Hughes v. Calabrese

95 Ohio St. 3d 334
Ohio Supreme Court·Decided May 22, 2002·No. No. 2001-1890·Published·Cited by 46 cases

Opinion

Per Curiam.

{¶ 1} Appellant, Martin J. Hughes, Jr., is the president, director of operations, and a trustee of Union Eye Care (“UEC”), an Ohio not-for-profit corporation located in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. UEC provides vision care at a discounted rate to union members and their families, union retirees, and the general public.

{¶ 2} On February 8, 2001, two members of the UEC board of trustees filed a complaint in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas against Hughes and ■UEC. These trustees alleged that UEC, while under the management and control of Hughes, in his capacity as its president and director of operations, had engaged in questionable financial and nonfinancial transactions over a period of five years. These alleged transactions included personal expenditures unrelated to the business of UEC paid by Hughes from the assets of UEC. After Hughes failed to provide satisfactory explanations for these transactions, the board of trustees passed a resolution ordering an audit of UEC for the last five years. Under the resolution, the board also ordered that Hughes be placed on leave of absence, that he be relieved of all of his duties without remuneration or benefits, that he vacate the offices of UEC, and that he turn over all business records and property in his possession for completion of the audit, until completion of the audit and further order of the board. The board, relying on its code of regulations, ordered that one of the vice-presidents assume the responsibilities of Hughes’s positions as president and director of operations. Hughes refused to comply with the board’s directives.

{¶ 3} In their complaint, the trustees requested that the common pleas court issue injunctive relief to restrain Hughes from, among other things, exercising any duties or authority as a trustee, member of the executive committee, president, director of operations, or an employee, agent, or representative of UEC. The trustees also requested damages.

{¶ 4} Hughes filed a motion to dismiss the common pleas court action, claiming that the court lacked subject-matter jurisdiction. Hughes also filed a grievance with his union protesting his purported termination as an officer and trustee of UEC.

{¶ 5} On March 1, 2001, respondent, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Anthony O. Calabrese, Jr., granted the trustees a temporary restraining order that enjoined Hughes from (1) exercising any duties or authority as president, director of operations, employee, or agent of UEC; (2) trespassing on [336] UEC property; (3) removing records or other property from UEC; (4) destroying records or other property of UEC; (5) refusing to return all property of UEC; (6) using any assets or other property of UEC without the express written consent of the board of trustees; and (7) engaging in any conduct that obstructs the audit, the authority of the board, or the business of UEC.

{¶ 6} On March 2, 2001, Hughes filed a complaint in this court for a writ of prohibition to prevent Judge Calabrese from proceeding with the underlying case. Hughes claimed that Judge Calabrese lacked subject-matter jurisdiction to grant an ouster in an action involving an Ohio not-for-profit corporation and that the trustees’ case was not cognizable in the common pleas court before the exhaustion of the internal grievance procedure.

{¶ 7} On March 14, 2001, the parties in the underlying case stipulated to an extension of the March 1 temporary restraining order until March 28, 2001. On that date, Judge Calabrese issued a preliminary injunction against Hughes to prevent him from doing the same things that had been forbidden by the temporary restraining order.

{¶ 8} On April 4, 2001, we dismissed Hughes’s prohibition action pursuant to S.CtPrac.R. X(5). Hughes v. Calabrese (2001), 91 Ohio St.3d 1486, 745 N.E.2d 434. Our entry dismissing Hughes’s prohibition action did not specify that the dismissal was with or without prejudice. On June 6, 2001, we denied Hughes’s motion for reconsideration. Hughes v. Calabrese (2001), 92 Ohio St.3d 1419, 748 N.E.2d 550.

{¶ 9} On July 30, 2001, Hughes filed a second complaint for a writ of prohibition, this time in the Court of Appeals for Cuyahoga County. Hughes requested a writ of prohibition to prevent Judge Calabrese from exercising further jurisdiction in the underlying case. Hughes again claimed that Judge Calabrese lacked subject-matter jurisdiction to issue a judgment of ouster in an action involving an Ohio not-for-profit corporation and that an action involving the wrongful termination of a union employee is not cognizable in a common pleas court before the exhaustion of internal grievance procedures. Hughes further claimed that Judge Calabrese’s March 28, 2001 preliminary injunction was entered without prior notice of the time of the hearing. Judge Calabrese moved for summary judgment, arguing in part that our court’s dismissal of Hughes’s first prohibition action barred his second prohibition action based on res judicata.

{¶ 10} On October 11, 2001, the court of appeals granted Judge Calabrese’s motion for summary judgment and denied the writ.

{¶ 11} In his appeal as of right, Hughes challenges the court of appeals’ denial of his request for extraordinary relief in prohibition. Hughes’s claims are meritless.

[337] {¶ 12} First, res judicata bars Hughes’s successive prohibition action. Under the doctrine of res judicata, “ ‘[a] valid, final judgment rendered upon the merits bars all subsequent actions based upon any claim arising out of the transaction or occurrence that was the subject matter of the previous action.’ ” Kelm v. Kelm (2001), 92 Ohio St.3d 223, 227, 749 N.E.2d 299, quoting Grava v. Parkman Twp. (1995), 73 Ohio St.3d 379, 653 N.E.2d 226, syllabus. Res judicata bars the litigation of all claims that either were or might have been litigated in a first lawsuit. Id.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Hughes v. Calabrese, 95 Ohio St. 3d 334 (Ohio 2002).

95 Ohio St. 3d 334 (Hughes v. Calabrese) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

State ex rel. Woods v. Jenkins
2024 Ohio 1753 (Ohio Supreme Court, 2024)
State ex rel. Reynolds v. Kirby
2023 Ohio 782 (Ohio Supreme Court, 2023)
State ex rel. Nyamusevya v. Hawkins
2023 Ohio 840 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2023)
Dugas v. Ohio Adult Parole Auth.
2022 Ohio 1923 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2022)
State ex rel. Peaspanen v. Ashtabula Cty. Auditor's Office
2022 Ohio 166 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2022)
Moccabee v. Bashore
2021 Ohio 4345 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2021)
Bonner v. Delp
2021 Ohio 3772 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2021)
State ex rel. Graham v. Pittman
2021 Ohio 665 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2021)
State ex rel. Paldino v. Gibson
2021 Ohio 238 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2021)
State ex rel. Nelson v. Russo (Slip Opinion)
2020 Ohio 1541 (Ohio Supreme Court, 2020)
State ex rel. Cowan v. Gallagher (Slip Opinion)
2018 Ohio 1463 (Ohio Supreme Court, 2018)
Ford Motor Credit Co., L.L.C. v. Collins
2014 Ohio 5152 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2014)
Monroe v. Forum Health
2014 Ohio 3974 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2014)
State ex rel. Caldwell v. Henson
2014 Ohio 1983 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2014)
State ex rel. Newell v. Gaul
2013 Ohio 68 (Ohio Supreme Court, 2013)
State Ex Rel. Bridge v. Franklin County Court of Common Pleas
2012 Ohio 3327 (Ohio Supreme Court, 2012)
Buck v. Pine Crest Condominium Assoc., 90813 (10-16-2008)
2008 Ohio 5349 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2008)
Oyer v. Oyer, 07 Ca 847 (5-6-2008)
2008 Ohio 2269 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2008)