Echemann v. Echemann
Echemann v. Echemann
Opinion
{¶ 1} Defendant-appellant, Thomas A. Echemann ("Tom"), appeals the August 28, 2017 judgment entry of the Shelby County Common Pleas Court granting plaintiff-appellee, Timothy A. Echemann ("Tim"), relief from judgment. For the reasons that follow, we reverse the decision of the trial court.
{¶ 2} Tom, Tim, and Pat Echemann ("Pat") were equal partners in Echo Outdoor, an Ohio partnership which owned and operated three billboards in or near Sidney, Ohio. (Doc. Nos. 142, 147).
{¶ 3} On September 28, 2015, Tim filed a complaint with the trial court seeking a judicial dissolution of Echo Outdoor. (Doc. No. 1). On October 15, 2015, Tom and Pat filed a joint answer. (Doc. No. 23). On November 9, 2015, Tim filed an amended complaint. (Doc. No. 33). On November 24, 2015, Tom and Pat filed a joint answer to Tim's amended complaint. (Doc. No. 39).
{¶ 4} On December 2, 2016, the trial court ordered judicial dissolution of Echo Outdoor. (Doc. No. 174).
{¶ 5} Following a June 26, 2017 bench trial, the trial court issued a judgment entry on July 17, 2017 determining the *931 remaining assets of the partnership and setting an order of distribution. (Doc. Nos. 211, 231).
{¶ 6} On August 9, 2017, Tim filed a motion for relief from judgment under Civ.R. 60(B) requesting that the trial court vacate the July 17, 2017 judgment entry and issue a new judgment entry. (Doc. No. 247). On August 14, 2017, Tom filed a memorandum in opposition to Tim's motion for relief from judgment. (Doc. No. 250).
{¶ 7} On August 23, 2017, the trial court granted Tim relief from judgment under Civ.R. 60(B) to correct a "mistake by the Court." (Doc. No. 252). The trial court stated that it "failed to address the issue of credits which were unilaterally taken by the parties in advance of trial but not considered by the Court in its Judgment Entry filed July 17, 2017." ( Id. ). The trial court further "acknowledge[d] that it focused on the issues as discussed by counsel without taking a more broad consideration of all the testimony presented at trial." ( Id. ). In conjunction with relieving Tim from judgment, the trial court issued an amended judgment entry purporting to remedy defects in the July 17, 2017 judgment entry. ( Id. ).
{¶ 8} On August 28, 2017, the trial court sua sponte issued a second amended judgment entry to correct a clerical error contained within the judgment entry filed on August 23, 2017. (Doc. No. 256).
{¶ 9} On September 8, 2017, Tom filed a notice of appeal. (Doc. No. 261). Tom raises two assignments of error for our review. We will address the assignments of error together.
Assignment of Error No. I
The Trial Court Erred by Granting Tim Echemann's Civ.R. 60(B) Motion for Relief from the Judgment Entry.
Assignment of Error No. II
The Trial Court Erred by Granting Tim Echemann's Request to Amend the Judgment Entry in his Civ.R. 60(B) Motion for Relief from the Judgment Entry.
{¶ 10} In his first assignment of error, Tom argues that the trial court erred in granting Tim's Civ.R. 60(B) motion for relief from the July 17, 2017 judgment ("July 17 judgment") of the trial court. Specifically, Tom argues that the trial court erred because Tim failed to proffer a meritorious defense or demonstrate that he is entitled to relief under any of the grounds set forth in Civ.R. 60(B)(1) through (5). In his second assignment of error, Tom asserts that the trial court erred by amending the July 17 judgment as part of granting Tim's motion for relief from judgment.
{¶ 11} To prevail on a motion for relief from judgment brought under Civ.R. 60(B), the moving party must demonstrate that: (1) the party has a meritorious defense or claim to present if relief is granted; (2) the party is entitled to relief under one of the grounds stated in Civ.R. 60(B)(1) through (5); and (3) the motion is made within a reasonable time, and, where the grounds of relief are Civ.R. 60(B)(1), (2) or (3), not more than one year after the judgment, order or proceeding was entered or taken.
GTE Automatic Elec., Inc. v. ARC Industries, Inc.
,
{¶ 12} From the face of the trial court's order relieving Tim from judgment, it is unclear precisely which basis for relief from judgment under Civ.R. 60(B) the trial
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court relied on. However, based on the language contained in Tim's motion for relief from judgment and the trial court's order and because Civ.R. 60(B)(2) through (4) are inapplicable to this case, we are assuming that the trial court granted Tim relief from judgment under Civ.R. 60(B)(1) or (5).
See
Kerr Bldgs., Inc. v. Bishop
, 3d Dist. Henry No. 7-14-07,
{¶ 13} Civ.R. 60(B) provides, in relevant part:
On motion and upon such terms as are just, the court may relieve a party or his legal representative from a final judgment, order or proceeding for the following reasons: (1) mistake, inadvertence, surprise or excusable neglect; * * * or (5) any other reason justifying relief from the judgment.
Civ.R. 60(B)(1), (5). Of the four grounds listed in Civ.R. 60(B)(1), we are assuming that, based on the language used in the trial court's August 23, 2017 order and amended judgment entry, the trial court relieved Tim from its July 17 judgment on grounds of "mistake."
{¶ 14} "Mistake," as the term is used in Civ.R. 60(B)(1), refers to the mistakes of a party or a party's agent.
Doyle v. St. Clair
, 9th Dist. Lorain No. 16CA010967,
{¶ 15} " Civ.R. 60(B)(5) is intended as a catch-all provision reflecting the inherent power of a court to relieve a person from the unjust operation of a judgment, but it is not to be used as a substitute for any of the other more specific provisions of Civ.R. 60(B)."
Caruso-Ciresi, Inc. v. Lohman
,
{¶ 16} " 'A motion for relief from judgment under Civ.R. 60(B) is addressed to the sound discretion of the trial court, and that court's ruling will not be disturbed on appeal absent a showing of abuse of discretion.' "
Kerr
,
{¶ 17} The trial court abused its discretion by relieving Tim from the July 17 judgment because Tim cannot demonstrate that he is entitled to relief under any of the grounds stated in Civ.R. 60(B)(1) through (5). First, the mistake relied on by the trial court in relieving Tim from judgment is not the type of "mistake" referred to in Civ.R. 60(B)(1). Second, the circumstances surrounding the July 17 judgment are not so extraordinary or unusual as to necessitate relief under Civ.R. 60(B)(5).
{¶ 18} In Tim's motion for relief from judgment, he stated that he was "trying to get the Judgment Entry correct based upon the Court's rulings and the evidence present in this case." (Doc. No. 247). Tim argued that "[t]he Trial Court's Entry [did] not indicate Trial Court testimony" and that it failed to include findings which Tim believes, in light of the evidence and testimony presented at trial, the trial court should have been compelled to make. ( Id. ). Essentially, Tim argued that the trial court either completely failed to consider evidence and testimony or that it did not properly consider evidence and testimony and that, as a result, the July 17 judgment is unsupported by the evidence.
{¶ 19} In its order relieving Tim from judgment, the trial court admits that it granted Tim's Civ. R. 60(B) motion "due to [a] mistake by the Court." (Doc. No. 252). This "mistake," according to the trial court, was that in crafting its original judgment entry, the trial court "focused on the issues as discussed by counsel without taking a more broad consideration of all the testimony presented at trial." ( Id. ). Further, the trial court commented that it "failed to address the issue of credits which were unilaterally taken by the parties in advance of trial but not considered by the Court in its Judgment Entry filed July 17, 2017." ( Id. ). These remarks indicate that the trial court concluded that it made a mistake in rendering its July 17 judgment and that the mistake amounted to more than the erroneous omission of findings it otherwise made.
{¶ 20} In sum, the "mistake" relied on by the trial court to relieve Tim from judgment-the trial court's purported failure to consider certain evidence and trial testimony in rendering its July 17 judgment-is a factual mistake on the part of the trial court and thus not the type of mistake contemplated by Civ.R. 60(B)(1).
See
Chester Twp.
,
{¶ 21} Additionally, "[a] party may not use a Civ.R. 60(B) motion as a substitute for a timely appeal."
Doe v. Trumbull Cty. Children Servs. Bd.
,
{¶ 22} Therefore, we conclude that Tim is not entitled to relief from judgment under Civ.R. 60(B)(1). Our conclusion is consistent with the principle that motions for reconsideration of final judgments are nullities.
See
Pitts v. Ohio Dept. of Transp.
,
{¶ 23} Furthermore, we conclude that Tim is not entitled to relief from judgment under Civ.R. 60(B)(5). Claims that a trial court's judgment is against the manifest weight of the evidence or based on insufficient evidence are not so extraordinary or unusual as to rise to the level of other situations in which Ohio courts have found that relief under Civ.R. 60(B)(5) is or could be appropriate.
See, e.g.
,
Volodkevich
at 154,
{¶ 24} Because we conclude that Tim is not entitled to relief from judgment under any of the grounds listed in Civ.R. 60(B)(1) through (5), Tim failed to meet the second prong of the
GTE
test. A party cannot
*935
prevail on a Civ.R. 60(B) motion if they fail to satisfy any one of the
GTE
elements.
See
United Bank v. Lemon
, 3d Dist. Crawford No. 3-17-17,
{¶ 25} Tom's assignments of error are, therefore, sustained.
{¶ 26} Having found error prejudicial to the appellant herein in the particulars assigned and argued, we reverse the judgment of the trial court and remand for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
Judgment Reversed and Cause Remanded
SHAW, J., concurs.
{¶ 27} Although I concur with the conclusion of the majority, I am writing separately because I would reach that conclusion solely on the basis of the logic set forth in paragraph 21. The 60(B) motion in this case was merely being used as a substitute for an appeal, which is not permissible. Thus, I concur in the judgment to reverse the decision of the trial court.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.