Lawsuit tries to establish owner of Pine Valley

A lawsuit to establish who owns the former Pine Valley School property has been scheduled for trial on July 20, 2010.

Circuit Judge John Yoder set the date for the bench trial during a pretrial conference last week.

The lawsuit was brought in March by Bradley W. Skolnik, a bankruptcy attorney who is receiver for Guardian Services, LLC of Sullivan, Indiana.

Named as defendantswere the Pine Valley Foundation, STS International Inc., Robert J. Campbell, Bobbie McBee and Mary McBee.

Before going bankrupt, Guardian Services was allegedly deeded the school property by Pine Valley, LLC in early 2004.

Pine Valley was a school for troubled boys, who were placed there by courts or state agencies. The property is next to South Morgan Fire Hall along Winchester Grade Road, south of Berkeley Springs.

Skolnik claims Pine Valley LLC did not actually own the real estate when it was deeded to Guardian Services, since school founder Anthony L. McBee had conveyed the property to the Pine Valley Foundation in August, 2002.

The Foundation also promised to repay money to Guardian Services in 2002, according to Skolnik's lawsuit.

By the time McBee conveyed the property to Guardian Services in February 2004, a judgment against Pine Valley Foundation had already been secured by Robert J. Campbell of Berkeley Springs, one of the school's investors.

Two weeks after the transaction with Guardian Services, notice of a lien against the real estate was also filed by Bobbie and Mary McBee of Morgan County.

Currently, the property is leased by STS International, a Berkeley Springs firm that does defense contracting work.

Plaintiff Skolnik is trying to clarify ownership of the real estate and establish his right, as receiver for Guardian Services, to foreclose on the property.