Fourth Court of Appeals

San Antonio, Texas

MEMORANDUM OPINION

No. 04-16-00121-CV

Nancy ALANIS,

Appellant

v.

WELLS FARGO BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, as Trustee for the Pooling and 

Servicing Agreement Dated October 1, 2006 Securitized Asset Backed Receivables LLC Trust 

2006-NC3 Mortgage Pass Through Certificates Series 2006 NC3;

Mackie Wolf Zientz & Mann, P.C.; and Ocwen Loan Servicing, LLC,

Appellees

From the 45th Judicial District Court, Bexar County, Texas

Trial Court No. 2011-CI-02839

Honorable Gloria Saldana, Judge Presiding1

Opinion by: Sandee Bryan Marion, Chief Justice

Sitting: Sandee Bryan Marion, Chief Justice

Rebeca C. Martinez, Justice

Luz Elena D. Chapa, Justice

Delivered and Filed: December 14, 2016

REVERSED AND REMANDED

Nancy Alanis appeals a series of trial court orders granting summary judgment in favor of 

Wells Fargo Bank National Association, as Trustee for the Pooling and Servicing Agreement 

Dated October 1, 2006 Securitized Asset Backed Receivables LLC Trust 2006-NC3 Mortgage 

 1 On March 3, 2016, the Honorable Gloria Saldana signed an order on a motion for partial summary judgment stating

the order disposes of all remaining parties and claims. On May 12, 2016, the Honorable Antonia Arteaga signed an 

order vacating a default judgment entered against HomeEq Servicing Corporation. On May 24, 2016, the Honorable 

Larry Noll signed an order severing appellant’s claims against HomEq Servicing Corporation into a separate cause 

number.
04-16-00121-CV

- 2 -

Pass Through Certificates Series 2006 NC3, (“Wells Fargo”) on its counterclaim for judicial 

foreclosure and in favor of Wells Fargo, Mackie Wolf Zientz & Mann, P.C. (“Law Firm”), and 

Ocwen Loan Servicing, LLC (“Ocwen”) on all claims asserted by Alanis against them. Alanis 

also appeals the trial court’s order severing her claims against HomeEq Servicing Corporation into 

a separate cause. We reverse the trial court’s severance order and remand the cause for further 

proceedings.

BACKGROUND

In June of 2006, Alanis borrowed $193,500 from New Century Mortgage Company to 

purchase a house. Alanis signed a note secured by a deed of trust. The note and deed of trust 

appear to have been assigned to Wells Fargo on or about October 31, 2006.2

 At that time, HomeEq 

serviced the loan for Wells Fargo.

In April of 2010, HomeEq sent Alanis notice of a substitute trustee’s sale scheduled for 

June 1, 2010; however, HomeEq subsequently suspended the foreclosure. HomeEq transferred 

the servicing of the loan to Ocwen effective August 31, 2010.

In December of 2010, Ocwen sent Alanis notice of default with intent to accelerate. In 

January of 2011, the Law Firm sent Alanis notice of Wells Fargo’s acceleration and intent to 

foreclose.

In February of 2011, Alanis filed the underlying lawsuit asserting numerous causes of 

action against Wells Fargo, the Law Firm, Ocwen, and HomeEq. On May 6, 2011, Alanis took a 

default judgment against HomeEq. Wells Fargo, the Law Firm, and Ocwen obtained a series of 

orders granting partial summary judgments in their favor relating to various claims asserted by 

Alanis, culminating in an order dated March 3, 2016 which (1) granted Wells Fargo a summary 

 2 This date is based on the declaration of Ocwen’s senior loan analyst. Although Alanis disputes the date of the 

assignment, we need not resolve the actual date of the assignment in resolving this appeal.
04-16-00121-CV

- 3 -

judgment on their counterclaim for a judicial foreclosure, (2) declared that Alanis take nothing on 

certain claims, and (3) stated the judgment fully and finally disposed of all remaining parties and 

claims. 

On May 12, 2016, the trial court signed an order setting aside the default judgment against 

HomeEq. On May 24, 2016, the trial court signed an order severing Alanis’s claims against 

HomeEq into a separate cause. Alanis appeals.

SEVERANCE

In her sixteenth issue, Alanis contends the trial court erred in granting the severance

because her claims against HomeEq are so interwoven with her other claims that they involve the 

same facts and issues. The appellees respond the claims against HomeEq are separate and distinct 

from the claims against Wells Fargo, Ocwen, and the Law Firm.

Rule 41 of the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure allows for any claim against a party to be 

“severed and proceeded with separately.” TEX. R. CIV. P. 41. Rule 41 gives the trial court broad 

discretion to sever claims, and a trial court’s order granting a severance will not be reversed absent 

an abuse of discretion. Guar. Fed. Sav. Bank v. Horseshoe Operating Co., 793 S.W.2d 652, 658 

(Tex. 1990). A trial court abuses its discretion if it acts contrary to guiding rules and principles. 

Downer v. Aquamarine Operators, Inc., 701 S.W.2d 238, 241-42 (Tex. 1985). The guiding rule 

with regard to severance is that “[a] claim is properly severable if (1) the controversy involves 

more than one cause of action, (2) the severed claim is one that would be the proper subject of a 

lawsuit if independently asserted, and (3) the severed claim is not so interwoven with the remaining 

action that they involve the same facts and issues.” Guar. Fed. Sav. Bank, 793 S.W.2d at 658; see 

also State Dep’t of Highways & Pub. Transp. v. Cotner, 845 S.W.2d 818, 819 (Tex. 1993) (holding 

trial court erred in severing claim where third criterion was not met); Owens v. Owens, 228 S.W.3d 

721, 726 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 2006, pet. dism’d) (noting trial court abuses its 
04-16-00121-CV

- 4 -

discretion in granting severance where one of the three criteria is not met); Dalisa, Inc. v. Bradford, 

81 S.W.3d 876, 881 (Tex. App.—Austin 2002, no pet.) (noting trial court’s discretion may not be 

exercised in a manner contrary to rule forbidding severance of a claim that is interwoven with 

remaining claims to the extent that they involve the same facts and issues). 

In the instant case, the claims against HomeEq arise from the actions HomeEq took as 

Wells Fargo’s loan servicer. The summary judgment evidence filed by Wells Fargo and Ocwen 

includes an affidavit of Ocwen’s senior loan analyst Gina Feezer. In her affidavit, Feezer relies 

on HomeEq’s business records documenting its loan servicing actions to support the dates on 

which Alanis defaulted and the amount Alanis owes on the note. Therefore, the claims by Alanis 

against HomeEq regarding its loan servicing actions necessarily involve the same facts and issues 

as the claims against Wells Fargo. In its brief, Wells Fargo recognizes that Alanis’s claims 

asserting improper accounting in the servicing of the loan arise from HomeEq’s application of 

“bundled payments” and HomeEq’s purchase of a “lender placed insurance policy.” Accordingly, 

any improper actions by HomeEq in servicing the loan are interwoven with Alanis’s claims against 

Wells Fargo and Wells Fargo’s claim for judicial foreclosure. Therefore, because we hold the 

claims against HomeEq are so interwoven with the claims against Wells Fargo that they involve 

the same facts and issues, the trial court abused its discretion in severing the claims. See Cotner, 

845 S.W.2d at 819; Owens, 228 S.W.3d at 726; Dalisa, Inc., 81 S.W.3d at 881. Having determined 

the severance was improper, we do not reach Alanis’s remaining issues. See Lousteau v. Noriega, 

No. 01-15-00254-CV, 2016 WL 4537371, at *6 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] Aug. 30, 2016, 

no pet.) (mem. op.) (concluding trial court erred in entering severance order and appellate court 

lacked jurisdiction to consider remaining issues raised on appeal because judgment was 

interlocutory); In re B.T.G., 494 S.W.3d 839, 843-44 (Tex. App.—Dallas 2016, no pet.) (holding 

severance improper and concluding issues other than severance not properly before appellate 
04-16-00121-CV

- 5 -

court); In re Hoover, Bax & Slovacek, L.L.P., 6 S.W.3d 646, 649 (Tex. App.—El Paso 1999, orig. 

proceeding) (noting appellate court lacks jurisdiction to consider other issues raised on appeal after 

holding severance was improper because order being appealed becomes interlocutory); Tiger v. 

Samson Homes, Inc., No. 14-97-0361, 1999 WL 160995, at *2 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 

Mar. 25, 1999, pet. denied) (mem. op.) (declining to address remaining issues after determining 

severance was improper); Nicor Expl. Co. v. Fla. Transmission Co., 911 S.W.2d 479, 483 (Tex. 

App.—Corpus Christi 1995, writ denied) (declining to reach remaining issues after determining 

severance was improper); but see Rucker v. Bank One Tex., N.A., 36 S.W.3d 649, 652 (Tex. App.—

Waco 2000, pet. denied) (holding improper severance does not prevent appellate court from 

considering remaining issues on appeal).

CONCLUSION

Because the trial court erred in severing Alanis’s claims against HomeEq, we reverse the 

trial court’s order and remand the cause for further proceedings.

Sandee Bryan Marion, Chief Justice