Sandra Read v. Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as Trustee for Residential Accredit Loans, Inc., Mortgage Asset - Backed Pass - Through Certificates, Series 2005-Q01
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
Date FiledJanuary 15, 2020
Docket2D19-1676
StatusPublished
📰 News Coverage: Read the LAWS.com news report on this case
Full Opinion
NOT FINAL UNTIL TIME EXPIRES TO FILE REHEARING
MOTION AND, IF FILED, DETERMINED
IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL
OF FLORIDA
SECOND DISTRICT
SANDRA READ, )
)
Appellant, )
)
v. ) Case No. 2D19-1676
)
DEUTSCHE BANK TRUST COMPANY )
AMERICAS, as trustee for RESIDENTIAL )
ACCREDIT LOANS, INC., MORTGAGE )
ASSET-BACKED PASS-THROUGH )
CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2005-QO1 and )
AURORA LOAN SERVICES, LLC, )
)
Appellees. )
)
Opinion filed January 15, 2020.
Appeal pursuant to Fla. R. App. P. 9.130
from the Circuit Court for Pinellas
County; Thomas Ramsberger, Judge.
Niles B. Whitten, Gainesville, for
Appellant.
Nancy M. Wallace of Akerman LLP,
Tallahassee and William P. Heller of
Akerman LLP, Fort Lauderdale, for
Appellee Deutsche Bank Trust
Company Americas, as trustee for
Residential Accredit Loans, Inc.,
Mortgage Asset-Backed Pass-Through
Certificates, Series 2005-QO1.
No appearance for remaining Appellee.
PER CURIAM.
Sandra Read appeals from an order denying a motion under Florida Rule
of Civil Procedure 1.540(b) in which she requested that the trial court vacate a default
and a final judgment of foreclosure. Her motion asserted that the default and final
judgment should be vacated because her lawyer was suspended from the practice of
law for ninety days and thereafter did not give her notice of critical proceedings following
the end of the bankruptcy stay. It also alleged that her lawyer was at some point
hospitalized. Factually, Ms. Read's claim depends on whether her attorney of record
received the notice sent, whether there was some reason service on him was
insufficient here, or whether he was, in fact, still the attorney of record for the purposes
of Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.080. While this record does not foreclose that she
might make allegations as to these facts, the rule 1.540(b) motion that she filed failed to
do so. Nor did she allege that her lawyer was never reinstated to the practice of law
following his suspension or that he had otherwise stopped practicing law as a member
of the bar at the time that he was sent the notices following the end of the bankruptcy
stay in this case. We affirm the trial court's denial of her motion without further
comment, but we note that nothing in our affirmance should be read as foreclosing Ms.
Read's right to refile in the circuit court a facially sufficient and colorable claim for relief
under rule 1.540(b)(4) based on the alleged failures of notice and due process that
occurred prior to the entry of the judgment if she is able to do so in a way that would
entitle her to an evidentiary hearing on her claims. See Minda v. Minda, 190 So. 3d
1126, 1127-28 (Fla. 2d DCA 2016) (discussing why insufficient rule 1.540 motions do
not foreclose the filing of amended motions to meet the sufficiency standards, which the
trial court should then consider after an evidentiary hearing).
-2-
Affirmed.
KHOUZAM, C.J., and SALARIO and ROTHSTEIN-YOUAKIM, JJ., Concur.
-3-