Ragouzis v. Madison House Condominium Owners Assn., Inc.

CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 30, 2026
DocketC-250333
StatusPublished

This text of Ragouzis v. Madison House Condominium Owners Assn., Inc. (Ragouzis v. Madison House Condominium Owners Assn., Inc.) 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
Ragouzis v. Madison House Condominium Owners Assn., Inc., (Ohio Ct. App. 2026).

Opinion

[Cite as Ragouzis v. Madison House Condominium Owners Assn., Inc., 2026-Ohio-2477.]

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS FIRST APPELLATE DISTRICT OF OHIO HAMILTON COUNTY, OHIO

EDGAR T. RAGOUZIS, : APPEAL NO. C-250333 TRIAL NO. A-2204283 Plaintiff-Counterclaim-Defendant- : Appellant, : and JUDGMENT ENTRY : BERTHA G. HELMICK, et al., : Plaintiffs, : vs. : THE MADISON HOUSE CONDOMINIUM OWNERS’ : ASSOCIATION, INC., et al., : Defendants, : and, : KELLY MAHER, et al., : Interested Party Defendants- Counterclaim-Plaintiffs-Appellees. :

This cause was heard upon the appeal, the record, the briefs, and arguments. For the reasons set forth in the Opinion filed this date, the judgment of the trial court is affirmed. Further, the court holds that there were reasonable grounds for this appeal, allows no penalty, and orders that costs be taxed under App.R. 24. The court further orders that (1) a copy of this Judgment with a copy of the Opinion attached constitutes the mandate, and (2) the mandate be sent to the trial court for execution under App.R. 27. OHIO FIRST DISTRICT COURT OF APPEALS

To the clerk: Enter upon the journal of the court on 6/30/2026 per order of the court.

By:_______________________ Presiding Judge OHIO FIRST DISTRICT COURT OF APPEALS

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS FIRST APPELLATE DISTRICT OF OHIO HAMILTON COUNTY, OHIO

EDGAR T. RAGOUZIS, : APPEAL NO. C-250333 TRIAL NO. A-2204283 Plaintiff-Counterclaim-Defendant- : Appellant, : and OPINION : BERTHA G. HELMICK, et al., : Plaintiffs, : vs. : THE MADISON HOUSE CONDOMINIUM OWNERS’ : ASSOCIATION, INC., et al., : Defendants, : and, : KELLY MAHER, et al., 1

: Interested Party Defendants- Counterclaim-Plaintiffs-Appellees. :

Civil Appeal From: Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas

Judgment Appealed From Is: Affirmed

Date of Judgment Entry on Appeal: June 30, 2026

Droder & Miller Co., LPA, Edward J. Collins, Bradley A. Powell, and K. Joshua Waters, for Plaintiff-Counterclaim-Defendant-Appellant,

1153 parties appear before this court as interested party defendants-counterclaim-plaintiffs- appellees. The full list of these parties is in the appendix to the opinion. OHIO FIRST DISTRICT COURT OF APPEALS

Cummins Law LLC, James R. Cummins, Rebecca S. Rhein, and Ethan K. Losier, for 153 Interested Party Defendants-Counterclaim-Plaintiffs-Appellees. OHIO FIRST DISTRICT COURT OF APPEALS

MOORE, Presiding Judge.

{¶1} Plaintiff-appellant Edward T. Ragouzis appeals the trial court’s entry of

partial summary judgment against him, declaring him a vexatious litigator. Because

the record clearly and convincingly supports the trial court’s judgment, we affirm the

trial court’s judgment.

I. Factual and Procedural History

A. The Complaint

{¶2} The Madison House Condominium is a 175-unit high-rise residential

building located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Ragouzis owns and resides in two adjoined units

in the building.

{¶3} On November 21, 2022, Ragouzis and six other unit owners

(“plaintiffs”) filed a 22-count complaint against The Madison House Condominium

Owners’ Association, Inc., (“Madison House”) its board of directors, the building’s

management company, and 153 other unit owners at the condominium complex.

{¶4} On January 12, 2023, 1372 of the unit owners3 (“the interested parties”)

answered the complaint and filed counterclaims against plaintiffs. The counterclaims

alleged that plaintiffs engaged in a conspiracy of harassing conduct and conducted a

campaign to diminish the value of other owners’ units for “his” own personal economic

benefit. Ragouzis was specifically named in many of the allegations.

{¶5} On February 28, 2024, the trial court granted counsel for Ragouzis’s

request to withdraw. Ragouzis’s former counsel indicated that Ragouzis’s repeated

threats made representation nearly impossible. Following his counsel’s withdrawal,

2 Interested party defendants-counterclaim-plaintiffs-appellees’ responsive brief explains, “Though

there were originally 137 Counterclaim Plaintiffs that filed counterclaims against Mr. Ragouzis, at the time of this appeal, 153 of Mr. Ragouzis’s neighbors filed the same counterclaims.” 3 These parties appear in the caption as “Interested Party Defendants-Counterclaim-Plaintiffs-

Appellees.” For clarity, we will hereinafter refer to these parties as “the interested parties.”

5 OHIO FIRST DISTRICT COURT OF APPEALS

Ragouzis proceeded pro se.

1. Ragouzis Files Numerous Motions and Sends Numerous Emails to Opposing Counsel and Parties

{¶6} Between March 26, 2024, and May 8, 2025, Ragouzis filed

approximately 49 motions and other filings. The filings included multiple surreplies

filed without leave of court, several motions seeking to stay or continue proceedings

where such requests had already been denied, and motions to rehear or reconsider

issues that the trial court had already decided. In addition, Ragouzis filed motions

contrary to standing orders or without the required meet-and-confer procedures.

Ragouzis also filed discovery requests that had previously been stricken that he had

served on three separate occasions on the same party. Ragouzis also served and filed

subpoenas that sought information that had no relevance to the pending action.

{¶7} On July 30, 2024, the trial court granted defendant The Madison House

Condominium Owner’s Association, Inc.’s, motion for a preliminary injunction

against Ragouzis. The trial court found that Ragouzis had (1) repeatedly impeded the

condominium’s easements and interfered with contractors and vendors on the

premises, (2) repeatedly denied Madison House access for necessary repairs, (3)

registered complaints with the City of Cincinnati and threatened to “add the City back

into” the lawsuit if it did not meet his demands, (4) repeatedly threatened Madison

House’s counsel with disciplinary complaints, (5) repeatedly attempted to contact

Madison House’s insurer with various demands directly, and (6) threatened other

condominium residents.

{¶8} The court enjoined Ragouzis from preventing Madison House and its

contractors or vendors from conducting any necessary inspections, maintenance, or

repairs, from communicating with the contractors or vendors, and from engaging in

6 OHIO FIRST DISTRICT COURT OF APPEALS

any further nuisance behavior.

{¶9} In addition to the approximately 49 filings, Ragouzis sent

approximately 25 emails to counsel and parties that the recipients considered

threatening and harassing. The email correspondence included insults and threats of

physical violence, to “weaponize” litigation, and to file disciplinary complaints.

{¶10} On September 5, 2024, the trial court dismissed Ragouzis’s

approximately 34 pending filings to that date with prejudice, after finding that

Ragouzis was in contempt of court for violating the preliminary injunction by

continuing to interfere with repairs that needed to be made in Ragouzis’s unit. Then,

on September 13, 2024, the 153 interested parties filed a motion for partial summary

judgment to declare Ragouzis a vexatious litigator.

{¶11} On November 20, 2024, in violation of the August 28, 2024 court order

prohibiting direct contact with the interested parties regarding the litigation, Ragouzis

sent an email to over 100 individuals stating, in part, “I can refile suit against every

owner as you have participated in the Cummins class action . . . I’m not done here.” In

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