Lake Cty. Dept. of Job & Family Servs. v. Oatman

2025 Ohio 4636

• Court: Ohio Court of Appeals
• Decided: October 6, 2025
• Docket: 2025-L-095
• Status: Published

Opinion

[Cite as Lake Cty. Dept. of Job & Family Servs. v. Oatman, 2025-Ohio-4636.]

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF OHIO ELEVENTH APPELLATE DISTRICT LAKE COUNTY

LAKE COUNTY DEPARTMENT CASE NO. 2025-L-095 OF JOB AND FAMILY SERVICES; CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT DIVISION, et al., Civil Appeal from the Court of Common Pleas, Plaintiffs-Appellees, Juvenile Division

- vs - Trial Court No. 2024 SE 00865 SABREL B. OATMAN,

Defendant-Appellant.

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND JUDGMENT ENTRY Decided: October 6, 2025 Judgment: Appeal dismissed

Charles E. Coulson, Lake County Prosecutor, Lake County Administration Building, 105 Main Street, P.O. Box 490, Painesville, OH 44077 (For Plaintiff-Appellee, Lake County Department of Job and Family Services; Child Support Enforcement Division).

Jacquelyn Brooks, pro se, 36851 Beech Hills Drive, Willoughby Hills, OH 44094 (Plaintiff-Appellee).

Sabrel B. Oatman, pro se, 4196 Flossy Lane, Perry, OH 44081 (Defendant-Appellant).

EUGENE A. LUCCI, J.

{¶1} Appellant, Sabrel B. Oatman, filed a pro se appeal from an entry of the Lake

County Court of Common Pleas, Juvenile Division. The docket reveals that in a May 9,

2025 order, the magistrate dismissed appellant’s motion to dismiss and motion to show

cause and determined his motion to compel was moot. The magistrate also reset the

matter for a trial to a later date. On May 12, 2025, appellant objected to that order. The trial court issued a July 2, 2025 entry construing the objection as a motion to set aside

the May 9, 2025 order and denied it. The instant appeal ensued.

{¶2} Initially, we must determine if the entry appealed from is a final appealable

order. According to Section 3(B)(2), Article IV of the Ohio Constitution, an appellate court

can only immediately review a trial court’s judgment if it constitutes a “final order” in the

action. McDonie v. Wallster, 2024-Ohio-5265, ¶ 2 (11th Dist.). If a lower court’s order is

not final, an appellate court has no jurisdiction to review the matter, and the appeal must

be dismissed. Gen. Acc. Ins. Co. v. Ins. Co. of N. Am., 44 Ohio St.3d 17, 20 (1989). For

a judgment to be final and appealable, it must satisfy the requirements of R.C. 2505.02

and, if applicable, Civ.R. 54(B).

{¶3} R.C. 2505.02(B) defines a “final order” and sets forth seven categories of

appealable judgments, and if the judgment of the trial court satisfies any of them, it will

be deemed a “final order” and can be immediately appealed and reviewed.

{¶4} In this case, appellant is attempting to appeal from a July 2, 2025 entry

denying a motion to set aside a magistrate’s order. That entry does not fit within any of

the categories of R.C. 2505.02 and does not dispose of all the claims. Austin v.

McManamon, 2024-Ohio-5997, ¶ 5 (11th Dist.). Therefore, an appeal from that entry is

premature. However, nothing is preventing appellant from obtaining effective relief by

way of an appeal once the trial court has entered a final judgment in the case.

{¶5} Thus, the appeal is hereby sua sponte dismissed for lack of a final

appealable order.

ROBERT J. PATTON, P.J., SCOTT LYNCH, J., concur. PAGE 2 OF 3

Case No. 2025-L-095 JUDGMENT ENTRY

For the reasons stated in the memorandum opinion of this court, it is ordered that

this appeal is sua sponte dismissed for lack of a final appealable order.

Any pending motions are hereby overruled as moot.

Costs shall be taxed against appellant.

JUDGE EUGENE A. LUCCI

PRESIDING JUDGE ROBERT J. PATTON, concurs

JUDGE SCOTT LYNCH, concurs

THIS DOCUMENT CONSTITUTES A FINAL JUDGMENT ENTRY

A certified copy of this opinion and judgment entry shall constitute the mandate pursuant to Rule 27 of the Ohio Rules of Appellate Procedure.

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Case No. 2025-L-095