Jarvis v. Pompos

2024 Ohio 1102, 240 N.E.3d 893
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedMarch 22, 2024
Docket23 MA 0084
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 2024 Ohio 1102 (Jarvis v. Pompos) 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
Jarvis v. Pompos, 2024 Ohio 1102, 240 N.E.3d 893 (Ohio Ct. App. 2024).

Opinion

[Cite as Jarvis v. Pompos, 2024-Ohio-1102.]

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

KIMBERLY JARVIS ET AL.,

Plaintiffs-Appellees,

v.

CHRIS POMPOS,

Defendant-Appellant.

OPINION AND JUDGMENT ENTRY Case No. 23 MA 0084

Civil Appeal from the Court of Common Pleas of Mahoning County, Ohio Case No. 2022 CV 1147

BEFORE: Mark A. Hanni, Cheryl L. Waite, Judges, William A. Klatt, Retired Judge of the Tenth District Court of Appeals, Sitting by Assignment.

JUDGMENT: Affirmed.

Atty. Rebecca L. Skeeles and Atty. Thomas D. White, Eques, Inc., for Plaintiffs-Appellees and

Atty. Matthew W. Onest and Atty. Kyle W. Rea, Krugliak, Wilkins, Griffiths & Dougherty Co., L.P.A., for Defendant-Appellant.

Dated: March 22, 2024 –2–

HANNI, J.

{¶1} Defendant-Appellant, Chris Pompos, appeals from a Mahoning County Common Pleas Court judgment denying his motion for relief from judgment entered in favor of Plaintiffs-Appellees, Kimberly Jarvis and C. Jarvis Insurance Agency, Inc., on Appellees’ claim for money due on a loan. Appellant claims the trial court lacked subject matter jurisdiction over this case and lacked personal jurisdiction over him and his businesses. Because the trial court had both subject matter jurisdiction and personal jurisdiction in this case, the court’s judgment is affirmed. {¶2} On July 1, 2022, Appellees filed a complaint for money due against Appellant. The complaint alleged that Kimberly Jarvis loaned Appellant $50,000 on March 15, 2021, to purchase a travel trailer. Appellees attached a copy of the check and the accompanying promissory note. The terms of the promissory note were that Appellant would pay the $50,000 back with interest at 10% annum no later than March 15, 2023. Appellant agreed to make 24 equal monthly payments, due by the 15th of each month and beginning April 15, 2021. The complaint stated that Appellant made the required monthly payments in April, May, June, July, September, and November 2021. It alleged Appellant failed to make any payments in August, October, and December 2021. It stated that Appellant then made payments of $2,020.36 on January 12, 2022 and again on January 14, 2022. The complaint alleged that Appellant had since failed to make any payments or to communicate with Kimberly regarding the outstanding balance on the loan. It stated that Appellant still owed $32,181.45. The promissory note contains an acceleration clause stating that upon non-payment, the entire balance shall be due. Appellant was served on August 1, 2022. {¶3} On August 31, 2022, Appellees filed a motion for default judgment asserting Appellant had failed to answer or otherwise respond to the complaint. The trial court granted the motion and entered a default judgment against Appellant in the amount of $32,181.45, plus interest, that same day. {¶4} On September 7, 2022, Appellees filed an Affidavit and Notice of Garnishment listing vehicles subject to garnishment including a Chevrolet Silverado and

Case No. 23 MA 0084 –3–

a Cat Skidsteer. The trial court subsequently set the matter for a garnishment hearing. On October 5, 2022, a Court Order and Notice of Garnishment was sent by certified mail to Appellant’s address. It appears to be signed for by Appellant on October 6, 2022. The court held the garnishment hearing on October 20, 2022. Appellees’ counsel appeared but Appellant failed to appear. On October 21, 2022, Appellees filed a Praecipe for Writ of Execution ordering the sheriff to issue a writ of execution as to the listed vehicles, including the Chevrolet Silverado and the Cat Skidsteer. The writ of execution was issued on October 26, 2022. {¶5} On November 25, 2022, Appellant’s counsel filed a notice of appearance on Appellant’s behalf and filed a motion for an emergency hearing in response to the Notice to Judgment Debtor served on him on November 22, 2022. Appellant alleged the vehicles removed by Appellees pursuant to the court order were actually owned by other entities and not by Appellant individually. Appellees filed a motion in opposition. The trial court set the matter for an emergency evidentiary hearing on the garnishment to be held January 3, 2023. But on December 29, 2022, Appellant withdrew his request for the hearing. Instead, the parties met by way of a telephone conference with the magistrate. Appellant challenged the garnishment based on factual statements set forth in his motion for emergency hearing. Since Appellant withdrew his request for an emergency hearing and because statements by counsel are not evidence, the magistrate found Appellant presented no basis to stop the garnishment proceedings. {¶6} On January 19, 2023, the trial court entered a judgment adopting the magistrate’s decision and finding that Appellant failed to present any evidence to challenge the garnishment. It found that the garnishment proceedings would continue. {¶7} On January 24, 2023, the court issued a notice to the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) to transfer the title of the Chevrolet Silverado from CMP Agricultural to the Eques Law Group (Appellees’ counsel) pursuant to the Court Order and Notice of Garnishment filed October 5, 2022. The notice stated that the Silverado was owned by Appellant through a sole proprietorship. {¶8} On May 12, 2023, Appellant’s new counsel entered an appearance and filed a motion for relief from judgment. Appellant sought to have the court vacate three judgment entries: (1) the August 31, 2022 judgment granting default judgment to

Case No. 23 MA 0084 –4–

Appellees; (2) the January 24, 2023 judgment ordering the BMV to transfer title from CMP Agricultural to the Eques Law Group pursuant to a Court Order and Notice of Garnishment filed October 5, 2022; and (3) the writ of execution issued by the Mahoning County Clerk of Courts on October 26, 2022, to the sheriff for the Chevrolet Silverado and a Cat Skidsteer. {¶9} Appellant asserted that the trial court’s decision was based on the incorrect conclusion that CMP Agricultural, which later merged into CMP Equine, LLC (CMP) and Candywood Trace, LLC (Candywood), in whose names the title to the pickup truck and Cat Skidsteer were in, were sole proprietorships. He argued that the judgment against him individually did not give the court authority to seize the vehicles. He further asserted the court’s decision was based on an incorrect conclusion of law. Appellant claimed that under R.C. 2333.01, which authorizes a judgment creditor to go after a judgment debtor’s ownership interest in a separate entity in order to collect on a debt, certain steps are required that were not followed in this case. {¶10} Appellant argued that he presented a viable claim for relief because Appellees misspelled his name in the complaint. He asserted his name is “Christ” Pompos but Appellees named him in the complaint as “Chris” Pompos. Therefore, Appellant contended the default judgment against him was void. He argued he presented another viable claim for relief because the vehicles were owned by CMP and Candywood and not by him personally. And although he is the sole member of both entities, Appellant argued the debt was in his name personally. He went on to argue that Appellees were required to but failed to follow the procedure under R.C. 2333.01 for a creditor’s bill in order to secure the vehicles. {¶11} Appellees filed a memorandum in opposition to Appellant’s motion. They argued Appellant did not have a meritorious defense to assert. They also argued Appellant appeared in court, so the trial court has personal jurisdiction over him. Appellees next asserted that the proceedings in the trial court conformed with R.C. 2333.01’s requirements. And Appellees claimed Appellant was not entitled to relief under any of the grounds in Civ.R. 60(B).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2024 Ohio 1102, 240 N.E.3d 893, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jarvis-v-pompos-ohioctapp-2024.