Kingsberry Mortgage Co. v. Maddox

233 N.E.2d 887, 13 Ohio Misc. 98, 42 Ohio Op. 2d 158, 1968 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 310
CourtClermont County Court of Common Pleas
DecidedJanuary 15, 1968
DocketNos. 35842 and 35843
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 233 N.E.2d 887 (Kingsberry Mortgage Co. v. Maddox) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Clermont County Court of Common Pleas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kingsberry Mortgage Co. v. Maddox, 233 N.E.2d 887, 13 Ohio Misc. 98, 42 Ohio Op. 2d 158, 1968 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 310 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1968).

Opinion

Nichols, J.

This matter came on before the court for hearing and the question of determination of priorities of three liens. The two cases were tried together inasmuch as the facts are identical, with the exception of the amounts of the respective mortgages or liens, and some differences in the date of filing and of making distribution.

The essential facts were submitted by stipulation of the parties, which in substance, states that the defendant, Ruth D. Wright, sold to Nathaniel Maddox and Rose Maddox the two lots in question. These deeds were dated September 9, 1966, and recorded in Deed Book 448, page 14 and 448, page 16, respectively, on the same date. The Maddox gave mortgages to the plaintiff, the Kingsberry Mortgage Company for the sum of $13,650.00 on Lot No. 59 and which was filed for record on September 9, 1966, and recorded in Mortgage Book 360, page 202, and the Mortgage on Lot No. 60, for the sum of $17,250.00 was filed on September 9, 1966, and recorded in Mortgage Book 340, page 201. Thereafter, mortgages by the Maddox were given to the defendant, R. D. Wright, who is the same person as Ruth D. Wright, each for $3,000.00 and both filed for record on September 12, 1966, and recorded in Mortgage Book 340, page 233, and Mortgage Book 340, page 235, respectively. Thereafter, on March 21, 1967, the defendant, J. H. Neff, doing business as the J. H. Neff Plumbing Company, filed his affidavit for mechanic’s lien for the installation of plumbing in each of the two buildings. The amount claimed is $2,000.00, $1,000.00 on each lot. This affidavit was recorded in Lien Record 7, at page 239.

Various instruments were admitted in evidence, and the court is considering the documents actually submitted. This, likewise, was by stipulation and agreement of the parties. It was stipulated that Ruth D. Wright was the owner of the two lots in question at the time that she conveyed them to the Maddox, and it was also stipulated that at the time of the execution and filing of the deeds and mortgages, that no work was done on the premises, and that no work was apparent on the premises at that time. [100]*100In other words, it was agreed that the mortgages were filed prior to the commencement of any work on the property.

It was further stipulated and testified to that the work of Mr. Neff, as a plumber, started on January 17, 1967, finished on February 7, 1967, and the testimony, without dispute, showed that the actual work of construction on each of the lots was made prior to the payment by the plaintiff of the monies advanced to the Kingsberry Homes in payment for the package of prefabricated houses that were erected on the two lots.

The payments and checks admitted in evidence, which were payable to the Kingsberry Homes are as follows: Check dated October 17, 1966, for $3,832.94 for the package house on Lot No. 59. Check dated December 14, 1966, for $5,787.02 for the package deal on Lot No. 60, Lot No. 59 being the property described in case number 35843 and Lot No. 60 being the property described in case number 35842.

It further developed in the testimony and was admitted by the representative of the plaintiff that the mortgages were construction loans, even though they were filed prior to the date of the first construction and there was admitted in evidence a construction loan commitment in each of the cases, which in substance, provided for four advancements: one to the Kingsberry Homes Corporation at the time the package deal was delivered to the property ; second payment to be made at the time the house was under roof “and the building dried in and rough utilities installed.” These were admittedly the only two advances made by the mortgagor, and according to the form, represented as 60% of the total mortgage.

It also developed in the testimony that Gene, whose full name was Eugene C. Wright, was the husband of Buth D. Wright, also known as B. D. Wright, and that he transacted all of the business in connection with the purchase of the lots by Mrs. Wright from the Bee’s, and the sale of the property to the Maddox, and that he also [101]*101was the party who furnished the certificate stating that the properties were under roof.

It was submitted in argument, both by written memorandum and oral argument that the cases of Wayne Building & Loan v. Yarborough, 11 Ohio St. 2d 195 and 11 Ohio St. 2d 224, are determinative of the issues in this ease, and it is claimed by the attorneys for Mrs. Wright that by virtue of this decision, her claim is the first claim against any funds derived from the sale of this property.

It is admitted that the buildings have never been com-' pleted; that the defendants Maddox are bankrupt, and that there will be, in all probability, a loss to some of the’ lien holders, and it, seemingly, is apparent that the buildings in their present condition will not be sufficient to pay off all of the three liens.

The question of priority of liens as between the various lien holders and mortgagees, particularly those mortgages that were filed after the commencement of the build-ing, have created a great problem within the state of Ohio, and the courts have made various types of decisions trying to determine which, under various circumstances, would have priority.

Section 5301.23, Revised Code, provides that all mortgages properly executed shall be recorded in the office-of the county recorder of the county in which the mortgage premises are situated, and take effect from the time they are delivered to such recorder for record. This is a clear and unambiguous enactment of the Legislature, stating that a mortgage lien shall be effective as of the date of the filing for record.

The problem develops where mortgages are filed after the commencement of the first work on the property as the mechanic’s lien law provides that all properly filed liens shall date back to the date of the first commencement of work on the building, and therefore, that would predate the lien of the mortgage filed after the commencement of-the work. :

This created a problem as the mortgage companies' [102]*102would not make loans after buildings had been started as the lien holders could come in and claim priority over them. There was then enacted the construction loan law, which in substance, provided that the mortgage lien would predate the time of filing and would come ahead of the mechanic’s liens, provided it was paid out in certain specified ways, it being Subsection A through G of Section 1311.14, Revised Code.

Here again, the statement of the Legislature is clear, unequivocal and positive, and provides the only way in which a construction loan may pay out money and still be protected against liens. The mortgage companies, however, seemingly saw fit to disregard the plain provisions of the construction loan statutes and make distribution on what they term “draws,” first, second, third and fourth draw, and allocated a certain percentage of the mortgage loan to be withdrawn in accordance with the total amount of work done on the building. The parties who had actually done the work were required to submit affidavits similar to those required in the mechanic’s lien law to be submitted to the owner and payments were made on them. Only in these instances, however, the material men or the labor, or the subcontractor were told the exact amount that they were entitled to under each draw, and that in many instances had no correlation between the amount actually due.

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Bluebook (online)
233 N.E.2d 887, 13 Ohio Misc. 98, 42 Ohio Op. 2d 158, 1968 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 310, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kingsberry-mortgage-co-v-maddox-ohctcomplclermo-1968.