Ohio Court of Appeals, 1923

Latham v. Folkerth

Latham v. Folkerth
Ohio Court of Appeals · Decided October 11, 1923
1 Ohio Law. Abs. 814; 1923 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 1546

Latham v. Folkerth

Opinion of the Court

BY THE COURT.

Epitomized Opinion

Latham brought suit in the Municipal Court of Franklin county against Folkerth to recover $75.50 being the first installment on a street assessment. The contract of sale to Latham, the purchaser, was made on July 1, 1919, and provided that the grantor should pay all assessments to and including the June assessment of 1921. The assessment ordinance was passed and adopted in June, 1921. The assessment was not certified by the clerk until Sept. 1, 1921. The certificate contained the statement that β€œthe first installment was due in December, 1920.” The grantor refused to pay this assessment upon the ground that it was not due till certified to the county auditor. The Municipal Court held for the plaintiff grantee. This judgment was reversed by the Common Pleas Court, whereupon error was prosecuted. No motion for a new trial was filed in the Common Pleas Court. In sustaining the judgment of the Municipal Court, this court held:

1. The lien for the street assessment as against the owner became effective when the ordinance was adopted and became operative under the law; therefore the grantor is liable for this amount under the purchase contract.

2. As the questions decided by the Common Pleas Court were purely questions of law, no trial being had, it was unnecessary to file a motion for a new trial to prosecute error.

Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.