In Re: F. and M. Dupas, H, B and 48 acres surface, Bell Twp., Clearfield County, PA ~ Appeal of F. Dupas

CourtCommonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedOctober 7, 2015
Docket56 C.D. 2015
StatusUnpublished

This text of In Re: F. and M. Dupas, H, B and 48 acres surface, Bell Twp., Clearfield County, PA ~ Appeal of F. Dupas (In Re: F. and M. Dupas, H, B and 48 acres surface, Bell Twp., Clearfield County, PA ~ Appeal of F. Dupas) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re: F. and M. Dupas, H, B and 48 acres surface, Bell Twp., Clearfield County, PA ~ Appeal of F. Dupas, (Pa. Ct. App. 2015).

Opinion

IN THE COMMONWEALTH COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA

In Re: Francis and Mary Dupas, : H, B and 48 acres surface, Bell : Township, Clearfield County, : Pennsylvania, known as : Map No. D12-000-00004, Control No. : 10201255 : : No. 56 C.D. 2015 Appeal of: Floyd Dupas : Submitted: September 17, 2015

BEFORE: HONORABLE ROBERT SIMPSON, Judge HONORABLE ANNE E. COVEY, Judge HONORABLE ROCHELLE S. FRIEDMAN, Senior Judge

OPINION NOT REPORTED

MEMORANDUM OPINION BY JUDGE COVEY FILED: October 7, 2015

Floyd Dupas (Dupas) appeals from the Clearfield County Common Pleas Court’s (trial court) December 17, 2014 order dismissing his Petition to Set Aside and/or Strike Tax Sale (Petition). The issues for this Court’s review are: (1) whether the trial court erred by holding that tax sale notice was given in accordance with the Real Estate Tax Sale Law (Tax Sale Law);1 and (2) whether the trial court erred by holding that the Clearfield County Tax Claim Bureau (Bureau) exercised reasonable efforts to discover Dupas’ whereabouts. After review, we affirm. Dupas’ parents, Francis B. and Mary Dupas (Owners), owned real property consisting of a house, barn and 48 acres located in Bell Township, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania (Property). At the time the Property was conveyed to the Owners in 1969, their recorded address was 52 Woodcliff Avenue, Little Falls, New Jersey. See Certified Record (C.R.), Notes of Testimony, November 26, 2014 (N.T.)

1 Act of July 7, 1947, P.L. 1368, as amended, 72 P.S. §§ 5860.101 – 5860.803. Ex. A. Mary Dupas died in 1974. Francis Dupas died in 2001. Despite that a New Jersey attorney was retained to administer their estates, there was no record in Clearfield County that the Owners were deceased.2 The Property’s 2012 real estate tax bill was forwarded to the Bureau as unpaid.3 On March 7, 2013, the Bureau sent a pre-Notice of Return and Tax Claim to Owners in care of Dupas at Dupas’ 56 Woodcliff Avenue, Little Falls, New Jersey address.4 See C.R. N.T. Ex. D; see also Reproduced Record (R.R.) at 7a-8a. The pre-Notice was not returned by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as undelivered. On April 9, 2013, a Notice of Return and Claim was mailed by certified mail to the Owners in care of Dupas at the 56 Woodcliff Avenue, Little Falls, New Jersey address, which stated that if the taxes were not paid by December 31, 2013 and no exceptions are filed, the claim would become absolute and the Property would be exposed for tax sale. See C.R. N.T. Ex. E; see also R.R. at 10a. The Notice of Return and Claim was returned unsigned. On May 9, 2014, a Notice of Public Tax Sale, stating that the Property was about to be sold without consent was sent certified mail, restricted delivery, to Dupas on the Owners’ behalf at the 56 Woodcliff Avenue, Little Falls, New Jersey address. See C.R. N.T. Ex. F; see also R.R. at 11a. The certified mailing card reflected that “A.D. Keay” accepted the notice as agent for “F. Dupas” on May 12, 2014. Id. On August 5, 2014, the Bureau advertised the Property’s impending sale in “The Progress” and “The Courier-Express.” See C.R. N.T. Exs. I, J; see also R.R. at 13a. The Bureau also advertised the Property’s sale in the Clearfield County Legal Journal on August 8, 2014. See C.R. N.T. Ex. K; see also R.R. at 13a.

2 Owners had four children. Only Dupas and his brother Frank Dupas are currently living. 3 The upset price also included tax delinquencies for the 2013 tax year. See Reproduced Record (R.R.) at 4a-5a. 4 Dupas has resided at 56 Woodcliff Avenue, Little Falls, New Jersey since 1972. 2 On August 20, 2014, the Bureau sent by first class mail to Dupas for the Owners at the 56 Woodcliff Avenue, Little Falls, New Jersey address a 10-Day Notice of Public Tax Sale reflecting that the tax sale would take place on September 12, 2014 at 9:00 a.m. See C.R. N.T. Ex. H; see also R.R. at 12a-13a. The 10-Day Notice was not returned by the USPS as undelivered. See R.R. at 13a. On August 28, 2014, the Property was posted with the Notice of Tax Sale, stating that the last day to make full payment to halt the sale was September 11, 2014. See C.R. N.T. Ex. G; see also R.R. at 11a-12a. On September 12, 2014, the Property was sold at tax sale to Heather Kunselman (Kunselman). On October 23, 2014, Dupas timely filed the Petition. The trial court held a hearing on November 26, 2014. On December 17, 2014, the trial court dismissed the Petition and confirmed the Property’s sale to Kunselman. Dupas appealed to this Court.5 Dupas first argues that the trial erred by holding that notice of the sale was given in accordance with the Tax Sale Law. Specifically, he contends that Property’s reputed owner never received notice that the tax sale was to occur. We disagree. “Generally, tax sales are presumed valid.” Barylak v. Montgomery Cnty. Tax Claim Bureau, 74 A.3d 414, 416 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2013). This Court has held that “the only acceptable basis for setting aside a tax sale on exceptions is a finding by a court that the proceedings of the [B]ureau involved in the sale were irregular or illegal.” In re Sale of Real Estate by Venango County Tax Claim Bureau, 449 A.2d

5 “Our scope of review in tax sale cases is limited to determining whether a trial court abused its discretion, rendered a decision unsupported by the evidence, or erred as a matter of law.” Estate of Marra v. Tax Claim Bureau of Lackawanna Cnty., 95 A.3d 951, 954 n.4 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2014). The trial court issued its opinion on February 24, 2015.

3 879, 881 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1982). Section 602 of the Tax Sale Law provides, in pertinent part:

(a) At least thirty (30) days prior to any scheduled sale the [B]ureau shall give notice thereof, not less than once in two (2) newspapers of general circulation in the county, if so many are published therein, and once in the legal journal, if any, designated by the court for the publication of legal notices. Such notice shall set forth (1) the purposes of such sale, (2) the time of such sale, (3) the place of such sale, (4) the terms of the sale including the approximate upset price, (5) the descriptions of the properties to be sold as stated in the claims entered and the name of the owner. (b) Where the owner is unknown and has been unknown for a period of not less than five years, the name of the owner need not be included in such description. (c) The description may be given intelligible abbreviations. (d) Such published notice shall be addressed to the ‘owners of properties described in this notice and to all persons having liens, judgments or municipal or other claims against such properties.’ (e) In addition to such publications, similar notice of the sale shall also be given by the [B]ureau as follows: (1) At least thirty (30) days before the date of the sale, by United States certified mail, restricted delivery, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, to each owner as defined by [the Tax Sale Law]. (2) If return receipt is not received from each owner pursuant to the provisions of clause (1), then, at least ten (10) days before the date of the sale, similar notice of the sale shall be given to each owner who failed to acknowledge the first notice by United States first class mail, proof of mailing, at his last known post office address by virtue of the knowledge and information possessed by the [B]ureau, by the tax collector for the taxing district making the return and by the county office responsible for assessments and revisions of taxes. 4 It shall be the duty of the [B]ureau to determine the last post office address known to said collector and county assessment office. (3) Each property scheduled for sale shall be posted at least ten (10) days prior to the sale.

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Bluebook (online)
In Re: F. and M. Dupas, H, B and 48 acres surface, Bell Twp., Clearfield County, PA ~ Appeal of F. Dupas, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-f-and-m-dupas-h-b-and-48-acres-surface-bell-twp-clearfield-pacommwct-2015.