Associates Discount v. Barstow

205 N.E.2d 667, 2 Ohio Misc. 73, 30 Ohio Op. 2d 463, 1964 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 212
CourtCanton Municipal Court
DecidedNovember 3, 1964
DocketNo. A-20650
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 205 N.E.2d 667 (Associates Discount v. Barstow) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Canton Municipal Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Associates Discount v. Barstow, 205 N.E.2d 667, 2 Ohio Misc. 73, 30 Ohio Op. 2d 463, 1964 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 212 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1964).

Opinion

Wilson, J.

On March 15, 1955, plaintiff recovered a judgment against the defendant in the sum of $645 on a warrant of attorney contained in a note and without summons or notice to the defendant. Various proceedings were had on said judgment until the plaintiff’s aid in execution, filed November 12, 1963. On December 19, 1963, the defendant, in the same case, filed his petition to vacate judgment and obtained service of summons therefor on the plaintiff company. In this opinion the parties will be referred to as they appeared in the original case.

[74]*74Defendant’s petition to vacate recites the judgment and farther alleges that it was taken for more than was dne on the defendant’s warrant of attorney contained in the promissory note; that the defendant was not snmmoned or otherwise legally notified of the time and place of taking said judgment; that the defendant has a good defense as set forth in an answer, . which is submitted herewith, made a part hereof by reference, and tendered for filing.” The answer filed with the petition to vacate states that the note was given for the purchase price of an automobile; that the defendant was never advised of the time, place, and minimum price for which the mortgaged automobile was to be sold as required by Section 1319.07, Revised Code, and that the defendant has therefore been discharged from any obligation to the plaintiff. Defendant’s petition prays for vacation of said judgment.

Plaintiff’s answer to the defendant’s petition to vacate admits that the judgment was taken on a cognovit note; that the defendant was not summoned or notified at the time of taking the judgment and then proceeds to deny the allegations of the petition, including those incorporated from the answer, and further alleges that the petition to vacate must be dismissed because the statute of limitations for the vacating of this judgment has expired.

Hearing was had upon the defendant’s petition to vacate and the plaintiff’s answer, at which the only witnesses were the defendant in his own behalf and the plaintiff’s attorney on be-, half of the plaintiff. At the request of counsel, the court reserved its ruling to permit the filing of briefs, and each party has filed two briefs in the matter.

The plaintiff first submitted its brief and limited it to the two following questions: (1) Does the statute of limitations for vacating a judgment apply in this case? (2) Does the mailing of a notice on the 8th day of a month, which is not received until the 12th, in regard to a sale held on the 20th, comply with the statutory requirements of Section 1319.07, Revised Code? In support of the first question stated in its brief, the plaintiff argues that the language of the statute prohibiting a deficiency judgment after repossession without foreclosure in a court, unless a notice as specified therein be given to the mortgagor, provides nothing more than a defense to the mortgagor, and [75]*75any judgment taken without the giving of a proper statutory notice is only voidable and not void.

The brief of the defendant agrees there are two issues in the ease and further agrees that the first issue is whether or not Sections 2325.01, et seq., Revised Code, governing the vacation of judgments after term, apply in this case. However, defendant disagrees with the second issue as stated in plaintiff’s brief because, as stated, that issue assumes the notice was mailed to the defendant on the 8th day of the month which the' defendant maintains was not proven. In his brief the defendant further acknowledges that he has abandoned any claim of fraud included in his petition or incorporated answer; agrees that the evidence shows the defendant did have knowledge of the judgment after it was taken, and defendant proceeds to state that he agrees with the plaintiff that an action to vacate the judgment cannot be successfully predicated upon the provisions of Section 2325.01, et seq., Revised Code. The defendant insists, however, that the requirements of Section 1319.07, Revised Code, are absolute that any judgment taken without the giving of the required notice of sale is void.

Upon the basis of the pleadings, the evidence, and the admissions included in the parties’ briefs, we observe that the first question to be decided is whether the evidence has established that the plaintiff, after repossession of the defendant’s automobile, and before its subsequent sale by the plaintiff, gave to the defendant a proper notice as required by Section 1319.07, Revised Code.

Plaintiff submitted into evidence Plaintiff’s Exhibit A which it claimed is a carbon copy made when a mimeographed form of notice introduced as Plaintiff’s Exhibit B was filled in; and that the original copy of said completed notice of sale was sent to the defendant providing him with all the information required by law. Plaintiff maintains that the combined Exhibit B and Exhibit A constitute a copy of the original notice mailed to the defendant. Such exhibits would also show that the notice was dated January 8, 1954. Plaintiff’s Exhibit C is a return receipt signed “Lester Barstow” by “Elizabeth Barstow” as addressee’s agent and showing the date of delivery of whatever item was delivered to be January 12, 1954. The defendant acknowledged the writing on the receipt to be that of his wife. [76]*76The postmark on the side of the card addressed for return to the plaintiff company shows the date January 12, 1954. By the plaintiff’s own evidence the notice claimed to have been sent to the defendant stated that the automobile would be sold on January 20,1954. Even if we accept as an established fact that Plaintiff’s Exhibit C is a return receipt signed by defendant’s wife for delivery to her for the defendant of a notice in the combined language of Plaintiff’s Exhibits A and B, the only evidence of the date of delivery of the said notice shows that it was delivered on January 12th, which is only eight days prior to the date stated in the notice for the sale of the automobile. Plaintiff suggests in his brief that the date of the mailing of the notice and not the date it was received is the proper method of computing the required 10-day period. However, there is no evidence whatever of the date of mailing of the notice. It is true that the notice purports to be dated January 8th, but the law does not presume that a letter was mailed on the day of its date or on the day it was written. 20 American Jurisprudence, Sec. 194, p. 196, 25 A. L. R. 22.

The plaintff argues that the Court of Appeals of Franklin County in the case of Welfare Finance Co. v. Unger, 14 O. O. 2d 175, “indicated” that the date of mailing and not the date the notice was received would be used in computing the 10-day period. The court certainly did not declare that this is the law and we do not believe it is. Even if it were, in this case we have no evidence of what date the notice was mailed. On the other hand, the Common Pleas Court of Montgomery County in the case of Mohawk National Bank v. Chandler, decided March 26, 1960, and reported at 166 N. E. 2d 540, held in the second headnote as follows:

“2.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

PPG Industries, Inc. v. Lindley
438 N.E.2d 907 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1982)
Madewell v. Salvation Army
620 P.2d 953 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 1980)
General Motors Acceptance Corp. v. Thomas
237 N.E.2d 427 (Paulding County Court of Common Pleas, 1968)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
205 N.E.2d 667, 2 Ohio Misc. 73, 30 Ohio Op. 2d 463, 1964 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 212, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/associates-discount-v-barstow-ohmunictcanton-1964.