Ohio Court Case Lookup

An Ohio court case is a legal process regarding alleged wrongdoing involving two or more individuals or entities. In Ohio, Court cases arise when one of the parties (known as the plaintiff) presents an allegation against the other(s) (the defendant) before the court for a resolution which may be in the form of justice or compensation. The court case lookup process helps members of the public view or copy court case information from custodial agencies.

A variety of court cases exist in Ohio; however, they are classified into civil, criminal, and administrative suits and are presented in the state courts, which are also categorized into trial and appellate courts.

The trial courts hear criminal cases, civil suits, and in some cases, appeals at the trial level. They include:

Municipal and county courts (sits over criminal cases such as traffic offenses, other misdemeanors, and suits with claims below $15,000)
The court of common pleas (hears criminal cases and civil cases above $15,000)
The Ohio court of claims decides on cases against the state.
Mayor's court.

On the other hand, Appellate courts decide on appeals from trial courts. They also have exclusive adjudication over specific criminal and administrative matters. These courts include the court of appeal and the Ohio Supreme Court (also known as the court of last resort).

Are Court Cases Public Record in Ohio?

Yes, Court cases are considered public records in Ohio. Based on the state's Open Records Law, also known as Ohio Rev. Code § 149.43, citizens and foreigners alike can inspect and create copies of records filed in the courts. Requesting parties need not disclose the purpose for wanting to inspect the records. The law mandates public agencies to share the document. But, not all Ohio court cases are accessible to the public. Sealed records, and juvenile court cases, for instance, are not available for public inspection. Under certain circumstances, the court may decide to seal some records if they contain confidential information.

Other examples of such cases include adoption records, trial preparation records, probation or parole records, etc.

How to Conduct an Ohio Court Case Lookup

Interested persons can look up information on Ohio court cases through direct searches or online searches.

Direct search: Requesting parties can look up information by visiting the courthouse where the case was held. At the office of the clerk of court, the requester can make all inquiries regarding the case of interest. Searches are conducted at no cost. However, payment may be required when requesting duplicate copies of the case records.

Online search: Currently, Ohio does not have a statewide online case search system; however, criminal, civil, or administrative cases held in the Supreme court or Ohio court of claims can be accessed online using key terms such as case name and case number. Asides from these courthouses, many other trial courts domiciled in the counties maintain online case search services. To look up cases online, the requester must first ascertain if the court offers such a service. Interestingly, Ohio Judicial System has a directory with links to the websites of trial courts throughout the state. The directory includes a link to each court's website, which makes it easy for searches to be conducted online. Meanwhile, there are also independent third-party sites that provide these services

Asides from the option highlighted above, another alternative is reaching the court via telephone to look up a case. Some courthouses (for instance, Cuyahoga County) have a dedicated phone number that requesters can call to receive all required information regarding a court case.

Can I Get Ohio Court Case Documents Online?

Yes, requesting parties can access Ohio court case documents online. Per Ohio laws, a court may provide direct or remote access to these records.

However, not all case documents are released to the public online. Ohio Rev. Code § 149.43(A)(1) outlines court case documents restricted from public access. These documents range from adoption, juvenile, mental health, and criminal cases, among others.

Asides from the records exempted in the code, Ohio courts also reserve the right to restrict access to some court case documents if such a decision considers it to be in the interest of the public. For instance, the Montgomery County court issued a public records statement regarding this.

Moreso, it is important to note that there is no guarantee that the documents made available via the case search online records systems are accurate.

As such, individuals who wish to obtain certified copies of documents contained in official court files are advised to personally visit the court clerk in the county where the trial was held to access the updated documents.

How to Conduct a Ohio Court Case Search by Name

To conduct an Ohio court case search by name, interested persons should look up the case records management system provided and maintained online by the presiding court. Usually, the portal appears like an online form that one has to fill in to access the results. On the portal, the requesting party will need to provide the name of the case party (first or last name) to obtain results.

Alternatively, interested parties can also visit the court clerk's office in the county where the case was held to conduct a name search.

What is a Court Case Number?

A case number is one of the techniques used for identifying court case documents. It is a unique number allotted to a case by the court to differentiate cases and ensure easy tracking or retrieval of the case files.

A case number is usually a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters; formatted based on the style adopted by the court where the case was filed.

In addition to enabling requesting parties easy access to facts regarding a civil or criminal suit, case numbers also allow for a uniform way of looking up court records within the judicial system. This is because it enables easy tracing of court documents as they move from one court to another.

How to Conduct a Case Number Search in Ohio

Requesting parties can conduct a case number search in Ohio by looking up the website of the courthouse where their case of interest was filed to access the case management portal. On the portal, the requester will need to enter the case number in the space provided to access the details of the case.

Another option is to visit the courthouse where the lawsuit was filed to enquire about the case information. Either way, the requester must have the relevant case number to retrieve case information and documents from the system.

Meanwhile, some counties provide telephone services for persons who cannot visit the court or use the online case management system. Usually, access to these records is available free of charge. Still, some courts may require requesters to pay a fee to obtain duplicates of the court records.

How to Remove Court Cases From Public Record in Ohio

Before a court case can be removed from public access in Ohio, the case must first be considered eligible by state laws. This means that there must be a law that will justify the request to seal a court record from the public domain.

Before a case can be considered eligible, one must first affirm that the case is under the Rules of Superintendence for the Courts of Ohio (Rule 45). According to this rule, any party to a judicial proceeding or another person related to a case may request that the court restrict public access to the information by presenting a written request to the court. Interested persons can obtain Forms 96-A1 to make their application.

It is worth noting that presenting a motion to the court does not automatically approve the application to remove cases from public records. Even after receiving the application, the court shall only restrict public access to information if it finds by clear and convincing evidence that:

Public policy is served by restricting public access to the information
A state, federal, or common law exempts the document or information from public access
Factors supporting the restriction of public access to the case information exist, including risks of injury to persons, individual privacy rights and interests, proprietary business information, public safety, and fairness of the adjudicatory process

Under the Ohio Revised Code Section 2953.36. Cases not eligible include rape, sex crimes, corrupting a minor, obscenity involving a minor in pornography, etc.

How to Check a Court Case Status in Ohio

Parties in a case and other interested persons can look up the status of a court case directly by visiting the courthouse in charge of the case or by checking remotely using the online case management tool provided on the court's website.

Requesters must have some information such as the case number or names associated with the case to access and track the case information.

Again, some cour provide telephone services. Hence, where the requester cannot visit the court in person or obtain the information they can call the court clerk's office to inquire into a case's active or closed status. The telephone lines are available on the website of the court.

How to Find Supreme Court Decisions in Ohio

Generally, decisions rendered by the Ohio Supreme Court are classified as public records and are accessible for public inspection. The Supreme Court's website enables free access to all its decisions and decisions from the Ohio Court of Appeals from at least 2000. Documents are stored in pdf format.

Requesters must have certain details regarding the case information of interest. These include case number, author, presiding county, timeline (that is, the range of the year when the case was decided, topics, and issues (required to narrow down search results based on the topics entered).

Where the requester cannot provide all the search terms highlighted above, they can just enter, the webcite number (this is the number assigned by deciding court based on the format comprising the year decided, the word Ohio and a unique number (e.g., 2015-Ohio-2078).

To access this file, log on to the Opinions and Announcement section on the court's website and enter the search criteria to access the results.

What Percentage of Court Cases Go to Trial in Ohio?

Annually, millions of civil and criminal cases are filed in Ohio trial courts. However, only a tiny percentage of these cases make it to trial.

According to the annual court statistics reports released by the Ohio judicial system, approximately 2% of civil cases and 5% of criminal cases ultimately go to trial. In the last ten years, the rates of cases proceeding to trial have steadily declined. These low rates reflect that lots of civil and criminal cases filed in the trial courts get resolved before trial. For instance, in the 2020 Court Statistics Report, a total of 2,069,280 combined cases were reported, the highest rate being the municipal and county courts at 75.8% followed by the court of common pleas at 7.8%. Of the 1,568,424 criminal and civil incoming cases filed in the municipal and county courts in 2020, only 3.7% of the cases went through trial before being disposed of. Of the 324,624 misdemeanor cases disposed of by the municipal and county courts, the trial rate recorded from the outgoing cases was 1.7%. Similarly, out of over 104,003 civil cases (except small claims) disposed of in the period under review, the rate of cases that underwent trial was 1.5%.

Statistics of cases recorded by each court are accessible in the annual Ohio court statistics report. Interested persons can visit the supreme court website to access the report under the reports and publications page.

How Long Does a Court Case Last in Ohio?

The state laws do not stipulate a timeframe for resolving a court case. Cases are treated based on the level of complexity. This explains why a less complex case, such as a minor misdemeanor, may last a few days or weeks, while more complex cases, such as a felony, may take several months or years to resolve.

Nevertheless, for criminal cases, Ohio Revised Codes provide a maximum number of days before trial commences. For minor misdemeanors, it stipulates a maximum of 30 days; for other misdemeanors with a maximum of two months sentence, trials must begin within 45 days; and lastly, for felony cases, the stipulated time is 270 days.

How to File a Case in Court in Ohio

Filling a case means taking legal action to resolve a dispute between two or more parties. It also means submitting a motion to request a ruling over a particular issue.

In Ohio, filing a case starts with obtaining and submitting a written complaint or petition along with other legal paperwork with the clerk of the court with jurisdiction over such a case. For civil cases, the task of filing is done by the plaintiff or their legal representative, whereas when the case is a criminal charge, the petitioner is the prosecutor. The prosecutor chooses what charges to file against the defender.

The legal documents attached to the complaint provide the court with details of the dispute and the petitioner's request. Without them, there is no case.

Depending on the provisions of the presiding court, civil cases in Ohio may be filed directly at the courthouse or online. Interested persons are advised to proceed to file a case. Alternatively, they may consult a local attorney.

More information about Ohio's filing process can be found on the Supreme Court's website or that of the presiding court (e.g. Ohio Court of Claims).

What Does It Mean if a Court Case Was Resolved Before the Trial Date?

If a court case gets resolved before the trial commences, it means parties involved in a case have been able to settle their disputes without having the judge or jury's intervention. Usually, resolutions like this could occur through one of the following methods:

Plea bargain: In this case, the liable party (the defendant) agrees to plead to a lesser charge than the original in exchange for a more lenient punishment or dropping of additional charges (sometimes, in exchange for both). Some form of plea bargaining has resolved many criminal cases.
Mutual agreement: The opposing parties can meet to reach a mutually resolved dispute without proceeding to a trial. In Ohio, a settlement judge conducts the process and recommends settlement options. This method is often applied to cases that are time- and cost-sensitive or where parties wish to remain private.
Summary judgment: Where the defending party can demonstrate that the plaintiff has no genuine evidence or material fact to support the case, the defender can request a dismissal. This often applies to a civil suit.