Bank Account Joint Owner Entitled To Her Share of Assets Contributed to Account

Karras v. Karras, 2d Dist. Case No. 26841, 2016-Ohio-8079. Where there are joint-account owners with rights of survivorship, the surviving owners are entitled to the balance remaining when one of the owners dies. When neither of two surviving owners contributed to the account, each is entitled to an equal share of the remaining balance. When the surviving owners' contributions are disputed, one Ohio appellate court has indicated that each is entitled to her net contribution, plus an equal share of the remaining balance. In this case, one of two surviving joint owners challenged the account's assets being split because the appellant alleged that she opened the account with the decedent using her own funds. Because the appellant's sworn affidavit created an issue of fact as to whether the appellant was entitled to more of the remaining funds in the joint account, the appellate court reversed the trial court's determination that the surviving joint owners were entitled to 50% each from the account and remanded the case to the trial court for a final determination of this issue.