Court Opinion

ID: 9668168
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 02:04:25.923024+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:10:08.233692
License: Public Domain

Jansen, P.J.
(dissenting). I respectfully dissent. I would affirm the circuit court’s order vacating the district court’s order and returning the escrow money to defendants.
The district court was without jurisdiction to disburse any of the escrow money to plaintiff on February 6, 1990, because of its previous dismissal of the underlying summary proceeding to recover possession of the premises. The district court dismissed the summary proceeding on February 5, 1990, because of defective notice. Without proper notice (causing the subsequent dismissal of the action), the district court did not acquire jurisdiction. Sokup v Davis' Estate, 206 Mich 144; 172 NW 428 (1919); In re Koss Estate, 340 Mich 185; 65 NW2d 316 (1954). When a court lacks subject *227matter jurisdiction or personal jurisdiction, the action is void because of want of jurisdiction. Altman v Nelson, 197 Mich App 467; 495 NW2d 826 (1992).
Therefore, because the underlying action was dismissed, there was no dispute regarding the rent in escrow and the district court had no jurisdiction to disburse any of the escrow money to plaintiff. Contrary to the majority’s assertion that entitlement to possession of the residence is a separate question from the issue of rent, the escrow in this case was set up solely because of the underlying summary proceeding to recover possession of the premises. Without the underlying action, there is no action for collecting the rent in escrow.
The circuit court properly vacated the district court’s order disbursing the escrow money because the district court’s action was void. Once the underlying action was dismissed, the parties should have been returned to the status quo and the escrow money returned to defendants.
Accordingly, I would affirm the circuit court’s order vacating the district court’s order and disbursing the escrow money to defendants.