Opinion ID: 800585
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Postponement Under the Foreclosure-by-Advertisement Statute

Text: Minnesota's foreclosure-by-advertisement statute allows a mortgagee to postpone a previously scheduled foreclosure sale but requires [t]he party requesting the postponement to publish notice of the postponement as soon as practicable at the party's own expense. Minn.Stat. § 580.07, subdiv. 1. The district court concluded that this requirement did not apply to the lender's foreclosure of Brisbin's house because there was no genuine question of fact as to whether Brisbin requested the postponement when she called the lender to request a loan modification. Brisbin contends that there is a genuine question of fact as to whether she or the lender requested the postponement of the foreclosure sale. She also argues that the requirements of Minn.Stat. § 580.07, subdiv. 1 apply to a mortgagee arranging the postponement of a foreclosure sale regardless of who initially requested the postponement, but she cites no authority construing Minn.Stat. § 580.07, subdiv. 1. Even if Brisbin is correct that there is a genuine question of fact as to whether she requested the postponement or that the notice requirements in Minn. Stat. § 580.07, subdiv. 1 would apply even if she initially did request the postponement, the requirements of § 580.07, subdiv. 1 were never triggered in this case. A plain reading of the statute indicates that notice of postponement is only required when a foreclosure sale actually is postponed by the mortgagee. See Minn.Stat. § 580.07, subdiv. 1. Here, Brisbin's complaint is that the foreclosure sale was not postponed. Brisbin offers no authority for construing the statute to invalidate a foreclosure sale that was properly noticed as an original matter and for which no postponement ever occurred. When the language of a statute is plain and unambiguous, it is assumed to manifest legislative intent and must be given effect. Beardsley v. Garcia, 753 N.W.2d 735, 737 (Minn. 2008) (quoting Burkstrand v. Burkstrand, 632 N.W.2d 206, 210 (Minn.2001)). Thus, because there is no dispute as to whether the foreclosure was actually postponed, § 580.07, subdiv. 1 is inapplicable, and we affirm the district court's grant of summary judgment to the lender on Count I.