A state appeals court agreed Wednesday to keep the buyer of a foreclosed property out of the case, but a dissenter wanted to go further and sanction attorney Thomas Ice, who represented the third-party real estate investor.

The Third District Court of Appeal panel split 2-1 to freeze Ice's client, Barnsdale Holdings LLC, out of the foreclosure case for a distressed property Barnsdale purchased from a bankruptcy trustee.

Barnsdale bought the property subject to existing liens. But opposing counsel said Ice and his Royal Palm Beach Gardens firm tried to horn in on the foreclosure case without following the Rules of Civil Procedure and have a judge decide whether Barnsdale should be party to the suit.