Long Island Judge Hammers Wells w/ $155K Tab For Oppressive, Heavy Handed, Egregious Conduct For Pre-Sale Lockout Of Homeowner In Foreclosure

In a court ruling issued March 5, 2010, Suffolk County, New York Supreme Court Justice Jeffery Arlen Spinner clobbered another rogue foreclosing lender for its improper conduct in connection with the carrying out of a foreclosure action. This time, it was Wells Fargo, who felt the wrath of Justice Spinner.(1) According to the ruling, Wells locked out a homeowner in foreclosure before the legal action was complete and, for its conduct, was ordered to pay the aggrieved homeowner:

• $200 in damages for the trespass to homeowner's possessory interest in the property,
• $4,892 in damages representing the value of the personal possessions lost as a direct result of Wells Fargo's actions in trespass,
• $150,000 in exemplary damages, which, in effect, serves as a reminder to Wells Fargo and any other lender to refrain from engaging in this kind of crap in the future.

A couple of excerpts from Justice Spinner's ruling follows [my emphasis added, not in the original]:

• In the matter before the Court, it is apparent that Plaintiff [ie. Wells Fargo] has perpetrated a trespass against the real property of Defendant [homeowner facing foreclosure], which is actionable and subjects Plaintiff to liability for damages. Distilled to its very essence, trespass is characterized by one's intentional entry, with neither permission nor legal justification, upon the real property of another, [citation omitted].

***

• Here, the Court is constrained to find that the conduct of Plaintiff in this matter was both willful and wanton, as evidenced by not one but two unauthorized entries into Defendant's dwelling, occurring in complete derogation of Defendant's right of possession. This conduct becomes even more glaring when consideration is given to the fact that Defendant affirmatively notified Plaintiff that he had secured the property and that it was not abandoned and still contained his personal property.

• Even so, Plaintiff maintains that it has entered the property under a color of right, which turns out to be illusory under the circumstances. In spite of these declarations, Plaintiff willfully took it upon itself to enter the property on more than one occasion, doing so unreasonably and without notice, in direct contravention of the terms of its mortgage promulgated to Defendant by its assignor. This is even more distressing when it is considered that Plaintiff breaches its obligations to Defendant under the mortgage, running roughshod over Defendant's rights with a specious claim that it is acting to protect its rights and the property. In short, the conduct of Plaintiff was nothing short of oppressive and would best be described as heavy handed and egregious, to say the very least.

• Certainly, the trespass was willful and calculated and was not accidental in any way and the Court finds that Plaintiff did not act in good faith. Under these circumstances, an award of both actual and exemplary damages is necessary and appropriate in order to properly compensate Defendant for the losses he has sustained by way of Plaintiff's shockingly wrongful conduct as well as to serve as an appropriate deterrent to any future outrageous, improper and unlawful deeds.

• The Court finds the appropriate measure of damages for the trespass to Defendant's possessory interest in the property to be in the amount of $200.00. The Court further finds that Defendant is entitled to recover $4,892.00 representing the value of the personalty lost as a direct result of Plaintiff's actions in trespass. Finally, the Court finds that Defendant is entitled to recover exemplary damages from Plaintiff in the amount of $150,000.00.

For the entire ruling, see Wells Fargo v. Tyson, 2010 NY Slip Op 20079 (Sup. Ct., Suffolk County, March 5, 2010).

Thanks to "Deontos .is" for the heads-up on the court ruling.

(1) Back in November, 2009, Justice Spinner nailed IndyMac Bank for its own egregious conduct in another foreclosure action. See L.I. Judge Gives Foreclosing Lender Verbal Horse-Whipping As He Wipes Out Mortgage Debt, Cancels Lien For "Repugnant, Shocking, Repulsive" Conduct.