In Re Estate of Williams, Unpublished Decision (3-24-2003)

CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedMarch 24, 2003
DocketNo. 00 CA 109.
StatusUnpublished

This text of In Re Estate of Williams, Unpublished Decision (3-24-2003) (In Re Estate of Williams, Unpublished Decision (3-24-2003)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Estate of Williams, Unpublished Decision (3-24-2003), (Ohio Ct. App. 2003).

Opinion

OPINION
{¶ 1} This appeal is from an order entered by the Mahoning County Court of Common Pleas, Probate Division, on May 3, 2000, which resulted in a finding of contempt of court by Richard D. Goldberg from failing to comply with previous orders of the court. In that finding, Goldberg was found guilty of direct contempts of court and guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of criminal contempts of the court. The court ordered that Goldberg be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 180 consecutive days to be served consecutively with any other order of either the court below or any other federal or state court, which has imposed a sentence upon him or may subsequently impose a sentence. The sentence was ordered to commence after completion of all other periods of actual physical incarceration. Goldberg is currently incarcerated in the Federal Correctional Institute at Morgantown, West Virginia,

{¶ 2} This case was consolidated for hearing before this court with three other cases involving similar issues of contempt. Since the facts in each case are somewhat different, the cases are considered separately in our opinions. However, the essential facts in this case are virtually the same as in the case of Ellen Rose Mercurio, case No. 00 CA 108. The only relevant difference between the Williams case and the Mercurio case are the names of the parties and the orders of distribution. In each case, the court had approved a settlement and ordered distribution to be accounted for by Goldberg. In both the Mercurio and Williams case, Goldberg failed to make an accounting at the time that he was ordered to do so and, in each of these cases, he also failed to make distributions as ordered by the court. The principles of law enunciated in the Mercurio case apply to this case. The same assignments of error are raised and the same rationale applies to each. We have attached a copy of Mercurio opinion to our decision herein, which opinion, as to the overruling of the assignments of error and the reasons therefore are adopted fully herein.

{¶ 3} In this case, on March 12, 1999, an amended application to approve settlement and distribution was filed by Attorney Richard Goldberg ("Goldberg") to approve a settlement in the wrongful death action of the estate of Towanna Williams. On the same day, the court approved the settlement and distribution of wrongful death proceeds as requested by Goldberg. On April 12, 1999, the report of distribution was due pursuant to the terms of that entry. On May 13, 1999, the court issued a notice of delinquent account to Goldberg and the parties. The notice provided for a hearing on June 8, 1999.

{¶ 4} On June 8, 1999, a hearing was conducted on the notice of delinquent account. On June 17, 1999, the probate court issued its consolidated judgment entry and orders to appear and show cause. In the hearing, the probate court documented the assurances and admissions of Goldberg and his counsel that the amounts would be paid immediately. The court renewed its orders to pay immediately.

{¶ 5} At the March 12, 1999 distribution order, the court approved a settlement of $1.65 million. The settlement proceeds were to be distributed as follows: attorney fees to Goldberg, $660,000; reimbursement to Goldberg for litigation expenses, $15,145.83; Joshua Williams wrongful death trust, $150,000; New York Life Insurance Company for the purchase of a guaranteed annuity contract for the sole benefit of Joshua Williams, a minor, $500,000; Willis Williams, $274,854.20. As previously noted, these amounts were to be distributed to those persons and accounted to before the probate court on April 12, 1999.

{¶ 6} At the June 8 hearing, the court found that Willis Williams had not yet received $274,864.20, the estate had not yet received $50,000 and there had not been a death trust set up for Joshua Williams and the $150,000 to be distributed to that trust account had not been paid. At the June 8th hearing, Goldberg was represented by counsel who stated in chambers that they were not there to challenge the proceedings or whether Goldberg had wrongfully taken money of the estate, but that Goldberg had the money in an account and that they would pay whatever sums were ordered. Goldberg was not present but Attorney Dunlap entered an appearance on his behalf and invoked his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination. There was no challenge to these proceedings.

{¶ 7} Neither Goldberg nor his counsel complied with the order to pay the amounts immediately. There were no objections to the proceedings at the June 8, 1999 hearing.

{¶ 8} The follow-up proceedings in this case were exactly as those in the Mercurio case and which are fully outlined in that case.

{¶ 9} As previously noted, Goldberg's assignments of error are exactly the same as in the Mercurio case. They are as follows:

{¶ 10} "1. The Probate Court erred in finding Goldberg to be in contempt of court.

{¶ 11} "2. The Probate Court erred in ordering Goldberg to be imprisoned for failure to pay a debt.

{¶ 12} "3. The Probate Court erred by taking judicial notice of statements made in other cases.

{¶ 13} "4. The Probate Court erred by failing to allow Goldberg basic procedural due process during the contempt hearing."

{¶ 14} All of the assignments of error are overruled for the same reasons set forth in the attached Mercurio opinion. The evidence is clear beyond any doubt whatsoever that Goldberg intentionally failed to account to the court for the full distribution of payment as required by the March 12, 1999 order to be completed by April 12, 1999. No extension was sought by him. It was only when the court initiated a proceeding to show cause that any accounting was made and once again, it is crystal clear that all payments were not made. There is little, if any, doubt that Goldberg intended to steal that additional money. In fact, that was not challenged by counsel either at the show cause hearing of June 8, 1999, or at the contempt hearing. Thus, in summary, the probate court had ample evidence to find Goldberg guilty of criminal contempt, both for the failure to account and for the failure to distribute the remaining proceeds of the wrongful death settlement as ordered by the court.

{¶ 15} Assignments of error one, two, three and four are overruled, based upon the law and reasoning set forth in the Mercurio opinion, which is attached and marked Exhibit A.

{¶ 16} The judgment of the Mahoning County Court of Common Pleas, Probate Division, for contempt in the matter of the estate of Towanna Williams is affirmed.

Judgment affirmed.

MILLIGAN and NAHRA, JJ., concur.

McCORMAC, J., retired of the Tenth Appellate District, assigned to active duty under authority of Section 6(C), Article IV, Ohio Constitution.

MILLIGAN, J., retired of the Fifth Appellate District, assigned to active duty under authority of Section 6(C), Article IV, Ohio Constitution.

NAHRA, J., retired of the Eighth Appellate District, assigned to active duty under authority of Section 6(C), Article IV, Ohio Constitution.

APPENDIX A

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Bluebook (online)
In Re Estate of Williams, Unpublished Decision (3-24-2003), Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-estate-of-williams-unpublished-decision-3-24-2003-ohioctapp-2003.