State v. Petersen

At issue is the attempted redemption of a residence from a sheriffs sale following foreclosure and judgment for the balance due on a mortgage between Petersen and Oregon’s Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

The case comes to us as a dispute between Newman, the purchaser at the sheriffs sale, and Rita Petersen, the homeowner who gave a mortgage in 1968 to the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) and who seeks to redeem from the sale. In 1986, from the proceeds of that sale, DVA was paid the $17,465.98 due to it in full. A subconstitutional ground for decision, which this court normally…