Stopping a Foreclosure Sale by Obtaining a Temporary Restraining Order and Preliminary Injunction
Business Banking & Finance Consumer Rights Consumer Protection Lawsuit & Dispute Litigation
Summary: This article advises on your rights to bring litigation against your lender regarding violations of the California Homeowners Bill of Rights and the various court remedies.
Stopping
a Foreclosure
When a homeowner is facing foreclosure, he may not
know what to do to stop the sale even if he believes that he has rights to keep
his home. In some states, foreclosures
are done “judicially,” which means the foreclosing party must begin the process
in court. In
In these cases, the homeowner will ask the court to
grant a temporary restraining order (or “TRO”), which will stop the foreclosure
sale until a hearing in which the court may grant a preliminary
injunction. The time between the issuing
of a TRO and the hearing is about two or three weeks. If a preliminary injunction is granted at the
hearing, the sale will be stopped until the time for a full hearing by the
court as to whether or not the foreclosure should happen at all. The time between the granting of a
preliminary injunction and the full hearing is usually so long that homeowners
have a high likelihood of keeping their home since banks will want to look into
settlements or loan modifications at that point.
Federal rules and state rules regarding TROs and
injunctions differ. In a federal case, Alliance for the Wild Rockies v. Cottrell,
the court issued a preliminary injunction to stop a timber salvage sale. The court noted that there are “serious
questions” that need to be examined to see in whose favor the scale tips. The party requesting the injunction needs to
show (1) a likelihood of irreparable harm; (2) a likelihood that the claim will
be successful on its merits; (3) that the balance of hardships tips towards the
requesting party; and (4) that the injunction is in the public interest.
In the
Need
for Proof and Posting Bond
A homeowner requesting an injunction must bring
proof to show the facts upon which he bases his case. This paperwork is important since there are
generally no live witnesses. Homeowners
should have declarations and/or affidavits that show how the foreclosing party
acted against the law or the mortgage and title documents. A “declaration” is a written statement by a
person alleging certain facts they believe are true, while an “affidavit” is
basically a declaration with the addition of some sort of oath or affirmation
of truth (sometimes signed by a notary public).
Homeowners may also be required to post a bond upon
granting of the TRO so that the foreclosing party can recover any costs
associated with the delay of the foreclosing sale. However, there are circumstances under which
a court will waive the requirement to post a bond, and the recently enacted
California Homeowners Bill of Rights provides even further exceptions for that
requirement.