Morgensen v. Pullin

2026 Ohio 695
Ohio Court of Appeals·Decided March 2, 2026·No. CA2025-08-071·Published

Opinion

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS

TWELFTH APPELLATE DISTRICT OF OHIO WARREN COUNTY

DAVID MORGENSEN, :

CASE NO. CA2025-08-071

Appellee, :

OPINION AND

vs. : JUDGMENT ENTRY 3/2/2026

JAMES PULLIN, et al., :

Appellants. :

:

CIVIL APPEAL FROM WARREN COUNTY COURT OF COMMON PLEAS Case No. 17CV90599

Hoffer Law, LLC, and Tyler J. Hoffer, for appellee. DannLaw, and Andrew M. Engel and Marc E. Dann, for appellant.

OPINION

SIEBERT, J.

{¶ 1} Appellants, James and Rebekah Pullin (collectively, the "Pullins"), appeal a decision from the Warren County Court of Common Pleas, denying their motion to vacate. We conclude, based on this opinion's reasoning, that the Warren County court had jurisdiction to resolve this matter, that the Pullins' arguments regarding the effect of the

bankruptcy proceedings are without merit, and all of their ancillary assertions are likewise meritless. Accordingly, the Warren County court did not err in denying the motion to vacate.

I. Facts and Procedural History 2015 Lawsuit

{¶ 2} This case arises from a dispute between the Pullins and David Morgensen, Rebekah's father, and James' father-in-law. In June 2015, Morgensen filed suit against James in the Clinton County Court of Common Pleas ("Clinton County court") following a failed business partnership (the "2015 Lawsuit"). On March 9, 2017, Morgensen and James entered into an agreed judgment entry resolving the 2015 Lawsuit in Morgensen's favor in the amount of $43,162 (the "Settlement").

{¶ 3} At the time of the 2015 Lawsuit, James owned a one-half interest in real property located at 150 Valley Street in Midland, Ohio (the "Midland Property"), and Rebekah owned the remaining one-half interest. In March 2016, the Pullins sold the Midland Property for $148,000 and purchased a new residence at 5355 Harveysburg Road, Waynesville, Ohio (the "Waynesville Property") for $272,000. Although the Midland Property had been titled in both of their names, the Pullins titled the Waynesville Property solely in Rebekah's name.

Fraudulent Conveyance Lawsuit

{¶ 4} On September 11, 2017, Morgensen filed a fraudulent conveyance action ("Fraudulent Conveyance Lawsuit") against the Pullins in the Clinton County court, arising from the sale of the Midland Property. The complaint alleged that the Midland Property contained significant equity and that the Pullins transferred that equity from their joint ownership interest in the Midland Property to Rebekah's sole ownership of the Waynesville Property, with the actual intent to defraud, hinder, or delay Morgensen in

collecting on his judgment for the 2015 Lawsuit.

{¶ 5} On November 30, 2017, the Pullins moved to dismiss the Fraudulent Conveyance Lawsuit or, in the alternative, to transfer venue to Warren County, Ohio because the Waynesville Property was located in Warren County. On December 14, 2017, the Clinton County judge signed an agreed entry the parties had executed, which stated the matter should be transferred to the Warren County Court of Common Pleas ("Warren County court") pursuant to Civ.R. 3(D).

{¶ 6} On December 15, 2017, James filed for bankruptcy in the United States District Court ("federal bankruptcy court)" triggering an automatic stay of the proceedings as to him. The Clinton County Clerk of Courts ("Clinton County Clerk") journalized the agreed entry described in the preceding paragraph, which authorized the transfer of the case to the Warren County court on December 20, 2017, at 11:46 am. James filed a Suggestion of Stay in the Clinton County court on December 20, 2017, at 2:09 pm. On December 26, 2017, the Clinton County Clerk transferred the case and the corresponding record to the Warren County court, pursuant to the agreed judgment entry journalized on December 20, 2017.

{¶ 7} Morgensen thereafter sought relief from the stay in federal bankruptcy court.

Although the federal bankruptcy court denied that request, it clarified that the automatic stay did not apply to Rebekah or to any action against property1 owned by her, including

1. The parties to this action used the Latin phrase "in rem," which translates to "against a thing." Black's Law Dictionary (12th Ed. 2024). The parties use this to refer to the portion of the relevant lawsuits where Morgensen only pursued relief against the property at issue (e.g., through a lien). "In personam" is the Latin phrase the parties use for any argument related to a judgment or action against James or Rebekah personally—it translates to "against a person." Black's Law Dictionary (12th Ed. 2024). This court finds it important that everyone reading its opinions can understand them, so it generally avoids the use of Latin phrases, especially when they impact a substantive or critical question before the court. Therefore, this opinion will only use "against the [property]" or "against James [or Rebekah] personally" when necessary to distinguish the terms.

the Waynesville Property.2

{¶ 8} On July 24, 2018, the federal bankruptcy court lifted the stay, and the Warren County court ordered Morgensen to file an amended complaint. The amended complaint again alleged that the Pullins transferred real estate equity in the Midland Property to Rebekah with the actual intent to defraud, hinder, or delay the collection of the Settlement proceeds. It further specified that, in light of James' bankruptcy discharge, Morgensen sought no relief against James personally; any remedy would be against the Waynesville Property only, based on James' potential dower interest in it.

{¶ 9} On September 20, 2018, the Pullins sold the Waynesville Property and purchased a new residence at 1024 Spruce Glenn, Morrow, Ohio (the "Morrow Property"). James and Rebekah held joint fee simple title to the Morrow Property, with rights of survivorship. Following trial, the Warren County court amended the complaint pursuant to Civ.R. 15(B), to be against the Morrow Property in order to conform with the evidence presented.

{¶ 10} The matter thereafter proceeded to a bench trial. On March 5, 2020, the magistrate issued a decision ("Magistrate's Decision") finding that the Pullins had fraudulently transferred assets and awarded Morgensen an equitable lien against the Morrow Property in the amount of $43,162.3

{¶ 11} The Pullins filed objections, but the Warren County court overruled them and adopted the Magistrate's Decision. In its June 17, 2020 entry ("June 2020 Decision"),

2. Although the action could have proceeded against Rebekah, the record reflects that little activity occurred on the docket. The record shows that Morgensen filed a motion to reactivate the case, to which the Pullins filed a response, and Morgensen filed a reply. The Warren County court subsequently issued a notice scheduling a hearing on the motion to reactivate; however, no further action was taken.

3. The Magistrate's Decision permitted an amendment to the pleadings to conform with the evidence presented at trial, to allow for the imposition of an equitable lien on the Morrow Property. See Civ.R. 15(B).

the Warren County court found that Rebekah qualified as an "insider" under R.C. 1336.01(G)(1)(a) and that the series of real estate transactions exhibited multiple badges of fraud, demonstrating the Pullins' actual intent to hinder, delay, or defraud Morgensen. The Pullins did not file a direct appeal of the June 2020 Decision.

Foreclosure Lawsuit and Motion to Vacate

{¶ 12} On April 24, 2024, Morgensen filed a complaint in the Warren County court seeking to foreclose on the equitable lien imposed against the Morrow Property (the "Foreclosure Lawsuit").4

{¶ 13} On June 13, 2025, nearly five years after judgment had been entered, the Pullins filed a motion to vacate the June 2020 Decision. They asserted that the Warren County court lacked jurisdiction, that its prior rulings were null and void due to alleged bankruptcy violations, and that no final appealable order had ever been entered. The Warren County court denied the motion in a written decision issued on July 14, 2025, explaining:

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