Weihe v. JP Morgan Chase Natl. Assn.

2025 Ohio 3308
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedSeptember 12, 2025
Docket25CA016
StatusPublished

This text of 2025 Ohio 3308 (Weihe v. JP Morgan Chase Natl. Assn.) 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
Weihe v. JP Morgan Chase Natl. Assn., 2025 Ohio 3308 (Ohio Ct. App. 2025).

Opinion

[Cite as Weihe v. JP Morgan Chase Natl. Assn., 2025-Ohio-3308.]

COURT OF APPEALS RICHLAND COUNTY, OHIO FIFTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

CATHERINE WIEHE, ET AL. : JUDGES: : Hon. William B. Hoffman, P.J. Plaintiffs-Appellants : Hon. Andrew J. King, J. : Hon. Robert G. Montgomery, J. -vs- : : JP MORGAN CHASE BANK : Case No. 25CA16 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, ET AL. : : Defendants-Appellees : OPINION

CHARACTER OF PROCEEDING: Appeal from the Court of Common Pleas, Case No. 23 CV 0257

JUDGMENT: Affirmed

DATE OF JUDGMENT: September 12, 2025

APPEARANCES:

For Plaintiffs-Appellants For Defendants-Appellees

MICHAEL L. INSCORE SARAH M. BENOIT 3 North Main Street 41 South High Street Suite 703 Suite 1800 Mansfield, OH 44902-1741 Columbus, OH 43215-6106

DAVID N. HARING 99 Park Avenue West Suite B Mansfield, OH 44902 King, J.

{¶ 1} Plaintiffs-Appellants, Catherine Wiehe, Joan Cowdery, and Michael Gesing,

appeal the February 19, 2025 judgment entries of the Court of Common Pleas of Richland

County, Ohio, denying their motion to strike and granting summary judgment to

Defendants-Appellees, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., Barbara Walker-Cox, and Ronald

Cox. We affirm the trial court.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

{¶ 2} Joan Bunsey and appellee Barbara Walker-Cox were sisters and the aunts

of appellants. Two additional sisters who predeceased Bunsey were the mothers of

appellants. Walker-Cox is married to Ronald Cox and they reside in Las Vegas, Nevada.

{¶ 3} Bunsey never married and had no children. She lived in New York City. In

2019, at the approximate age of 83, her health started to decline rapidly. Her nieces,

Wiehe and Cowdery, traveled to New York to help care for her. In 2021, Bunsey moved

into an assisted living facility in Mansfield, Ohio. Appellants provided care to Bunsey,

visiting her, running errands for her, and transporting her to appointments.

{¶ 4} At some point, Wiehe asked Walker-Cox to help Bunsey with her finances,

specifically, opening a bank account in Ohio. On March 4, 2022, Cowdery took Bunsey

to the local Chase Bank to open checking and savings accounts. They met with bank

manager Adam Siringer. Bunsey indicated she wanted to open accounts and transfer

her New York funds into the accounts and have her retirement income directly deposited

therein. She expressed the desire to have Walker-Cox on the accounts. Cowdery helped

Bunsey operate the computer mouse to point and click on the digital forms. Walker-Cox was listed as a "customer to be added later." Bunsey elected to receive electronic copies

of the documents.

{¶ 5} On March 10, 2022, Walker-Cox went to a Chase Bank in Las Vegas to add

herself to the accounts as instructed by Bunsey. By June 2022, over $1 million was added

to the accounts.

{¶ 6} On August 18, 2022, Bunsey and Walker-Cox went to the local Chase Bank

in Ohio to add beneficiaries to the account. They met with Danielle Horvath. Appellants

were added to the accounts as payable on death ("POD") beneficiaries.

{¶ 7} Bunsey passed away on May 3, 2023, at the age of 86. On May 11, 2023,

Walker-Cox met with Siringer at Chase Bank. She removed Bunsey from the account

and added her husband as a joint owner.

{¶ 8} On May 24, 2023, appellants filed a complaint against appellees alleging

conversion, interference with contract, and breach of contract. Appellants also sought

declaratory judgment. Appellants filed an amended complaint on August 15, 2023, and

a second amended complaint on November 20, 2023, adding a claim for

reformation/rescission. Appellants alleged they were the rightful owners of the monies in

the accounts.

{¶ 9} On October 7, and 9, 2024, appellees filed separate motions for summary

judgment. Both motions had attached exhibits and affidavits. On November 1, 2024,

appellants filed a motion to strike portions of the affidavits of Walker-Cox and Siringer,

arguing some of the averments lacked foundation, conflicted with deposition testimony,

and were speculative. Walker-Cox filed a reply with a supplemental affidavit on November 18, 2024. By judgment entries filed February 19, 2025, the trial court denied

the motion to strike and granted the motions for summary judgment.

{¶ 10} Appellants filed an appeal with the following assignments of error:

I

{¶ 11} "THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN WEIGHING THE EVIDENCE AND

MAKING FACTUAL FINDINGS THAT THE DECEDENT, JOAN BUNSEY,

ACKNOWLEDGED RECEIPT OF THE DEPOSIT ACCOUNT AGREEMENT ON MARCH

4, 2022, INTENTIONALLY ADDED BARBARA WALKER-COX AS A JOINT OWNER

WITH RIGHTS OF SURVIVORSHIP, AND ELECTRONICALLY SIGNED A NEW

SIGNATURE CARD ON AUGUST 18, 2022."

II

{¶ 12} "THE TRIAL COURT ERRED AS A MATTER OF LAW IN GRANTING THE

MOTIONS FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT OF DEFENDANT JPMORGAN CHASE BANK,

N.A., AND DEFENDANTS BARBARA WALKER-COX AND RONALD COX."

III

{¶ 13} "THE TRIAL COURT ERRED AS A MATTER OF LAW IN OVERRULING

PLAINTIFFS' MOTION TO STRIKE IN PART AFFIDAVIT AVERMENTS OF BARBARA

WALKER-COX AND ADAM SIRINGER."

{¶ 14} For ease of discussion, we will address the last assignment of error first.

{¶ 15} In their third assignment of error, appellants claim the trial court erred in

overruling their motion to strike parts of the affidavits of Walker-Cox and Siringer. We

disagree. {¶ 16} This court has consistently reviewed decisions on motions to strike affidavits

within the context of summary judgment proceedings under an abuse of discretion

standard. Lakeview Loan Servicing, LLC v. Adegunju, 2025-Ohio-2019, ¶ 19 (5th Dist.);

Campagna-McGuffin v. Diva Gymnastics Academy, Inc., 2022-Ohio-3885, ¶ 20 (5th

Dist.); Curtis v. Schmid, 2008-Ohio-5239, ¶ 17 (5th Dist.). "Abuse of discretion" means

an attitude that is unreasonable, arbitrary or unconscionable. Huffman v. Hair Surgeon,

Inc., 19 Ohio St.3d 83, 87 (1985). Most instances of abuse of discretion will result in

decisions that are simply unreasonable, rather than decisions that are unconscionable or

arbitrary. AAAA Enterprises, Inc. v. River Place Community Urban Redevelopment Corp.,

50 Ohio St.3d 157, 161 (1990). An unreasonable decision is one backed by no sound

reasoning process which would support that decision. Id. "It is not enough that the

reviewing court, were it deciding the issue de novo, would not have found that reasoning

process to be persuasive, perhaps in view of countervailing reasoning processes that

would support a contrary result." Id.

{¶ 17} Under Civ.R. 56(E), "[s]upporting and opposing affidavits shall be made on

personal knowledge, shall set forth such facts as would be admissible in evidence, and

shall show affirmatively that the affiant is competent to testify to the matters stated in the

affidavit." "If an affidavit of a movant for summary judgment is inconsistent with the

movant's former deposition testimony, summary judgment may not be granted in the

movant's favor." Byrd v. Smith, 2006-Ohio-3455, ¶ 26, citing Turner v. Turner, 67 Ohio

St.3d 337 (1993).

{¶ 18} In their motion to strike, appellants argued portions of the affidavits of

Walker-Cox and Siringer lacked foundation as to Bunsey's state of mind, conflicted with their deposition testimony, and contained speculative statements; therefore, the affidavits

amounted to sham affidavits.

{¶ 19} The trial court conducted a detailed analysis and denied the motion.

Judgment Entry filed February 9, 2025.

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2025 Ohio 3308, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/weihe-v-jp-morgan-chase-natl-assn-ohioctapp-2025.