Sheahan v. Department of Liquor Control

339 N.E.2d 840, 44 Ohio App. 2d 393, 73 Ohio Op. 2d 520, 1974 Ohio App. LEXIS 2753
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 21, 1974
Docket7617
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 339 N.E.2d 840 (Sheahan v. Department of Liquor Control) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sheahan v. Department of Liquor Control, 339 N.E.2d 840, 44 Ohio App. 2d 393, 73 Ohio Op. 2d 520, 1974 Ohio App. LEXIS 2753 (Ohio Ct. App. 1974).

Opinions

Brown, J.

Defendant Ohio Department of Liquor Control appeals from the final order of the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations Division, in the divorce and child support action of Sheahan v. Sheahan, as to that part of the order which overruled the department’s motion to he dismissed as a party-defendant and which granted plaintiff’s motion, filed pursuant to R. C. 3113.21, that “defendant, Department of Liquor Control, shall withhold from wages due to the defendant, William J. Sheahan, the sum of $47.50 per week, and pay the same to the Toledo Humane Society, under the provisions of Sec. 3113.10, R. C., said payments to continue until further order of the trial court.”

The Ohio Department of Liquor Control asserts the following three assignments of error:

“First Assignment of Error
“The Department of Liquor Control is not a proper party under either Section 4301.10, Revised Code, or Section 3113.21, Revised Code, in a suit ordering them to withhold child support payments from an employee’s paycheck.
‘ ‘ Second Assignment of Error
“Section 3113.21, Revised Code, pertains only to child support payments and is not a garnishment proceeding wherein it would be necessary to join the State Auditor and Treasurer before any deductions could be withheld from an employee’s paycheck.
*395 “Third Assignment of Error
“The Common Pleas Court of Lucas County erred in exercising jurisdiction over the Department of Liquor Control when only the Common Pleas Court of Franklin County has jurisdiction.”

These assignments of error are not well taken. We affirm the lower court judgment.

Under the first assignment of error, the Department of Liquor Control argues that it is not a proper party, under either E. C. 4301.10 or E. C. 3113.21, in a child support case. It advances the following legal proposition to sustain that conclusion. It is well settled that the sovereign may not be sued without its consent, State, ex rel. Williams, v. Glander (1947), 148 Ohio St. 188, and that Section 16, Article I, Ohio Constitution, which provides for a waiver of sovereign immunity, is not self-executing and legislative authority is necessary to effect the waiver. Krause v. State (1972), 31 Ohio St. 2d 132; Wolf v. Ohio State University Hospital (1959), 170 Ohio St. 49; Palumbo v. Indus. Comm. (1942), 140 Ohio St. 54; Raudabaugh v. State (1917), 96 Ohio St. 513. Such legislative authority to restrict and limit sovereign immunity, as it applies to the Ohio Department of Liquor Control, appears in E. C. 3113.21 and E. C. 115.46, discussed later in this opinion.

The department further argues that suits by or against it are limited to the category provided in E. C. 4301.10(B), as follows:

“(B) The department may: (1) Sue, but may be sued only in connection with the execution of leases of real estate and such purchases and contracts necessary for the oneration of the state liquor stores that are made under Chapters 4301. and 4303. of the Eevised Code.”

It argues that the trial court disregarded the mandate of E. C. 4301.10(B) (1) when it permitted the withholding of earnings (garnishment) of defendant Sheahan, owed io him by the Department of Liquor Control.

The authority and jurisdiction of the trial court to entertain legal proceedings and to order wages of Mr. Sheahan, held by the Department of Liquor Control, is not ex- *396 abusively controlled by R. C. 4301.10(B). The jurisdiction of the trial court to make such order stems from R. C. 3113.21, the pertinent parts of which provide:

“Withholding personal earnings to pay support; when bond required.
“(A) In any action where support is ordered under Chapter 3115 * # * where it appears to the court making such order that the person ordered to pay such support has failed to malm payments in accordance with the order, the court * * * may order the employer to withhold from the personal earnings of such person * * * the amount ordered for support plus poundage and to continue such withholding each pay period until further order of the court.” (Emphasis ours.)

Although R. C. 3113.21 is not labeled a proceeding in garnishment, and the word “garnishment” is not used in the body thereof, it is substantially and, in essence, a garnishment statute. R. C. 3113.21 (formally R. C. 3113.23) provides for the garnishment of earnings to enforce a support order. The meaning of the word “garnishment,” as seen in the law term “garnishee,” is that a person who owes or holds money belonging to another is warned by order of court not to pay it to his immediate creditor, but to a third person who has obtained or may obtain a final judgment against that creditor. 5 Ohio Jurisprudence 470, Attachment, Section 2. R. C. 3113.21 refers therein to R. C. Sections 2329.62, 2329.66, 2329.70 and 1911.40, exemptions of certain authorized personal earnings from garnishment, and thereby makes apparent that R. C. 3113.21 is intended to provide a special statutory garnishment framework for the support of dependents. McClain v. McClain (1971), 26 Ohio App. 2d. 10, at page 12.

The jurisdiction of the trial court to enforce R. C. 3113.21 against the state, or any of its agencies, fo compel the withholding of wages of a state employee to satisfy a claim against the employee is provided by R. C. 115.-46, which provides:

“Garnishment of state employees.
“Any creditor or judgment creditor of an employee or *397 officer of the state is entitled to maintain against the state any action or proceeding in attachment, garnishment, or in aid of execution to subject to the payment of his claim or judgment any salary, wages, or other compensation owing to any such employee or officer from the state, in the same manner, to the same extent, and in the same courts that any creditor or judgment creditor might, under the laws of this state, subject moneys due his debtor or judgment debtor from any person, partnership, firm, or corporation.”

For the foregoing reasons, the first assignment of error is not well taken.

It is argued in the second assignment of error that R. C. 3113.21, which deals with the withholding of personal earnings to pay child support, does not, in any clause thereof, authorize anyone to sue the state of Ohio to withhold such earnings. On the contrary, R. C. 3113.21(A) and R. C. 115.46, when construed together, compel any employer, including the state and any of its agencies, after notice is given as required in an action for support, pursuant to R. C. 3113.21, to comply with a court order to pay support by withholding personal earnings as to such support.

The word “employer” as used in R. C.

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Related

In Re Flynn
238 B.R. 742 (N.D. Ohio, 1999)
Rickard v. Ohio Department of Liquor Control
491 N.E.2d 388 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1985)
Marco v. Wilhelm
468 N.E.2d 771 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1983)

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Bluebook (online)
339 N.E.2d 840, 44 Ohio App. 2d 393, 73 Ohio Op. 2d 520, 1974 Ohio App. LEXIS 2753, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sheahan-v-department-of-liquor-control-ohioctapp-1974.