Sgt. Johnnie Downs, of Akron, is an Army veteran, not a prizefighter. But he sees a similarity between boxers and himself as he’s fought to remain in his home the past several years.
“When a boxer wins, he doesn’t do it alone," Sgt. Downs said. “He’s got someone in his corner. For me, legal aid has been in my corner.”
Sgt. Downs came to Community Legal Aid for help after the home he was living in was being foreclosed on. His brother, Harold, had passed away in 2019. In accordance with Harold's wishes, Sgt. Downs moved into Harold's home and began making payments on the mortgage. That continued without incident for about four years.
In 2023, the mortgage company refused to accept further payment and brought suit to foreclose the mortgage. Sgt. Downs tried to represent himself in the case but found he didn’t have the knowledge to succeed.
“I needed a lawyer to represent me,” he said.
After he was approved for services, Staff Attorney John Roszczyk, of our Veterans Assistance Project, was assigned to the case in April 2024.
“We spent the next two years working with the mortgage company trying to figure out a way to preserve the home for Sgt. Downs,” Attorney Roszczyk said. “We worked through a couple of different iterations of a plan. Eventually, due to a collateral issue with an out-of-town sibling, we decided that the best plan was to allow the foreclosure to proceed, secure independent financing, and purchase the home in foreclosure.”
Sgt. Downs obtained financing and his attorney helped him to participate in the foreclosure auction. Unfortunately, a technical glitch in the software the Sheriff's Department uses to conduct the auctions prevented them from bidding. Attorney Roszczyk filed a motion to vacate the sale but did not believe it would go forward. So he went to Plan B, and contacted the successful bidder and was able to negotiate a subsequent purchase agreement.
Meanwhile, with the purchase expected to go through in a few weeks, Attorney Roszczyk heard that the court had granted his motion, which meant the auction was nullified and would be conducted again. That would give Sgt. Downs another chance to bid on the house and likely get it for a lower price.
Sgt. Downs, a father and grandfather who suffers from PTSD and was exposed to Agent Orange during his service, said he doesn’t know what he would have done without the help of his legal aid attorney.
“I’ve been very satisfied with the legal representation I got from legal aid,” he said.
While his case isn’t closed yet, both Sgt. Downs and his attorney are confident that the road to homeownership for him will soon lead to success.
“It's been a journey,” said Attorney Roszczyk.