U.S. Bank Trust National Association v. Kevin Ari Skolnik

── U.S. Bank Trust National Association v. Kevin Ari Skolnik ── Court: New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division Date: May 22, 2026 Category: General NOT FOR PUBLICATION WITHOUT THE APPROVAL OF THE APPELLATE DIVISION This opinion shall not "constitute precedent or be binding upon any court ." Although it is posted on the internet, this opinion is binding only on the parties in the case and its use in other cases is limited . R. 1:36-3. SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY APPELLATE DIVISION DOCKET NO. A-3275-24 U.S. BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, Plaintiff-Respondent, v. KEVIN ARI SKOLNIK, Defendant-Appellant, and STACIE BROMBERG and MAIN STREET HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC., Defendants. ____________________________ Submitted April 22, 2026 – Decided May 22, 2026 Before Judges Berdote Byrne and Jablonski. On appeal from the Superior Court of New Jersey, Chancery Division, Middlesex County, Docket No. F- 008943-24. Kevin Ari Skolnik, self-represented appellant.  KML Law Group, PC, attorneys for respondent (J. Eric Kishbaugh, on the brief). PER CURIAM In this residential mortgage foreclosure matter, defendant Kevin Ari Skolnik appeals from the Chancery Division order denying his cross-motion to dismiss. We affirm. I. On June 24, 2005, Kevin Ari Skolnik and Stacie A. Bromberg (collectively, defendants) executed a promissory note in the amount of $270,750 in favor of Jersey Mortgage Company. To secure repayment, they executed a mortgage in favor of Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. (MERS), as nominee for Jersey Mortgage Company, encumbering their residential property in Sayreville. The mortgage was recorded on July 25, 2005. The mortgage subsequently passed through a series of assignments. The final assignment, from MERS to plaintiff U.S. Bank Trust National Association, was executed on June 18, 2024 and recorded on June 28, 2024. Defendants defaulted on their mortgage obligations and have remained unpaid since. On November 7, 2023, and again on August 8, 2024, plaintiff's loan servicer sent notices of default and intention to foreclose (NOI) to A-3275-24 2 defendants pursuant to N.J.S.A. 2A:50-56. Plaintiff then filed a complaint in foreclosure on September 16, 2024. Skolnik filed a timely answer. On February 28, 2025, plaintiff moved for summary judgment, which the court granted on March 28, 2025. The court reasoned Skolnik had "failed to bring forward any genuine issue of material fact as to the subject mortgage's validity, the amount of indebtedness, the [d]efendant's default, and/or the mortgagee's right to foreclose." Skolnik moved for reconsideration, which the court denied. Plaintiff then moved for entry of final judgment. On May 12, 2025, Skolnik filed a cross-motion for an order barring plaintiff's foreclosure claims. On June 6, 2025, the trial court denied Skolnik's cross-motion and entered final judgment in plaintiff's favor in the amount of $282,372.54. This appeal followed. II. We review a decision granting a motion for entry of a final judgment of foreclosure for abuse of discretion. Customers Bank v. Reitnour Inv. Props., LP, 453 N.J. Super. 338, 348 (App. Div. 2018). "A court abuses its discretion when its decision is made without rational explanation, inexplicably departed from established policies, or rested on an impermissible basis." Pine Ridge A-3275-24 3 Realty Assocs., LLC v. A.O