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LISBON --The parties behind the Moore Road controversy do not intend to go quietly into the night.
Charles and Laura Bramel and Chester Channels have filed an appeal with the Ohio 7th District Court of Appeals contesting the Feb. 23 ruling declaring them vexatious litigators and ordering they quit taking any further legal action in county courts without the judge's approval.
Columbiana County commissioners filed a lawsuit last summer to have the Bramels and Channels declared vexatious litigators, which is someone who repeatedly files lawsuits or other legal actions that have little or no basis in law and seeks to use these actions to harass or maliciously injure another party.
This was after the trio filed about a half dozen petitions with commissioners over two years related to their efforts to have Moore Road in St. Clair Township either relocated or -- after having failed in that attempt -- to have it dedicated as a public road. Commissioners rejected the claims or took no action, saying Moore Road is already a public road and that they lack the authority to address the other issues.
County Common Pleas Court Judge C. Ashley Pike, in declaring the trio were vexatious litigators, said their attorney had failed to present any evidence to contest the county prosecutor's office motion for a summary judge based on the facts. It appears the Bramels have since changed law firms and are now represented by Youngstown attorney Rhys Brendan Cartwright-Jones.
After the commissioners took legal action, the Bramels and Channels filed a lawsuit against Moore Road neighbors Michael and Karla Holden seeking an easement over their property. The lawsuit remains pending.