Gager v. Kasdon

Decision Date04 March 1964
Docket NumberNo. 141,141
Citation234 Md. 7,197 A.2d 837
PartiesJohn Chapman GAGER v. Lawrence I. KASDON.
CourtMaryland Court of Appeals

John C. Gager, in pro. per.

Hillel Abrams, Silver Spring, for appellee.

Before HENDERSON, HAMMOND, MARBURY, SYBERT and O. BOWIE DUCKETT, Specially Assigned, JJ.

DUCKETT, Judge.

This case questions the validity of a tax sale in Montgomery County.

Appellant, John Chapman Gager, was the owner of Lot 17, Block 23, Glen Echo Heights, Seventh Election District, Montgomery County, containing 13,125 square feet and assessed at $1,970. The taxes for 1960 were unpaid so the property was sold by the Collector of Taxes at public auction to the appellee, Lawrence I. Kasdon for $110.64 on June 12, 1961.

As appellant neglected to redeem within one year, appellee on June 28, 1962 filed a bill of complaint to foreclose all equity of redemption in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County. Defendant-appellant first filed a demurrer which was heard and overruled by Judge Pugh on September 5, 1962 with the right to the defendant Gager to answer within 15 days. An answer was thereafter duly filed by the defendant, together with an objection to the petition or bill of complaint.

The matter was heard by Judge Shook in open court on May 7, 1963 and that court in its decree of May 9th found that the plaintiff had sustained his bill of complaint and that the defendant had failed and refused to redeem his property or prove the allegations in his answer and therefore decreed that all rights of redemption in and to the property were forever foreclosed and the plaintiff, Lawrence I. Kasdon, vested with an absolute and indefeasible title to said property. An appeal was duly filed from this decision.

It is unfortunate that appellant's case was not tried by a lawyer because most of his contentions were not properly raised in the lower court so could not be considered by that court or by this Court on appeal. For instance, appellant contends that the 1960 assessment of $1,970. was grossly excessive while it appears from the evidence that there was no protest or appeal from that assessment. It necessarily follows that as appellant has not exhausted his administrative remedies, the question cannot be collaterally attacked in these proceedings. In other words, where an administrative remedy is provided by statute, such remedy should be exhausted before judicial relief is sought. See cases collected in 1 M.L.E. Administrative Law and Procedure § 6.

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9 cases
  • State Dept. of Assessments and Taxation v. Clark
    • United States
    • Maryland Court of Appeals
    • November 4, 1977
    ...therein cited. The rule has been invoked consistently with respect to tax assessments of property. See, for example, Gager v. Kasdon, 234 Md. 7, 9-10, 197 A.2d 837 (1964); Casey Dev. Corp. v. Mont. County, 212 Md. 138, 145-147, 129 A.2d 63 (1957); Tanner v. McKeldin, 202 Md. 569, 578, 97 A.......
  • Bell Atlantic of Maryland, Inc. v. Intercom Systems Corporation
    • United States
    • Maryland Court of Appeals
    • October 10, 2001
    ...Spintman, 254 Md. at 428, 255 A.2d at 307; Poe v. City of Baltimore, 241 Md. 303, 311, 216 A.2d 707, 711 (1966); Gager v. Kasdon, 234 Md. 7, 9-10, 197 A.2d 837, 838 (1964), appeal dismissed, 379 U.S. 13, 85 S.Ct. 120, 13 L.Ed.2d 24 (1964); Shpak v. Mytych, 231 Md. 414, 417, 190 A.2d 777, 77......
  • Furnitureland v. Comptroller
    • United States
    • Maryland Court of Appeals
    • May 9, 2001
    ...A.2d 260, 265 (1978); State Dept. of Assessments & Tax. v. Clark, 281 Md. 385, 401-403, 380 A.2d 28, 37-38 (1977); Gager v. Kasdon, 234 Md. 7, 9, 197 A.2d 837, 838 (1964); Tanner v. McKeldin, 202 Md. 569, 578, 97 A.2d 449, 453 (1953); Reiling v. Comptroller, 201 Md. 384, 388, 94 A.2d 261, 2......
  • Leatherbury v. Gaylord Fuel Corp.
    • United States
    • Maryland Court of Appeals
    • November 24, 1975
    ...265 Md. 291, 289 A.2d 314 (1972); Gingell v. County Commissioners, 249 Md. 374, 376-377, 239 A.2d 903 (1968); Gager v. Kasdon, 234 Md. 7, 9-10, 197 A.2d 837 (1964); Shpak v. Mytych, 231 Md. 414, 417, 190 A.2d 777 (1936); Poolesville v. County Council, 24 Md.App. 347, 352-354, 330 A.2d 711 (......
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