Jackson Twp. Supervisors v. Estate of C. Gresh, D. Gresh, Administrator

CourtCommonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedDecember 12, 2017
Docket1942 C.D. 2016
StatusUnpublished

This text of Jackson Twp. Supervisors v. Estate of C. Gresh, D. Gresh, Administrator (Jackson Twp. Supervisors v. Estate of C. Gresh, D. Gresh, Administrator) 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
Jackson Twp. Supervisors v. Estate of C. Gresh, D. Gresh, Administrator, (Pa. Ct. App. 2017).

Opinion

IN THE COMMONWEALTH COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA

Jackson Township Supervisors : : v. : No. 1942 C.D. 2016 : Submitted: November 14, 2017 Estate of Catherine Gresh, : Dennis Gresh, Administrator, : Appellant :

BEFORE: HONORABLE ROBERT SIMPSON, Judge HONORABLE PATRICIA A. McCULLOUGH, Judge HONORABLE DAN PELLEGRINI, Senior Judge

OPINION NOT REPORTED

MEMORANDUM OPINION BY JUDGE SIMPSON FILED: December 12, 2017

The Estate of Catherine Gresh, Dennis Gresh, Administrator (Gresh), appeals from an order of the Court of Common Pleas of Cambria County (trial court) that found Gresh in contempt of court and sentenced him to 60 days in county jail, which would be Gresh’s second period of confinement in this long-running controversy dating to 2011. The trial court’s order stayed the 60-day jail sentence to allow Gresh to satisfy several purge conditions and scheduled a subsequent hearing to determine if Gresh did so. Upon review, we quash Gresh’s appeal as interlocutory.

I. Background This case was previously before this Court in 2015. See Jackson Twp. Supervisors v. Estate of Gresh (Pa. Cmwlth., No. 1970 C.D. 2014, filed July 9, 2015), 2015 WL 5457012 (unreported) (Gresh I). In Gresh I, we explained that Gresh is the administrator of his mother’s estate, which includes 2.5 acres of land (property) in Jackson Township’s (Township) agricultural district.

In 2011, the Township filed a complaint seeking an injunction against Gresh for alleged violations of various Township ordinances governing storage and disposal of solid waste, prohibitions on maintaining nuisances, and zoning. Specifically, the Township alleged the property contains the following offending items: business storage or warehousing of equipment; a partially collapsed residence; unregistered and uninspected motor vehicles in various states of disrepair; scrap metal; lumber; restaurant equipment and other junk; and, a temporary storage building. The Township described the property as an unlicensed junkyard and a nuisance.

After an evidentiary hearing and a site view, the trial court issued an order in August 2011 directing Gresh to comply with the ordinances and remove the offending items from the property by October 2011. When Gresh did not comply, the Township filed a contempt petition in November 2011. After a hearing, the trial court found Gresh in contempt, but it imposed no penalty based on the fact that Gresh made some progress to comply. The trial court allowed Gresh to purge himself of the contempt by completing his efforts to comply with the trial court’s order.

In late-December 2011, the Township filed a second petition for contempt. After an evidentiary hearing in January 2012, the trial court determined Gresh did not purge himself of contempt, and it sentenced him to a week in county jail. The trial court deferred the sentence pending a view of the property.

2 Additionally, the trial court ordered Gresh to: properly dispose of certain vehicles on the property; move other vehicles 30 feet away from the road; and, provide titles and current registrations for the vehicles.

In September 2012, the trial court held a status of contempt hearing to determine whether Gresh made any compliance progress. Gresh did not appear. The trial court issued a bench warrant for his arrest. Authorities apprehended Gresh in June 2014. The trial court held a hearing in July 2014, following which Gresh was found to have served his sentence imposed in January 2012. Gresh was ordered to come into compliance with the trial court’s prior order by July 31, 2014 to avoid further contempt proceedings.

In September 2014, the trial court held a contempt hearing. At the hearing, counsel for the parties argued their positions. Gresh offered to present evidence to show compliance efforts. More particularly, he attempted to show registrations for the vehicles on the property, construction of a storage building on the property, and a building permit application to construct another storage structure on the property. However, the trial court did not receive any sworn testimony or evidence. Counsel for the Township disputed full compliance, but attested that Gresh made significant progress. Upon conclusion of the hearing, the trial court entered a contempt order. Gresh appealed to this Court.

On appeal, in Gresh I, this Court determined that the trial court entered its contempt finding after hearing oral argument, without affording Gresh the opportunity to testify and present other evidence. Further, the trial court did not

3 make any factual findings in support of its order or otherwise identify Gresh’s contemptuous conduct. We held the trial court abused its discretion by finding Gresh in contempt without first holding an evidentiary hearing. Thus, we vacated the trial court’s determination of civil contempt and remanded for an evidentiary hearing and a decision that contained findings of fact. See Gresh I.

On remand, the trial court held evidentiary hearings in September 2015 and February 2016. At these hearings, the Township presented evidence that: Gresh continued to store unregistered vehicles on the property; Gresh continued to store junked vehicles and parts on the property; Gresh stored lawnmowers and other items in the open, underneath a tractor-trailer; a refrigerator trailer that Gresh indicated in a 2014 conference would be removed was still present and used as storage; permits were issued to Gresh to construct storage sheds and fencing; one unapproved shed was built too close to the road; a section of fencing was installed along the road; items could be seen sticking out above the fence; bottles, cans and other refuse were accumulating on the property; and, vehicles (refrigerator trailer, moss covered camper, several pickup trucks, and a van) were stored closer to the road than permitted by Section 506 of the Township Ordinance. The Township submitted photographs to show each of these alleged violations.

For his part, Gresh testified: he occasionally lives at the residence on the property; he uses the property to store items for a food concession business he operates with his daughter who lives in West Virginia; he uses one white trailer in that business; and, the refrigerator trailer was not moved in two years since he moved

4 it further from the road. Gresh provided West Virginia registrations for the refrigerator trailer, camper, orange van, red van, and various other vehicles.

Ultimately, the trial court entered an order: finding Gresh in contempt for failing to comply with the trial court’s prior orders directing the cleanup of the property; setting purge conditions; and, imposing a 60-day jail sentence that was stayed to afford Gresh an opportunity to purge the contempt. The trial court’s order set forth the following purge conditions:

1) Any items stored on the property must be stored in permanent structures. No items may be stored in temporary structures such as tents or in mobile structures such as tractor-trailers, vans, or other motor vehicles.

2) [Gresh] shall obtain any necessary permits for the construction of permanent storage sheds or installation of fencing and comply with all applicable building codes.

3) [Gresh] shall remove from the property:

i. The refrigerator tractor-trailer.

ii. Any tractor-trailer, tent, or other temporary structure or vehicle being used for storage.

iii. Any vehicle or tractor-trailer that is not regularly used including the red van, the orange van, and the camper/recreational vehicle. Any vehicles that remain must be regularly used, have the registration kept with the vehicle for immediate inspection, and comply with [Vehicle Code] requirements for registration. See, 75 Pa. C.S. §§ 1301, 1303.

iv. All garbage including bottles, cans, and other refuse.

5 v.

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Jackson Twp. Supervisors v. Estate of C. Gresh, D. Gresh, Administrator, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jackson-twp-supervisors-v-estate-of-c-gresh-d-gresh-administrator-pacommwct-2017.