SHIRLEY FOSTER, APPELLANT,
v.
JAMES M. FOSTER, MILDRED S. MYERS, O.W. FOSTER & SONS, INC., A FLORIDA CORPORATION, AND FIRST UNION NATIONAL BANK OF FLORIDA, APPELLEES
AI-generated. These summaries, headnotes, and key points are machine-generated and may contain errors or omissions. Always verify against the full opinion text below. Not legal advice.
Shirley Foster appeals from a summary judgment granting re-foreclosure of the original Dauphine mortgage against her interest. The court reversed, holding that Shirley's interest in the mortgage, derived from Andrew's assignment as security for a promissory note, gives her equal status to other mortgagees and is not inferior to the original mortgage.
Shirley's interest in the Dauphine mortgage is equal to that of the other mortgagees and is not inferior. An assignee of a mortgage has the same status and rights as if named in the mortgage, and Shirley's interest derives from Andrew's assignment, not from the marital settlement agreement itself.
[1] An assignee of a mortgage acquires the same status and rights as if the assignee had been named in the original mortgage.
[2] An assignee of a mortgage "stands in the shoes" of the assignor, possessing equivalent rights and standing.
Previewing 2 of 4 headnotes on this case. FLexlaw’s editorially structured points of law — every proposition, pinpointed — are reserved for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“The law is clear that an assignee of a mortgage has the same status and rights as if he or she had been named in the mortgage.”
Establishes the fundamental principle that Shirley, as an assignee, has equal rights to the original mortgagees.
Previewing 1 of 3 key quotes on this case — the court’s exact language, pinpointed for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceShirley and Andrew jointly owned a 25% interest in a $2.5 million note and mortgage on Dauphine Apartments. During their 1985 divorce, Shirley conveye…
The full statement of facts, procedural history, and disposition for this case are member content.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence© FLexlaw, Inc. — AI-generated enrichments are proprietary. All rights reserved.
Explore caselaw by topic → Browse Assignee Rights cases and more on FLexlaw
PATTERSON, Acting Chief Judge.
Shirley Foster appeals from a final judgment of re-foreclosure granted on the appel-lees’ counterclaim. We reverse.
Shirley and her husband, Andrew, jointly owned a 25% undivided interest in a $2,500,-000 note and mortgage encumbering the Dauphine Apartments. In the process of their dissolution of marriage in 1985, they entered into a marital settlement agreement wherein Shirley agreed to convey her interest in the note and mortgage to Andrew. In return, Andrew agreed to give Shirley a promissory note in the amount of $185,000 to be secured by and repaid from his 25% interest in the Dauphine note and mortgage.
Shirley conveyed her interest in the Dau-phine note and mortgage to Andrew. Andrew delivered his promissory note in the amount of $185,000 to Shirley. As security, he delivered a document entitled “Assignment of Undivided Interest In Mortgage As Collateral Security,” which in pertinent part states:
[Andrew Foster] does hereby assign, transfer and set over to [Shirley Foster] a portion of [Andrew Foster’s] undivided one-fourth (1/4) interest in that certain Mortgage made by Dauphine, Limited ... together with a portion of [Andrew Foster’s] undivided one-fourth (1/4) interest in the promissory note therein described, with the full benefit of all pow ers, rights and remedies expressly or impliedly contained therein and conferred thereby upon [Andrew Foster].
The portion of the foregoing Mortgage assigned hereunder is specifically limited to that part sufficient to satisfy [Andrew Foster’s] obligation to [Shirley Foster] evidenced by the promissory note referred to below....
[I]f [Andrew Foster], his heirs or assigns, shall pay to [Shirley Foster] the sum of One Hundred Eighty-Five Thousand and No/100 Dollars ($185,000.00) according to the terms of a certain Promissory Note dated October 9th, 1985, in the principal sum of $185,000.00 plus applicable interest, then this Assignment shall be void, the same being given solely for the purpose of securing the payments of said sum and interest.
This assignment was duly recorded in the Official Records of Hillsborough County.
In 1989, Dauphine, Ltd., the mortgagor, defaulted on the Dauphine mortgage. The holders of the note and mortgage, Andrew Foster, James M. Foster, Mildred Myers, and Stephen Foster, foreclosed and bought the property at foreclosure sale. A certificate of title was issued to Andrew, James, Mildred, and Steven in interests of 25% each. Shirley was not made a party to the foreclosure action. Stephen and Andrew each conveyed their interest in the property to O.W. Foster & Sons, Inc., a family-owned corporation. In addition, the property was refinanced with First Union National Bank of Florida. Andrew continued to make payments on his note to Shirley until early 1992. When the payments ceased, Shirley made demand for payment, accelerated the balance due, and initiated this action against the appellees, James, Mildred, O.W. Foster & Sons, Inc., and First Union, to foreclose her interest in the Dauphine mort gage. The appel-lees brought a counterclaim to re-foreclose the original Dauphine mortgage as to Shirley’s interest, contending it was an inferior hen which derived from Andrew and Shirley’s marital settlement agreement. The trial court agreed and entered summary judgment in their favor, from which this appeal is taken.
The trial court misconstrued the nature of Shirley’s interest. While she may have become entitled to her interest by reason of the marital settlement agreement, that interest in the Dauphine note and mortgage derives from Andrew’s assignment, not from the marital settlement agreement.
The law is clear that an assignee of a mortgage has the same status and rights as if he or she had been named in the mortgage. See Proctor v. Hearne, 100 Fla. 1180, 131 So. 173 (1930). In other words, the assignee “stands in the shoes” of the assignor. See United of Fla., Inc. v. Illini Fed. Sav. & Loan Ass’n, 341 So. 2d 793 (Fla. 2d DCA 1977). Shirley’s interest in the Dauphine mortgage is equal to that of the other mortgagees and remains an encumbrance on the property. We, therefore, reverse and remand with directions that the trial court enter judgment in favor of Shirley on the appellees’ counterclaim and permit her to continue her original action.
Reversed and remanded.
ALTENBERND and NORTHCUTT, JJ., concur.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By
-
Prof'l Consulting Servs., Inc. v. Hartford Life & Accident Ins. Co., 849 So. 2d 446 (Fla. 2d DCA 2003)…ed, is entitled to demand payment under the Hartford PIP policy. See Rodriguez, 808 So. 2d at 83. If her assignment to Professional was valid, Professional “stands in her shoes” and has the same rights and status that she does. See Foster v. Foster, 703 So. 2d 1107, 1109 (Fla. 2d DCA 1997). The legislature is presumed to know existing law when it enacts a statute. Holmes County Sch. Bd. v. Duffell, 651 So. 2d 1176 (Fla.1995). If it had intended to prohibit after-loss assignments of PIP benefits to third parti…
-
Gables Ins. Recovery, Inc. v. Seminole Cas. Ins. Co., 10 So. 3d 1106 (Fla. 3d DCA 2009)…See [United Auto. Ins. Co. v. ] Rodriguez, 808 So. 2d [82] at 83 [[Fla.2001]]. If her assignment to Professional [a billing agency] was valid, Professional “stands in her shoes” and has the same rights and status that she does. See Foster v. Foster, 703 So. 2d 1107, 1109 (Fla. 2d DCA 1997). In summary, we hold that a PIP insured may assign an after-loss claim to a third party who is not a medical provider. Consequently, we conclude that the court below departed from the essential requirements of the law resu…
-
Island Roofing & Restoration LLC v. Empire Indem. Ins. Co. (M.D. Fla. 2022)…d, the assignee “stands in [the] shoes” of the assignor and “has the same rights and status” that the assignor did. Pro. Consulting Servs., Inc. v. Hartford Life & Accident Ins. Co., 849 So. 2d 446, 447 (Fla. 2d DCA 2003) (citing Foster v. Foster, 703 So. 2d 1107, 1109 (Fla. 2d DCA 1997)). And, as this Court has explained, this includes “all rights attendant to work performed (or to be 2 Because the Court resolves this issue on separate grounds, it declines to address Island Roofing’s argument that Empire…
Previewing 3 of 5 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- Donella Proctor v. Hearne, 100 Fla. 1180 (Fla. 1930)
- United OF Fla., Inc. v. Illini Fed. Sav. & Loan Ass'n & Lyman Sav. & Loan Ass'n, 341 So. 2d 793 (Fla. 2d DCA 1977)