claim is that the court
improperly determined that the plaintiff complied with
§ 8-265dd (b) notwithstanding the undisputed fact that
the EMAP notice was not delivered to him because,
according to the defendant, “although mailing [an EMAP
notice] suffices for commencing an action [pursuant to
§ 8-265ee (a)], ‘giving notice’ for purposes of satisfying
the prerequisite to a judgment under § 8-265dd (b) means
delivering [an EMAP] notice, not merely mailing one.”
We are not persuaded.
We first consider the language of § 8-265dd (b), which
provides in relevant part that, in cases where an EMAP
notice is required, “no judgment of strict foreclosure nor
any judgment ordering a foreclosure sale shall be entered
. . . unless . . . notice . . . has been given . . . in accordance
with section 8-265ee . . . .” We construe this language to
be clear and unambiguous in providing that an EMAP
notice is “given” for purposes of § 8-265dd (b) when the
notice provisions of § 8-265ee have been satisfied.7
Section 8-265ee (a) provides in relevant part that, in
cases where an EMAP notice is required, “a mortgagee
7
Our construction of § 8-265dd (b) is supported by a footnote in Yazar,
in which our Supreme Court stated in relevant part that “[§] 8-265dd
U.S. Bank National Assn. v. Jackson
. . . shall give notice . . . by registered, or certified mail,
postage prepaid . . . . No such mortgagee may commence
a foreclosure of a mortgage prior to mailing such notice.
. . .” In examining § 8-265ee (a), we turn to appellate
precedent that previously has addressed this provision.
In Condron, in appealing from a judgment of strict
foreclosure rendered following a bench trial, the defen-
dants claimed that the plaintiff failed to satisfy § 8-265ee
(a) because “§ 8-265ee (a) requires proof of actual delivery
by certified mail [of an EMAP notice] and the plaintiff
failed to meet that requirement” when it did not intro-
duce into evidence a certified mail receipt confirming
actual delivery of the EMAP notice to them. Aurora
Loan Services, LLC v. Condron, supra, 181 Conn. App.
276–77. This court rejected that claim, concluding that
“[t]he plain language of § 8-265ee (a) contains no such
requirement. . . . [That provision] does not require the
mailing by return receipt requested.” (Internal quotation
marks omitted.) Id., 278. This court further “decline[d]
to extend the requirements of [§ 8-265ee (a)] beyond the
plain language to require proof of actual delivery.” Id.
This court then determined that the record supported
the trial court’s finding that an EMAP notice was sent
to the defendants by certified mail, and “the lack of a
return receipt in the record [did] not affect the plaintiff’s
compliance with [§ 8-265ee (a)].” Id., 279.
In Melahn, in appealing from a judgment of strict
foreclosure following the trial court’s rendering of sum-
mary judgment as to liability only in the plaintiff’s favor,
the defendant claimed that the plaintiff failed to comply
with § 8-265ee (a). Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v. Melahn,
supra, 222 Conn. App. 841. This court disagreed. Id. Ini-
tially, this court stated that “to be entitled to summary
judgment, the plaintiff in the circumstances of th[at]
case was obligated to demonstrate the lack of a genuine
issue of material fact regarding whether it complied with
(b) requires that two conditions be satisfied prior to judgment being
rendered: (1) notice to the homeowner in accordance with § 8-265ee,
and (2) the sixty day time for response has expired.” (Emphasis added.)
KeyBank, N.A. v. Yazar, supra, 347 Conn. 393 n.8.
U.S. Bank National Assn. v. Jackson
the statutory scheme by sending to the defendant by
certified mail a notification of EMAP prior to initiating
th[at] action.” Id., 845. After reviewing the plaintiff’s
evidentiary submissions in support of its motion, this
court concluded that it had met its burden. Id., 845–46.
Turning then to the defendant’s evidentiary submissions
in opposition to the plaintiff’s motion, this court stated
that “[t]he only evidence that the defendant proffered
in response to the plaintiff’s averments [was] his rep-
resentation in his affidavit that he did not receive the
required EMAP notice. . . . [H]owever, the plaintiff was
not obligated to demonstrate that the [EMAP] notice was
in fact received by the defendant. . . . It was obligated
to show only the absence of a genuine factual dispute
regarding whether the [EMAP] notice was sent.” (Cita-
tion omitted.) Id., 846.
We deem Condron and Melahn to be instructive.8 In
Condron, this court concluded that the plain language
of § 8-265ee (a) does not require proof of actual delivery
of an EMAP notice; rather, a plaintiff need only dem-
onstrate that the EMAP notice was mailed as directed
in § 8-265ee (a). Aurora Loan Services, LLC v. Condron,
supra, 181 Conn. App. 278–79. In Melahn, this court
8
The trial court also cited Tarzia in denying the defendant’s motion
for summary judgment. In Tarzia, in appealing from the denial of his
motion to open a judgment of strict foreclosure rendered in favor of the
substitute plaintiff, the defendant claimed that the original plaintiff
had not complied with § 8-265ee (a). Pennymac Corp. v. Tarzia, supra,
215 Conn. App. 192–93, 198. This court disagreed, concluding that
the record contained ample evidence demonstrating that the original
plaintiff mailed an EMAP notice to the defendant, and, thus, the trial
court did not clearly err in finding that the original plaintiff provided
an EMAP notice to the defendant. Id., 203–207. As part of its analysis,
this court cited Condron to support its determination that “[t]he fact
that the [substitute] plaintiff did not present evidence of the return
receipt corresponding to the EMAP notice is inconsequential.” Id., 205.
Notably, this court observed that the defendant’s “challenge [was] not
that he did not receive the EMAP notice [but that] [h]e claimed and
proved that [the original plaintiff] never sent the [EMAP] notice to
him in the first place . . . .” (Internal quotation marks omitted.) Id.,
198 n.6. Thus, for purposes of this appeal, Tarzia serves only to iterate
the holding in Condron that actual delivery of an EMAP notice is not
required to satisfy § 8-265ee (a).
U.S. Bank National Assn. v. Jackson
concluded that (1) a plaintiff meets its burden to be enti-
tled to summary judgment as to liability only vis-à-vis
§ 8-265ee (a) by demonstrating the lack of a genuine issue
of material fact that it properly mailed an EMAP notice
and (2) a defendant cannot demonstrate a genuine issue
of material fact by submitting evidence that he or she did
not receive the EMAP notice, as such evidence is irrel-
evant when the plaintiff is “obligated to show only the
absence of a genuine factual dispute regarding whether
the [EMAP] notice was sent.”9 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.
v. Melahn, supra, 222 Conn. App. 846. Applying this
precedent to the present action, we conclude that the
notice provisions of § 8-265ee (a) do not require delivery
of an EMAP notice. In light of our conclusion that notice
is “given” for purposes of § 8-265dd (b) when the notice
provisions of § 8-265ee are met, we further conclude
that § 8-265dd (b) likewise does not mandate delivery of
an EMAP notice.10
In sum, we conclude that the court properly denied the
defendant’s motion for summary judgment on the basis
9
The defendant urges us to construe Condron and Melahn to provide
that a plaintiff may rely on the mailing of an EMAP notice to raise a
presumption of delivery pursuant to the mailbox rule but that proof
of actual delivery is required when that presumption is rebutted as,
he posits, occurred in the present action. We do not agree with the
defendant’s narrow reading of these cases. Neither Condron nor Melahn
leaves any impression that delivery of an EMAP notice is relevant vis-
à-vis § 8-265ee (a). Additionally, in Melahn, this court rejected the
defendant’s reliance on his evidentiary submission, proffered in defense
against the plaintiff’s claim that it complied with § 8-265ee (a) by mail-
ing the defendant an EMAP notice by certified mail, indicating that he
did not receive the EMAP notice. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v. Melahn,
supra, 222 Conn. App. 846. If this court had considered delivery of the
EMAP notice to be relevant, then it necessarily would have considered
whether the defendant’s evidentiary submission rebutted the presump-
tion of delivery of the EMAP notice mailed by the plaintiff.
10
In Yazar, our Supreme Court considered two questions concerning
§ 8-265ee (a), namely, whether (1) “the EMAP notice requirement in
§ 8-265ee (a) is jurisdictional”; KeyBank, N.A. v. Yazar, supra, 347
Conn. 385; and (2) “an EMAP notice sent before the commencement of
a prior foreclosure action by the predecessor mortgagee is valid for a
subsequent action initiated by the successor mortgagee.” Id., 385–86.
In summarizing §§ 8-265dd and 8-265ee, our Supreme Court stated
U.S. Bank National Assn. v. Jackson
of its conclusion that the plaintiff provided an EMAP
notice to the defendant in accordance with § 8-265dd.
II
The defendant next claims that the trial court improp-
erly granted the plaintiff’s motion for summary judg-
ment as to liability only. The defendant maintains that
the plaintiff failed to demonstrate that there was no
genuine issue of material fact that it was the owner of the
note, and, therefore, it did not establish an undisputed
prima facie case. We are not persuaded.
“[T]o establish a prima facie case in a mortgage fore-
closure action, the plaintiff must prove by a preponder-
ance of the evidence that it is the owner of the note and
mortgage, that the defendant mortgagor has defaulted on
the note and that any conditions precedent to foreclosure
. . . have been satisfied. . . . Thus, a court may properly
that “§ 8-265ee prohibits the initiation of a valid suit without provid-
ing the EMAP notice [and] [§] 8-265dd . . . prevents the [trial] court
from rendering any judgment of foreclosure until the EMAP notice has
been sent, the sixty day response time has expired, and, if relevant, a
determination has been made on the application for emergency mort-
gage assistance payments.” (Citation omitted; emphasis added.) Id.,
392–93. Additionally, in a footnote, our Supreme Court stated as fol-
lows: “Section 8-265dd (b) requires that two conditions be satisfied prior
to judgment being rendered: (1) notice to the homeowner in accordance
with § 8-265ee, and (2) the sixty day time for response has expired.
Notice to the homeowner in accordance with § 8-265ee requires that
the notice be sent prior to the commencement of the foreclosure action.
The two provisions are consistent with each other. Section 8-265dd
(b) merely clarifies that both the notice must be sent and the time to
respond must have expired prior to the court’s rendering judgment.”
(Emphasis altered.) Id., 393 n.8. Viewed in isolation, our Supreme
Court’s description of § 8-265dd (b) requiring that an EMAP notice be
“sent” can be interpreted to provide that delivery of an EMAP notice is
not required under § 8-265dd (b). We note, however, that our Supreme
Court in Yazar did not address the issue of whether an EMAP notice
must be delivered under § 8-265dd (b) and/or § 8-265ee (a). See id., 404
(“The only EMAP notice the plaintiff introduced as proof of compliance
was a notice, envelope, and certified mail receipt that was marked ‘not
deliverable’ and ‘return to sender.’ We need not decide whether § 8-265ee
(a) requires proof of delivery of the EMAP notice given that . . . there
is no dispute that the plaintiff failed to send a subsequent notice prior
to initiating the second foreclosure action.”).
U.S. Bank National Assn. v. Jackson
grant summary judgment as to liability in a foreclosure
action if the complaint and supporting affidavits estab-
lish an undisputed prima facie case and the defendant
fails to assert any legally sufficient special defense.”
(Internal quotation marks omitted.) U.S. Bank Trust,
National Assn. v. Shuey, 232 Conn. App. 618, 629–30,
338 A.3d 353, cert. denied, 353 Conn. 903, 341 A.3d 957
(2025). “[A] holder of a note is presumed to be the owner
of the debt, and unless the presumption is rebutted,
may foreclose the mortgage under [General Statutes]
§ 49-17. The possession by the bearer of a note [e]ndorsed
in blank imports prima facie that [it] acquired the note
in good faith for value and in the course of business,
before maturity and without notice of any circumstances
impeaching its validity.” (Internal quotation marks omit-
ted.) Equity One, Inc. v. Shivers, 310 Conn. 119, 135,
74 A.3d 1225 (2013).
The following additional procedural history is relevant
to our resolution of this claim. In its complaint, the
plaintiff alleged in relevant part that, “[o]n or before
August 12, 2022, the plaintiff became and at all times
since then has been the party entitled to collect the debt
evidenced by [the] note and is the party entitled to enforce
[the] mortgage.” The defendant denied that allegation.
In moving for summary judgment as to liability only,
the plaintiff asserted in relevant part that it “is, and
has been since prior to commencement of the [present]
action, the party entitled to collect the debt evidenced by
the note . . . .” In support of that assertion, the plaintiff
submitted the Selva affidavit, in which Selva averred in
relevant part that, “[o]n or before August 12, 2022, the
[p]laintiff became and at all times since then has been the
party entitled to collect the debt evidenced by [the] note
and is the party entitled [to] enforce [the] mortgage.”
Attached to the Selva affidavit was “[a] true and cor-
rect copy of the [n]ote,” which was endorsed in blank.
In response, the defendant did not submit any evidence;
rather, it argued that the plaintiff’s evidentiary submis-
sions did not demonstrate the lack of a genuine issue of
material fact that it owned the note.
U.S. Bank National Assn. v. Jackson
In granting the plaintiff’s motion for summary judg-
ment as to liability only, the court determined that “the
undisputed material facts establish that the plaintiff
[was] the owner of the note and the mortgage at the time
the [present] action [was] commenced, that the [defen-
dant had] defaulted, and that all conditions precedent to
the foreclosure were met.” The court further determined
that (1) the Selva affidavit was sufficient to establish
that the plaintiff was the holder of the note and (2) the
defendant failed to submit any evidence refuting the
plaintiff’s status as the holder of the note.
The defendant claims that the plaintiff’s evidentiary
submissions in support of its motion for summary judg-
ment as to liability only did not establish that there was
no genuine issue of material fact that it was the owner
of the note. We disagree.
In support of its contention that it owned the note, the
plaintiff submitted the Selva affidavit, which contained
an express averment that, “[o]n or before August 12,
2022, the [p]laintiff became and at all times since then
has been the party entitled to collect the debt evidenced
by [the] note and is the party entitled [to] enforce [the]
mortgage.” Moreover, “[a] true and correct copy of the
[n]ote,” which was endorsed in blank, was attached to
the Selva affidavit.11 In short, we conclude that these
evidentiary submissions established no genuine issue
of material fact that the plaintiff was the holder of the
11
In its appellate brief, the plaintiff states that it produced a copy of
the original note as part of its summary judgment filings. In his reply
brief, the defendant appears to argue that the plaintiff could not rely
on the copy of the note attached to the Selva affidavit but, rather, was
obligated to produce the original note. This argument is untenable.
See GMAC Mortgage, LLC v. Ford, 144 Conn. App. 165, 177, 73 A.3d
742 (2013) (“[t]he defendant has provided us with no authority, nor
are we aware of any, that supports his suggestion that a mortgagee is
obligated to produce the original note in order to meet the mortgagee’s
burden at summary judgment”); see also Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v.
Henderson, 175 Conn. App. 474, 485 n.7, 167 A.3d 1065 (2017) (citing
Ford in stating that “a [trial] court may grant summary judgment in
a foreclosure action even if the plaintiff does not produce the original
note in support of its motion for summary judgment”).
U.S. Bank National Assn. v. Jackson
note and, thereby, presumptively, the owner of the note.
See HSBC Bank USA, National Assn. v. Gilbert, 200
Conn. App. 335, 339–41, 349–50, 238 A.3d 784 (2020)
(concluding that plaintiff, in support of motion for sum-
mary judgment as to liability only, submitted admissible
evidence to establish that it was holder of promissory
note, which evidence included note endorsed in blank
and supporting affidavits averring, as summarized by
this court, that “prior to the commencement of th[at]
foreclosure action, the plaintiff became the party enti-
tled to collect the debt evidenced by the note and [was]
the party entitled to enforce the mortgage securing the
debt”); U.S. Bank, National Assn. v. Fitzpatrick, 190
Conn. App. 773, 778, 789–92, 212 A.3d 732 (rejecting
defendant’s claim that there was genuine issue of mate-
rial fact as to plaintiff’s ownership of promissory note
in light of plaintiff, in support of motion for summary
judgment as to liability only, submitting note endorsed
in blank and affidavit averring, as summarized by this
court, “that the plaintiff was the party entitled to col-
lect the debt evidenced by the note and to enforce the
mortgage securing that debt”), cert. denied, 333 Conn.
916, 217 A.3d 1 (2019). With the plaintiff having met
its initial burden to demonstrate the lack of a genuine
issue of material fact that it owned the note, the burden
shifted to the defendant to establish the existence of
such an issue; Chase Home Finance, LLC v. Scroggin,
supra, 224 Conn. App. 559–60; however, as the court
correctly determined, the defendant failed to produce
any evidence to satisfy that burden.
In sum, we conclude that the court properly granted the
plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment as to liability
only.
The judgment is affirmed and the case is remanded
for further proceedings according to law. See Wahba
v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., 349 Conn. 483, 316
A.3d 338 (2024).
In this opinion the other judges concurred.