Appellate Circuit

LIT Brightens the Lights to Review Judge Catharina Haynes of the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Judge Catharina Jacoba Hendrika Dubbelday* Haynes is one such judge. She is loud, abrasive, and shows many of the traits of her Scorpio persona, e.g. insecure, cold to others, and who will not ‘suffer fools gladly’; in other words, as seen in her opinions and remarks, she is derogatory to pro se and homeowners who appeal cases before her.

Deutsche Bank, Ocwen and Related ‘Foreclosure’ Cases where Haynes was on the Circuit’s 3-Panel

As the Burkes argued in their petition to the US Supreme Court which was denied by a clerk (and was never even considered) and given the US Supreme Court has refused to grant a cert for a homeowner case involving Deutsche Bank National Trust Co., MERS and/or Ocwen Loan Servicing, LLC, it has allowed 5th Circuit judges to invoke their own bias and personalities into their opinions and create precedents which defy the constitution and rule of law.

Judge Catharina Jacoba Hendrika Dubbelday* Haynes is one such judge. She is loud, abrasive, and shows many of the traits of her Scorpio persona, e.g. insecure, cold to others, and who will not ‘suffer fools gladly’; in other words, as seen in her opinions and remarks, she is derogatory to pro se and homeowners who appeal cases before her.

Below you’ll get an insight into her opinions relative to foreclosures and why in the Burkes’ case, when they amended from an unpublished to a published opinion in Case No. 18-20026, it has had a materially profound effect for any future parties seeking to obtain a review of their case.

When the Burkes’ challenged the 5th Circuits obvious bias, Haynes retaliated by immediately citing the newly published opinion in the criminal case of  United States v. Pittman, No. 18-10203 (5th Cir. Dec. 11, 2018) and where the panel was the same as Case No. 18-20026, e.g. Haynes, Graves and Davis.  It was cited again in Petrobras Am. Inc. v. Cadenas, No. 18-20532 (5th Cir. Jun. 18, 2019) along with Graves who was part of the 3-panel in Case No. 18-20026.

It should be noted that although Case No. 18-20026 shows an unpublished date of September 5, 2018, which was changed to a published opinion on September 1o, 2018 due to post Opinion motions and orders, the mandate was not issued until Nov. 27, 2019. So the first retaliatory cite in Pittman was literally 2 weeks later. A petty act for a federal court of appeals panel.

In summary, it needs no pre-warning that any panel Judge Catharina Haynes sits on will end up with the homeowner being a ‘former’ owner of real estate in Texas.

*Born with last name Dubbeldam, later changed to Dubbelday…..We’ll Be dam[n]ed to-Day!

Lyons v. Select Portfolio Servicing Inc., No. 18-10938 (5th Cir. Jan. 17, 2019)

Before DAVIS, HAYNES, and GRAVES, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM:

Pursuant to 5TH CIR. R. 47.5, the court has determined that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH CIR. R. 47.5.4. ——–

HAYNES, CATHARINA

GRAVES, JAMES E. (JR)

DAVIS, W. EUGENE

Because the Lyonses acknowledge that all their claims depend on the Bank improperly accelerating and because we determine that acceleration was proper, the Lyonses’ claims fail.  AFFIRMED for “the Bank”.

Hoyt v. Lane Constr. Corp., No. 18-10289 (5th Cir. Jun. 10, 2019)

Before JONES, HAYNES, and OLDHAM, Circuit Judges. ANDREW S. OLDHAM, Circuit Judge:

We must decide whether the district court erred by refusing to remand this case to state court. It did not. Next, we must decide whether the district court erred by granting summary judgment to the defendant. It did.

HAYNES, CATHARINA

JONES, EDITH H.

OLDHAM, ANDREW “ANDY” S.

If Congress wanted to resolve the conflict by adopting the Tedford standard, it could have done so. Cf. 42 U.S.C. § 2000bb(b)(1) (listing the restoration of “the compelling interest test as set forth in Sherbert v. Verner, 374 U.S. 398 (1963) and Wisconsin v. Yoder, 406 U.S. 205 (1972)” as a purpose of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act). But it did not.

Congress instead chose to replace Tedford’s equitable-estoppel principle with a “bad faith” standard. See 28 U.S.C. § 1446(c)(1). And we presume that choice of different text carries with it a choice of different meaning. Cf. Henson v. Santander Consumer USA Inc., 137 S. Ct. 1718, 1723 (2017) (“[W]hen we’re engaged in the business of interpreting statutes we presume differences in language . . . convey differences in meaning.”).

We therefore no longer apply the old § 1446 and the Tedford exception we created. We now apply the new § 1446 and the bad-faith exception Congress created. See Thompson v. Deutsche Bank Nat’l Tr. Co., 775 F.3d 298, 303 (5th Cir. 2014).

HAYNES, Circuit Judge, dissenting:

“I respectfully dissent from the majority opinion’s determination that we have jurisdiction in this case. Accordingly, I would vacate the district court’s judgment and remand to the district court to remand to state court without reaching the merits.

Petrobras Am. Inc. v. Cadenas, No. 18-20532 (5th Cir. Jun. 18, 2019)

Before HAYNES, GRAVES, and HO, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM:

Pursuant to 5TH CIR. R. 47.5, the court has determined that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH CIR. R. 47.5.4.

HAYNES, CATHARINA

GRAVES, JAMES E. (JR)

HO, JAMES C.

Petrobras America, Inc. and Vicinay Cadenas, S.A. return to our court in a suit over an allegedly bad chain made by Vicinay.

The district court granted summary judgment against Petrobras because Vicinay invoked a contractual release of claims and waiver of losses.

Petrobras argued that the release and waiver were invalid under a Louisiana statute that invalidates prospective releases of claims based on “intentional or gross fault.”

The district court  concluded the statute could not save Petrobras’s claims because it did not require Petrobras to prove “intentional or gross fault.” But, in this context, Louisiana courts have consistently looked at the underlying facts of a claim, not the form of the cause of action.

We thus REVERSE and REMAND.

“Though Vicinay previously argued that Petrobras’s claims were maritime claims, it did not argue that Petrobras’s tort claims occurred anywhere but at an OCSLA situs. It does not claim otherwise now nor does it offer any of the traditional arguments for supplanting law of the case. Deutsche Bank Nat’l Trust CovBurke, 902 F.3d 548, 551 (5th Cir. 2018) (describing the three limited circumstances where a second panel can re-examine a prior panel’s holding).

Petrobras Am. Inc. v. Cadenas, No. 18-20532, at *5 (5th Cir. Jun. 18, 2019)

Deutsche Bank Nat’l Tr. Co. v. Burke, 902 F.3d 548 (5th Cir. Sep. 5, 2018) – Deutsche II

Before DAVIS, HAYNES, and GRAVES, Circuit Judges. (Published Opinion)

HAYNES, CATHARINA

GRAVES, JAMES E. (JR)

DAVIS, W. EUGENE

PER CURIAM: THIS WAS NOT PER CURIAM, IT WAS AUTHORED BY CATHARINA HAYNES WHO NOW WISHES TO DEFLECT THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT IN THE FINAL SENTENCE OF THE ORDER;

“Given nearly a decade of free living by the Burkes, there is no injustice in allowing that foreclosure to proceed.”

REVERSED and RENDERED.

Deutsche Bank Nat’l Tr. Co. v. Burke, No. 15-20201 (5th Cir. Jun. 9, 2016)– Deutsche I

Before REAVLEY, HAYNES, and HIGGINSON, Circuit Judges.
STEPHEN A. HIGGINSON, Circuit Judge:

Pursuant to 5TH CIR. R. 47.5, the court has determined that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH CIR. R. 47.5.4.

REAVLEY, THOMAS M.

HAYNES, CATHARINA

HIGGINSON, STEPHEN A.

Deutsche Bank Nat’l Tr. Co. v. Burke, No. 15-20201 – REVISED (5th Cir. July 19, 2016)– Deutsche I

Before REAVLEY, HAYNES, and HIGGINSON, Circuit Judges.
STEPHEN A. HIGGINSON, Circuit Judge:

REAVLEY, THOMAS M.

HAYNES, CATHARINA

HIGGINSON, STEPHEN A.

The Opinion had to be reissued after Magistrate Judge Stephen Wm. Smith advised the Court that the first Opinion made no sense as it named Deutsche Bank the Mortgage Servicer…

Pursuant to 5TH CIR. R. 47.5, the court has determined that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH CIR. R. 47.5.4.

First Class from the Fifth Circuit

Benjamin argues that precedent relied on by the district court does not adequately support difference between first class and certified mail.

Facing the Turncoats. An Incredible True Story Exclusively on LIT

The significant and distressing difference is the Burkes battle is not just with the opposing parties, but with the judicial machinery itself.

The Best Work by Congress So Far in 2021: The STOCK Act (for Judges)

It’s a start. The STOCK act is a sign of progress and that is worthy of a hat tip, but there’s still so much judicial ochlocracy to correct.

Blank v. Deutsche Bank Nat’l Trust Co., No. 18-10054 (5th Cir. Aug. 9, 2018)

Before DAVIS, HAYNES, and GRAVES, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM:

HAYNES, CATHARINA

GRAVES, JAMES E. (JR)

DAVIS, W. EUGENE

“Blank did not seek a determination of the validity of his title but only of the weakness or unenforceability of Deutsche’s lien. Therefore, the district court did not abuse its discretion by declining Blank’s invitation to allow leave to amend his complaint. We AFFIRM.”

Pursuant to 5TH CIR. R. 47.5, the court has determined that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH CIR. R. 47.5.4.

Porterfield v. JP Morgan Chase, N.A., No. 16-50215 (5th Cir. Mar. 16, 2017)

Before HIGGINBOTHAM, PRADO, and HAYNES, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM:

Pursuant to 5TH CIR. R. 47.5, the court has determined that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH CIR. R. 47.5.4.

HAYNES, CATHARINA

JONES, EDITH H.

DAVIS, W. EUGENE

John and Anita Porterfield (“the Porterfields”) appeal the district court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of JP Morgan Chase, N.A. and Deutsche Bank National Trust Company (collectively, “the Defendants”), and allege nonjudicial foreclosure on their property was time-barred by the applicable Texas statute of limitations. We AFFIRM.

United States v. Pittman, No. 18-10203 (5th Cir. Dec. 11, 2018)

Before DAVIS, HAYNES, and GRAVES, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM:

Pursuant to 5TH CIR. R. 47.5, the court has determined that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH CIR. R. 47.5.4.

HAYNES, CATHARINA

GRAVES, JAMES E. (JR)

DAVIS, W. EUGENE

Randy Dewayne Pittman appeals his sentence of 51 months in prison, imposed following his guilty plea conviction of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and this court’s remand to the district court to correct the term of supervised release. See United States vPittman698 F. App’x 175, 176 (5th Cir. 2017). 

The Government contends that Pittman’s argument is barred under the mandate rule by this court’s order on remand. We agree. Although the mandate rule is one of judicial discretion and there can be exceptions, the exceptions do not apply in the instant matter. See United States vPineiro470 F.3d 200, 205-06 (5th Cir. 2006); United States vLee358 F.3d 315, 320-21 (5th Cir. 2004), cfDeutsche Bank National Trust CovBurke, 902 F.3d 548, 551 (5th Cir. 2018).

The judgment of the district court is AFFIRMED. The motion to expedite the appeal is DENIED as moot.

Fantroy v. First Fin. Bank, N.A., No. 15-10975 (5th Cir. 2016)

DAVIS, JONES, and HAYNES, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM: 

Pursuant to 5TH CIR. R. 47.5, the court has determined that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH CIR. R. 47.5.4.

HAYNES, CATHARINA

JONES, EDITH H.

DAVIS, W. EUGENE

Defendants moved to dismiss plaintiff’s appeal from the district court’s denial of his Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 60(b) motion for fraud on the court. Because plaintiff’s appeal is frivolous, we grant the defendant’s motion and impose sanctions.

I.

Rickey Fantroy lost his home in foreclosure proceedings to Deutsche Bank National Trust Company (Deutsche Bank). In 2008, he sued Deutsche Bank and others in state court for fraud and wrongful foreclosure. The defendants were granted summary judgment, which the state appellate court affirmed.

In 2012, Fantroy filed suit in federal court and asserted the same claims that he made in the state courts. As such, the district court dismissed his lawsuit for its lack of subject matter jurisdiction. Fantroy appealed to this Court, but we dismissed it as frivolous.

We explained to Fantroy that he “is WARNED that further frivolous litigation will result in substantial sanctions under Rule 38 or this court’s inherent sanctioning power and will include monetary sanctions and restrictions on access to federal court.”

Fantroy v. First Fin. Bank, No. 13-10448 (5th Cir. Sept. 9, 2014). ——–

Undeterred, Fantroy filed a motion asking the district court for leave to file a Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 60(b) motion for fraud on the court. The district court denied it as time barred and insufficiently alleged. Then, Fantroy brought the present appeal, and defendants have filed a motion to dismiss it as frivolous.

II.

Fantroy’s appeal does not address any potential error in the district court’s denial of his Rule 60(b) motion for fraud on the court. Instead, while couched as fraud on the court, his appeal reurges the same arguments from his prior lawsuit.

There is no merit to his claims, and we dismiss his appeal as frivolous.

Moreover, Fantroy failed to heed our prior warning about frivolous filings, so we sanction him $500 in the form of damages to be paid to the defendants jointly and bar him from future litigation that arises out of this transaction, unless he obtains the district court’s permission.

III.

For these reasons, IT IS SO ORDERED.

Iroh v. Bank of Am., No. 16-20052 (5th Cir. Jul. 10, 2018)

Before JOLLY, OWEN, and HAYNES, Circuit Judges PER CURIAM:

Pursuant to 5TH CIR. R. 47.5, the court has determined that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH CIR. R. 47.5.4. ——–

HAYNES, CATHARINA

OWEN, PRISCILLA R.

JOLLY, E. GRADY

Iroh appeals the district court’s dismissal of his civil action for failure to state a claim on which relief can be granted, pursuant to  Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). Because Iroh failed to file an amended or new notice of appeal with respect to the district court’s denial of his Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 59(e) motion, this court’s jurisdiction does not extend to a review of that ruling. See FED. R. APP. P. 4(a)(4)(B)(ii); Fiess vState Farm Lloyds, 392 F.3d 802, 806-07 (5th Cir. 2004).

We review a Rule 12(b)(6) dismissal de novo. United States exrelWillard vHumana Health Plan of Tex., Inc., 336 F.3d 375, 379 (5th Cir. 2003). The district court did not err in rejecting either Iroh’s claim for attempted wrongful foreclosure, see Foster vDeutsche Bank Nat’l TrCo., 848 F.3d 403, 406-07 (5th Cir. 2017) (per curiam – before JOLLY, JERRY ‘Brain Surgeon‘ SMITH and GRAVES), or his apparent argument based on the split-the-note theory, see Martins vBAC Home Loans ServicingL.P., 722 F.3d 249, 255 (5th Cir. 2013) (SMITH, PRADO and OWEN).

There is no merit to Iroh’s arguments that the district court judge was biased against him, see Liteky vUnited States, 510 U.S. 540, 555 (1994), or that there should have been a full evidentiary hearing and an opportunity for discovery, see Collins vMorgan Stanley Dean Witter, 224 F.3d 496, 498-99 (5th Cir. 2000).

We do not review issues that were raised for the first time on appeal or were not raised in the initial appellate brief. See Yohey vCollins, 985 F.2d 222, 225 (5th Cir. 1993).

Accordingly, we will not consider Iroh’s claims that particular defendants committed fraud on certain dates, that the defendants were subject to the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, and that Countrywide Home Loans Servicing, L.P. was improperly dismissed as a defendant. See id.

Iroh has failed to brief, and thus abandoned, his claims under the Federal Debt Collection Practices Act, the United States Constitution, Title 15 of the United States Code, and Title 17 of the Code of Federal Regulations. See id. at 224-25.

Finally, because Iroh has failed to renew in this appeal his claims to quiet title to the property in question and  for declaratory and injunctive relief, those claims are likewise abandoned. See id.

AFFIRMED.

Meachum v. Bank of N.Y. Mellon Trust Co., No. 15-10237 (5th Cir. 2016)

Before PRADO, OWEN, and HAYNES, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM:

Pursuant to 5TH CIR. R. 47.5, the court has determined that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH CIR. R. 47.5.4.

HAYNES, CATHARINA

OWEN, PRISCILLA R.

PRADO, EDWARD C.

Meachum tries to distinguish Boren by arguing that the Bank’s predecessor actually obtained an order of foreclosure after initially accelerating the note, such that any future attempts to abandon the acceleration were ineffectual.

This argument misapprehends the nature of a Rule 736 order, which is merely an order “allowing the foreclosure of a [certain kind of] lien.” TEX. R. CIV. P. 736.1(a). It is “not a substitute for a judgment for judicial foreclosure.” TEX. R. CIV. P. 735.3.

Indeed, a Rule 736 order allowing a foreclosure to proceed “is without prejudice and has no res judicata, collateral estoppel, estoppel by judgment, or other effect in any other judicial proceeding.” TEX. R. CIV. P. 736.9.

Thus, a lender may abandon acceleration  even after receiving a non-judicial foreclosure order under Rule 736.

See Biedryck vU.SBank Nat’l Ass’n, No. 01-14-00017-CV, 2015 WL 2228447, at *5 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] May 12, 2015, no pet.) (describing Rule 736 as “merely provid[ing] a procedural device to obtain authorization to proceed with the remedy of foreclosure”);

See also Snowden vDeutsche Bank Nat’l TrCo., No. H-14-2963, 2015 WL 5123436, at *3 (S.D. Tex. Aug. 31, 2015) (citing Biedryck, 2015 WL 2228447, at *5) (holding that a lender may abandon acceleration even after obtaining a Rule 736 order allowing foreclosure).

Under the rule established in Boren, the Bank did in fact abandon acceleration by requesting payment on less than the full amount of the loan. See 2015 WL 6445721, at *4. Accordingly, the four-year statute of limitations did not bar the Bank’s 2013 attempt to foreclose.

Footnote: We express no opinion on the impact of a judicial foreclosure on a lender’s ability to abandon a prior acceleration. ——–

Smitherman v. Bayview Loan Servicing, LLC, No. 16-20560 (5th Cir. Mar. 6, 2018)

Before STEWART, Chief Judge, and HAYNES and WILLETT, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM:

Pursuant to 5TH CIR. R. 47.5, the court has determined that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH CIR. R. 47.5.4.

HAYNES, CATHARINA

STEWART, CARL E.

WILLETT, DON R.

We review the denial of a motion to remand to state court de novo. Allen vR & H Oil & Gas Co., 63 F.3d 1326, 1336 (5th Cir. 1995). “Jurisdictional facts are determined at the time of removal, and consequently post-removal events do not affect that properly established jurisdiction.” Spear Mktg., IncvBancorpSouth Bank, 791 F.3d 586, 592 (5th Cir. 2015) (alterations and quotation marks omitted).

“It is this court’s established precedent that once a case is properly removed, the district court retains jurisdiction even if the federal claims are later dropped or dismissed.” Id. (emphasis in original).

Because this lawsuit was properly removed to federal court based on federal question jurisdiction being established from Smitherman’s RESPA claims,  Smitherman’s subsequent deletion of his RESPA claims in his amended complaint was immaterial.

In light of the foregoing, the judgment of the district court is AFFIRMED. All pending motions are denied.

ETHICAL INTRICACIES OF THE ATTORNEY/JUDGE RELATIONSHIP: WHAT’S O.K. AND WHAT’S NOT* (2003)

*This is a restructured and modified version of a paper distributed on May 2, 2003 at the Dallas Bar Association CLE program on “The Ethics of Lawyer-Judge Interactions” presented by The Honorable Catharina Haynes, The Honorable Karen Johnson, The Honorable Jeff Kaplan, and James L. Mitchell, Jr., Esq.

LIT Brightens the Lights to Review Judge Catharina Haynes of the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
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