UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. Bickings
Filing
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MEMORANDUM (Order to follow as separate docket entry). Signed by Honorable Yvette Kane on 11/20/17. (rw)
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff
v.
KAREN L. BICKINGS,
Defendant
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No. 1:16-cv-02225
(Judge Kane)
MEMORANDUM
Before the Court is Plaintiff’s motion for default judgment. (Doc. No. 9.) As Defendant
has yet to appear or defend in this action, no opposition to the motion has been filed. For the
reasons that follow, the Court will grant the motion and enter default judgment in favor of
Plaintiff.
I.
BACKGROUND
On November 3, 2016, the United States of America (“Plaintiff”), initiated the instant
mortgage foreclosure action by filing a complaint against Karen L. Bickings (“Defendant”), to
foreclose on certain real property located at 5295 East Berlin Road, East Berlin, Pennsylvania
17316 (“the Property”). (Doc. No. 1.) The complaint alleges that Plaintiff, acting through the
Under Secretary of Rural Development, on behalf of the Rural Housing Service of the United
States Department of Agriculture, loaned Defendant the sum of $106,000.00 on or about
September 1, 2006, pursuant to the provisions of Title V of the Housing Act of 1949, as
amended, 42 U.S.C. § 1471, et seq., to finance the purchase of the Property, evidenced by a
promissory note (“the note”), executed and delivered to Plaintiff the same day. (Id. ¶¶ 3-4.) As
security for payment on the note, Defendant executed and acknowledged a real estate mortgage
(the “mortgage”), granting, conveying, and mortgaging the Property to Plaintiff. (Id. ¶ 5.) The
mortgage was duly recorded on September 5, 2006 with the Office of the Recorder of Deeds in
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York County, Pennsylvania. (Id.) Plaintiff remains the owner and holder of the note and
mortgage. (Id. ¶ 6.)
According to the complaint’s allegations, the note and mortgage are presently in default,
as Defendant has failed to tender installments of the principal and interest when due, remit real
estate taxes when due, and maintain the security of the Property. (Id. ¶ 8.) By Plaintiff’s
calculation, the amounts due and owing on the note and mortgage as of the date of the complaint
are as follows:
PRINCIPAL BALANCE
Interest from 07/01/2014 to 09/08/2016 at 6.2500%
Interest Recapture
Late Charges
Escrow/Impound Required
Fees Required with Payoff Funds
Fees Currently Assessed
$91,952.70
$12,596.34
$29,950.28
$37.71
$134,537.03
+$2,171.41
+$190.10
+$3,617.46
$140,516.00
(Id. ¶ 10.) Due to Defendant’s purported default in the performance of her obligations under the
note and mortgage, Plaintiff has elected to declare the entire amount of indebtedness, secured by
the mortgage and evidenced by the note, immediately due and payable. (Id. ¶ 9.) A notice of its
intention to foreclose was mailed to Defendant’s law known address via certified mail. (Id. ¶
11.)
A review of the docket reveals that on September 15, 2017, the Court granted Plaintiff’s
motion for service to be completed by posting a copy of the original process on the most public
part of the property. (Doc. No. 6.) On September 20, 2017, service of the summons and
complaint was executed pursuant to the Court’s September 15, 2017 Order. (Doc. No. 7.)
However, Defendant did not appear, answer, move, or otherwise respond to Plaintiff’s
complaint. Consequently, Plaintiff filed a request with the Clerk of Court to enter default against
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Defendant pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 55(a) on October 17, 2017. (Doc. No. 8.)
On October 18, 2017, the Clerk entered default against Defendant. (Doc. No. 12.) Concurrently
with its request for the entry of default, Plaintiff filed a motion for the entry of a default
judgment against Defendant (Doc. No. 9), together with a brief in support thereof (Doc. No. 10),
and an affidavit of non-military service (Doc. No. 11).
As Defendant has not responded to the pending motion for default judgment, the Court
deems Plaintiff’s motion for default judgment unopposed. Accordingly, this matter is now ripe
for disposition.
II.
LEGAL STANDARD
Default judgments are governed by a two-step process set forth under Rule 55 of the
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. An entry of default by the Clerk of Court under Rule 55(a) is a
prerequisite to a later entry of a default judgment under Rule 55(b). 10A Charles Alan Wright &
Arthur R. Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure § 2682 (3d ed. 2007) (“Prior to obtaining a
default judgment under either Rule 55(b)(1) or Rule 55(b)(2), there must be an entry of default as
provided by Rule 55(a).”). Once the Clerk of Court has entered a default, the party seeking the
default may then move the court to enter a default judgment under Rule 55(b)(2). Entry of
default does not entitle a claimant to default judgment as a matter of right. 10 James Wm. Moore
et al., Moore’s Federal Practice § 55.31 (Matthew Bender ed. 2010). Indeed, it is well settled
that decisions relating to the entry of default judgments are committed to the sound discretion of
the district court. Emcasco Ins. Co. v. Sambrick, 834 F.2d 71, 74 (3d Cir. 1987).
Three factors control the exercise of the district court’s discretion in assessing whether
default judgment should be granted following the entry of default: “(1) prejudice to the plaintiff
if default is denied, (2) whether the defendant appears to have a litigable defense, and (3)
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whether defendant’s delay is due to culpable conduct.” Chamberlain v. Giampapa, 210 F.3d
154, 164 (3d Cir. 2000) (citing United States v. $55,518.05 in U.S. Currency, 728 F.2d 192, 195
(3d Cir. 1984)). Yet, if the defendant has been properly served but fails to appear, plead, or
defend an action, a court may “enter a default judgment based solely on the fact that the default
occurred,” without considering the Chamberlain factors. Anchorage Assocs. v. Virgin Islands
Bd. of Tax Review, 922 F.2d 168, 177 n.9 (3d Cir. 1990).
“A finding that default judgment is appropriate, however, is not the end of the inquiry.”
Martin v. Nat’l Check Recovery Servs., LLC, No. 12-1230, 2016 WL 3670849, at *1 (M.D. Pa.
July 11, 2016). Prior to entering a default judgment, the Court must also determine whether the
“unchallenged facts constitute a legitimate cause of action.” Wright et al., supra, at § 2688;
Broad. Music, Inc. v. Spring Mount Area Bavarian Resort, Ltd., 555 F. Supp. 2d 537, 541 (E.D.
Pa. 2008) (“Consequently, before granting a default judgment, the Court must . . . ascertain
whether the unchallenged facts constitute a legitimate cause of action, since a party in default
does not admit mere conclusions of law.”) (citations omitted). In conducting this inquiry, “the
well-pleaded, factual allegations of the complaint . . . are accepted as true and treated as though
they were established by proof.” E. Elec. Corp. of N.J. v. Shoemaker Const. Co., 652 F. Supp.
2d 599, 605 (E.D. Pa. 2009) (citation omitted). While the Court must accept as true the wellpleaded factual allegations of the complaint, the Court need not accept the moving party’s factual
allegations or legal conclusions relating to the amount of damages. Comdyne I, Inc. v. Corbin,
908 F.2d 1142, 1149 (3d Cir. 1990).
III.
DISCUSSION
Having reviewed the record, including Plaintiff’s complaint, motion, supporting brief,
exhibits and accompanying affidavits, the Court finds that entry of default judgment against
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Defendant and in favor of Plaintiff is appropriate. As an initial matter, the Court observes that
Plaintiff’s unchallenged allegations in the complaint, taken as true, state a legitimate cause of
action for mortgage foreclosure, as Plaintiff has shown “the existence of an obligation secured by
a mortgage, and a default on that obligation.” United States v. Sourbeer, No. 1:16-CV-1161,
2016 WL 5373641, at *1 (M.D. Pa. Sept. 26, 2016) (quoting United States v. Abell, No. 1:09CV-715, 2012 WL 27627, at *2 (M.D. Pa. Jan. 9, 2012)). In addition, Plaintiff has offered
support for its claim that a sum certain of $140,516.00 in the relevant documents and affidavit
accompanying its complaint and motion for default judgment. (Doc. No. 1-2.) Sourbeer, 2016
WL 5373641, at *2 (“There are no damages, as Plaintiff seeks a foreclosure of the promissory
note and mortgage, and repayment of the loan, interest, and fees . . . . This amount is a sum
certain, as ‘no doubt remains as to the amount to which a plaintiff is entitled as a result of the
defendant’s default.’”).
Furthermore, the Court finds that the three Chamberlain factors weigh in favor of
entering default judgment against Defendant. First, Plaintiff will be prejudiced if the Court
declines to enter default judgment, as Plaintiff is unable to proceed with the action due to
Defendant’s failure to respond and has no other means of recovering against Defendant. See
Broad. Music, Inc. v. Kujo Long, LLC, No. 14-449, 2014 WL 4059711, at *2 (M.D. Pa. Aug. 14,
2014) (“Plaintiffs will be prejudiced . . . by their current inability to proceed with their action
due to [d]efendants’ failure to defend.”). Second, Defendant has not asserted a meritorious
defense to Plaintiff’s claims through the filing of an answer or other responsive pleading to the
complaint, or through the filing of a response to the instant motion. Consequently, the Court is
unable to conclude from Defendant’s silence that Defendant has a viable, litigable defense. See
Laborers Local Union 158 v. Fred Shaffer Concrete, No.10-1524, 2011 WL 1397107, at *2
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(M.D. Pa. Apr. 13, 2011) (Kane, J.). Third, the Court cannot discern from the record any excuse
or justification for Defendant’s default apart from Defendant’s own culpability. Indeed,
Defendant has failed to enter an appearance or file a timely answer to the complaint and has
offered no reasons for its failure to do so. “A defendant’s default, or its decision not to defend
against allegations in a complaint, may be grounds for concluding that the defendant’s actions
are willful.” Innovative Office Prods., Inc. v. Amazon.com, Inc., No. 10–4487, 2012 WL
1466512, at *3 (E.D. Pa. Apr. 26, 2012). In the absence of any excuse or justification for
Defendant’s failure to participate in this litigation, the Court must conclude that the delay is the
result of Defendant’s culpable conduct. See Laborers Local Union 158, 2011 WL 1397107, at
*2. Accordingly, the Court is satisfied that the Chamberlain factors counsel in favor of entering
default judgment in favor of Plaintiff, and thus, will grant Plaintiff’s motion for default
judgment.
IV.
CONCLUSION
Based on the foregoing, the Court will grant Plaintiff’s motion for default judgment.
(Doc. No. 9.) An appropriate Order follows.
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