In re Foreclosure of Liens & Delinquent Taxes by Action in Rem v. Jaber

2023 Ohio 4247
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedNovember 21, 2023
Docket23 BE 0007
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 2023 Ohio 4247 (In re Foreclosure of Liens & Delinquent Taxes by Action in Rem v. Jaber) 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 Foreclosure of Liens & Delinquent Taxes by Action in Rem v. Jaber, 2023 Ohio 4247 (Ohio Ct. App. 2023).

Opinion

[Cite as In re Foreclosure of Liens & Delinquent Taxes by Action in Rem v. Jaber, 2023-Ohio-4247.]

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF OHIO SEVENTH APPELLATE DISTRICT BELMONT COUNTY

IN THE MATTER OF:

THE FORECLOSURE OF LIENS FOR DELINQUENT LAND TAXES BY ACTION IN REM,

KATHERINE J. KELICH, TREASURER OF BELMONT COUNTY,

Plaintiff-Appellee,

v.

JABER, MERWAN M. ET AL.,

Defendants,

CAROL GIVENS,

Appellant.

OPINION AND JUDGMENT ENTRY Case No. 23 BE 0007

Civil Appeal from the Court of Common Pleas of Belmont County, Ohio Case No. 21 TF 4

BEFORE: Mark A. Hanni, Carol Ann Robb, David A. D’Apolito, Judges.

JUDGMENT: Affirmed. [Cite as In re Foreclosure of Liens & Delinquent Taxes by Action in Rem v. Jaber, 2023-Ohio-4247.]

Atty. J. Kevin Flanagan, Belmont County Prosecutor and Atty. Jacob A. Manning, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, Belmont County Prosecutor’s Office, for Plaintiff-Appellee and

Carol Givens, Pro se, Appellant.

Dated: November 21, 2023

HANNI, J.

{¶1} Carol Givens (Appellant) appeals the February 16, 2023 order of the Belmont County Court of Common Pleas overruling her “Motion [to] Set Aside-Vacate Prior Court Order; Unwind Objections.” The trial court treated this motion as filed pursuant to Civ. R. 60(B) and found that Appellant failed to meet any of the bases for filing the motion. For the following reasons, we affirm the trial court’s ruling. {¶2} On June 11, 2021, Appellee filed a complaint in tax foreclosure for delinquent land taxes in the amount of $4,455.93 on 3735 Highland Avenue, Shadyside, Ohio 43947. The complaint was filed as an in rem action under R.C. 5721.18(B) (“Foreclosure Proceedings on Lien of State”) and the record owners of the property were identified as Joseph V. and Mary M. Givens. The complaint stated that taxes, penalties, and assessments had not been paid for five consecutive years. {¶3} The Clerk of Belmont County Common Pleas Court was instructed to serve those with an interest in each parcel of land with notice by certified mail as required under R.C. 5721.181(C). Written instructions included serving separate certified mail for Joseph V. and Mary M. Givens in the care of Greg Givens at P.O. Box 117, Bellaire, Ohio 43906. Both mailings were returned as unclaimed on June 28, 2021. Appellee also published a notice of foreclosure on June 18, 2021, June 25, 2021, and July 2, 2021 in The Times Leader. {¶4} The court granted Appellee’s default judgment on the property on March 18, 2022 and ordered the property sold. A notice of sheriff’s sale was published in The Times Leader on April 13, 2022, April 20, 2022, and April 27, 2022. John D. Longwell bought the property at a sheriff’s sale and the sale was confirmed on June 15, 2022. –3–

{¶5} On December 15, 2022, Appellant filed a “Motion [to] Set Aside-Vacate Prior Court Order; Unwind/Objections” in the trial court. Appellant moved to set aside/vacate the foreclosure and sale and to reopen and unwind the sale of the property purchased by Mr. Longwell at the sheriff’s sale. Appellant stated that on November 2, 2022, she discovered “fraudulent, deception, and/or extraordinary matters or new information” about the June 15, 2022 court order. She alleged that a “swindle” and “illegal wrangling” occurred that harmed Mary M. and Joseph V. Givens and their heirs and assigns. She asserted that no public auction under the Ohio Revised Code and Local Rule 23 occurred and she was approached by a man at the home who had no papers. She averred that no service of notice occurred and she was stripped of all federal and state rights due to “fraud and deceit,” and “without just cause, written notice, or eviction, [sic] caused grand theft of said property.” {¶6} Appellant also filed a “Motion for the Court to Take Judicial Notice” of facts in her attached memorandum. The memorandum included a demand for discovery and a notarized affidavit whereby she swore that she has a claim on the property at issue and she witnessed fraud and deceit by Mr. Longwell. {¶7} Appellee filed a response to the motion and Appellant filed a pro se reply brief. {¶8} She repeated allegations of a failure of service of notice and averred that Mr. Longwell surprised her by breaking in her front door and presenting no papers or notices. Appellant stated that she called the “State of Ohio, office of tax liens and collections,” and was informed that “NO RECORDS OR NOTICE WAS EVER GIVEN, or STATE/COUNTY RECORDS even EXISTED of any LEGAL NOTICE, lien, or ‘collections’ by the County of Belmont, or KATHERINE J. KELICH, or the State of Ohio, on Parcel No. 17-00607.000, either upon Joseph V. Givens, Mary M. Givens, Carol Givens, Greg Givens, or any Givens or to public auction in Belmont County, Case No. 21-TF-004, and that NO GIVENS was properly NOTICED, or LEGALLY NOTIFIED of any such Action at ANYTIME.” {¶9} Appellant also represented that she discovered new evidence of fraudulent transfers of the property and stated that:

Case No. 23 BE 0007 –4–

A standing agreement was made with Plaintiff(s), i.e. KATHERINE J. KELICH, on, and after April 9, 202[sic], which is known to be a mistake on the part of the party, to pay any outstanding debts and occurrences related on Parcel NO[sic]. 17-00607-000, with said office, obverting[sic] any foreclosure proceedings, and conditions set forth in Rule 60(B).

This standing arrangement allowed for excusable neglect on the part of the applicable party, since confidence was held in the word of KATHERINE J. KELICH/office to advert[sic] foreclosure proceedings on Parcel No. 17- 00607.000, and conditions set forth in Local Rule 23, and Ohio R Civ. P. 60(B), and no notice WAS GIVEN TO THE “last know[sic] owners of the property,” Joseph V. Givens and Mary M. Givens, at anytime and neither at P.O. Box 117, Bellaire, OH 43906. Contrary to the Plaintiff conclusions, the Treasurer DID NOT comply with the notice requirement.

{¶10} Appellant repeated her fraud allegations and the lack of record of a proper purchase of the parcel by Mr. Longwell in a public sale. {¶11} On February 16, 2023, the trial court overruled Appellant’s motions. The court rejected Appellant’s assertion that the default judgment was void or voidable. The court agreed with Appellant that no one received actual notice, since certified mail was sent to Joseph V. and Mary M. Givens separately, in care of their grandson, Greg Givens, and all were returned unclaimed. The court noted that Mary M. Givens predeceased Joseph V. Givens and the will of Joseph V. Givens supposedly bequeathed the property to their grandson, Greg Givens. The court indicated that Greg Givens attempted to open an estate in probate court, but it was dismissed because he failed to comply with Probate Court orders. The court further noted affirmance of that dismissal. The trial court explained that notice by publication was then made, which was authorized and accepted in tax foreclosure actions. R.C. 5721.18(B). {¶12} As to Appellant’s Civ. R. 60(B) motion, the court cited GTE Automatic Electric, Inc. v. ARC Industries, Inc. 47 Ohio St.3d 146 (1976), and the three requirements for vacating a judgment: (1) Appellant has a meritorious defense or claim to present if relief is granted; (2) she is entitled to relief under one of the five grounds stated in the

Case No. 23 BE 0007 –5–

Rule; and (3) the motion is timely. The court held that even if Appellant’s motion was timely because she recently discovered the tax sale, she could not demonstrate the other two prongs for vacating the judgment under Civ. R. 60(B). The court held that Appellant would not have a meritorious defense or claim if the judgment was vacated because she was not the real party in interest due to a lack of standing. The court held that the property owners of record were Joseph V. and Mary M.

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Related

Givens v. Longwell
2024 Ohio 947 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2024)

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Bluebook (online)
2023 Ohio 4247, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-foreclosure-of-liens-delinquent-taxes-by-action-in-rem-v-jaber-ohioctapp-2023.