Town & Country Drive-In Shopping Centers, Inc. v. Abraham

348 N.E.2d 741, 46 Ohio App. 2d 262, 75 Ohio Op. 2d 416, 1975 Ohio App. LEXIS 5853
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedDecember 9, 1975
DocketNo 75AP-266
StatusPublished
Cited by28 cases

This text of 348 N.E.2d 741 (Town & Country Drive-In Shopping Centers, Inc. v. Abraham) 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
Town & Country Drive-In Shopping Centers, Inc. v. Abraham, 348 N.E.2d 741, 46 Ohio App. 2d 262, 75 Ohio Op. 2d 416, 1975 Ohio App. LEXIS 5853 (Ohio Ct. App. 1975).

Opinion

JIolmes, J.

This is an appeal of a judgment of the Court of Common Pleas of Franklin County denying the motion of the third-party plaintiff, the appellant herein, to vacate a prior judgment of the Court of Common Pleas, such motion being based on Civ. R. 60(B)(5) with the allegations being that the third-party plaintiff, Kitty’s Showbar, Inc., owned by Charles Abraham, had been deprived of its right of appeal because no notice of a decision or judgment of the Court of Common Pleas had been given until the time of appeal had expired.

The limited but pertinent facts upon which this appeal rests are that the parties herein, after much preliminary pleading and hearings on various procedural matters, finally came to trial, such being conducted over a period of some fourteen days. At the conclusion of the trial, on De *263 cember 6, 1974, the court directed a verdict for the third-party defendants G. G. K. & M. Co. and Ohio Bell Telephone Company, appellees herein. At such time, the trial court reserved its determination upon an additional question presented by the third-party defendants’ motion whether to allow the third-party defendants to amend their answer to assert the defense of the applicable statute' of limitations.

Subsequently, the third-party defendants, on December 11, 1974, submitted a judgment entry to the third-party plaintiff’s counsel for approval for purposes of filing in this matter, but the attorney representing Mr. Abraham and Kitty’s Showbar, Inc., refused to approve such entry and filed an objection to the filing of any judgment entry until all motions had been decided by the trial court.

The trial court did, on January 30, 1975, file its decision on the motion as made by the third-party defendants at trial, such decision sustaining the defendants’ motion for leave to amend their answer to include the defense of the statute of limitations. The court reiterated in such decision that it had sustained in open court the motion for a directed verdict based upon R. C. 4399.03 which states: “ [T]he unlawful sale or gift of intoxicating liquors shall forfeit all rights of the lessee or tenant under any lease or contract of rent upon premises where such unlawful sale or gift took place.”

On the same day, January 30, 1975, the trial court entered its judgment entry in accord with the court’s decision filed simultaneously with such entry. Subsequently, the third-party plaintiff moved the trial court to vacate the prior judgment, based upon Civil Rule 60(B). This motion, as stated was based in the main upon the claim that neither the third-party plaintiff, nor the third-party plaintiff’s counsel had received any notice that the court had rendered its decision, or any notice of the filing of the judgment entry.

The trial court, in its decision denying the motion to vacate judgment, stated that the court had, in accordance with Rule 39 of the Court of Common Pleas of Franklin County, prepared the entry of judgment and had caused *264 the-same to.be filed with, the,clerk of. such court, and that copies of the entry were .mailed to counsel for the respective parties. It is from this decision and the entry, thereon, overruling the motion for relief from judgment, that the appellant appeals, setting forth the following two assignments of error: .. ....

1. “The trial court abused its discretion and thereby erred in denying appellant’s motion to vacate judgment under.Ohio Civil Rules of Procedure Rule 60(B)(5) when such-motion was based on failure of notice of judgment entry to appellant until.after appeal time had expired.” ■

2. “The trial court abused its discretion and erred in denying appellant’s motion to vacate judgment und&r Ohio Civil Rules of Procedure Rule 60(B)(5) in that denying said, motion violates appellant’s constitutional right to due process , of law under the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States by denying appellant’s right, to appeal,when appellánt did not receive notice of judgment entry until after appeal time, had expired.” .

. . W-e must overrule both assignments of error herein. As to assignment of error number one, the record herein shows that the trial court, directed a verdict for third-party defendants G. G. K.' & M. Co. and Ohio Bell Telephone Company-and that such was- exercised, in open court. It cau reasonably be assumed that appellant was aware of such action on the part of the trial cpurt. Certainly, it cannot reasonably be denied that upon the basic merits of the matter the.trial court then,.pursuant to- Civ. R. 58, announced its decision to the-parties. •

• Civ. R. 58 provides that “ * * —upon a decision announced,. the court shall promptly cause the judgment to be prepared and, the court having signed-it, the clerk shall there7 upon .enter it.-* * "A judgment is effective only when filed with the clerk for journalization. * * *”

In accord with Civ. R. 58 the Common Pleas Court-of Franklin County has enacted local Rule 39, which provides as follows:

“If counsel are. unable to agree upon the entry, it shall be.; submitted to the trial judge, who will direct what entry shall be made.

*265 “If counsel fail to present an entry within twenty days after the order, decree or judgment is rendered, the trial judge may cause the proper entry to be prepared and filed without submission or notice to counsel or take such other action as may be appropriate under the circumstances. ”

There is no specific requirement, either under the Ohio Rules of Civil Procedure or under the local rules of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, to give counsel any notice of the filing of the judgment entry. As a matter of fact, the local rule speaks to the contrary, stating that the trial judge may cause the proper entry to be prepared and filed without submission or notice to counsel.

Arguendo, even if the local rules in question or the Ohio Rules of Civil Procedure were to require such notice, the record herein shows that the trial court has specifically stated in its decision denying the motion to vacate that after the judgment entry was prepared and filed with the clerk of the court, copies of the entry had been mailed to counsel for the respective parties. We find in the record an affidavit from counsel for Ohio Bell Telephone Company, that such entry had in fact been received by his office although, contrarily, there are affidavits filed by and on behalf of the third-party appellant that neither appellant nor its counsel had received copies of the judgment entry.

The rule which is controlling, and underlying the whole question at issue herein, is App. R. 4(A), which reads as follows:

* ‘ Appeals in civil cases. In a civil case the notice of appeal required by Rule 3 shall be filed with the clerk of the trial court within thirty days of the date of the entry of the judgment or order appealed from. A notice of appeal filed before entry of such judgment or order shall be treated as filed after such entry and on the day thereof. * * *

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Bluebook (online)
348 N.E.2d 741, 46 Ohio App. 2d 262, 75 Ohio Op. 2d 416, 1975 Ohio App. LEXIS 5853, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/town-country-drive-in-shopping-centers-inc-v-abraham-ohioctapp-1975.