On February 25, 2010, an agreed final judgment of foreclosure was entered pursuant to a settlement agreement between the original lender and the defendants/appellees. On August 31, 2012, the defendants filed an objection to the sale and a rule 1.540(b) motion to vacate the February 2010 final judgment of foreclosure. The trial court denied the defendants’ motion.
The Fourth DCA ruled that a trial court loses jurisdiction to entertain a motion to vacate a final judgment under Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.540 (b) after one year, including motions for “fraud on the court,” and upheld the trial court’s ruling. Only “extrinsic fraud,” i.e., that fraud which is outside and collateral to the issues tried in the case, may be raised beyond the one year period.
NAFH Nat. Bank v. Aristizabal, 2013 WL 3811356 (Fla. 4th DCA 2013).
