State Ex Rel. Marshall v. Civil Service Commission

228 N.E.2d 913, 11 Ohio App. 2d 84, 40 Ohio Op. 2d 243, 1967 Ohio App. LEXIS 416
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedAugust 1, 1967
Docket8544
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 228 N.E.2d 913 (State Ex Rel. Marshall v. Civil Service Commission) 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
State Ex Rel. Marshall v. Civil Service Commission, 228 N.E.2d 913, 11 Ohio App. 2d 84, 40 Ohio Op. 2d 243, 1967 Ohio App. LEXIS 416 (Ohio Ct. App. 1967).

Opinions

*86 BROWN, J.

TMs is an appeal on questions of law by relator from a judgment of tbe Common Pleas Court of Franklin County dismissing a petition of relator seeking a writ of mandamus to compel respondents, tbe Civil Service Commission of Columbus, to accept tbe application of relator, and tbat, incident to sueb application, relator be permitted to compete and engage in a promotional competitive examination on August 15, 1966, for tbe classified position of Fire Chief, Division of Fire, Department of Public Safety, Columbus.

On or about July 18,1966, tbe respondents bad issued a public notice of tbe promotional competitive examination for Fire Chief, stating tbat it would be held August 15, 1966, and tbat applications would be accepted between July 25, 1966, and August 5, 1966.

Relator filed bis application for examination for Fire Chief on August 2, 1966, and, on tbe same date, Gale L. Reeder, Personnel Director, Civil Service Commission, Columbus, rejected tbe application for tbe reason, as stated in the letter mailed to relator, tbat relator did not possess tbe qualification of six months as permanent appointee as Fire Assistant Chief prior to tbe date of tbe examination. Tbe Civil Service Commission as a body, or individually, took no action on relator’s application before relator filed bis mandamus action in Common Pleas Court of Franklin County on August 13, 1966.

As a result of tbe mandamus action, on tbe date of tbe examination, August 15, 1966, an agreement was reached between counsel for relator and tbe President of tbe Civil Service Commission tbat relator be permitted to take tbe examination and bis paper impounded, not graded, and held until tbe further order of tbe court. Pursuant to this agreement, tbe examination was taken, and an amended alternative writ of mandamus was filed, setting forth tbe agreement.

On September 26, 1966, a bearing was held in tbe Common Pleas Court in this mandamus action.

Although tbe petition of relator alleged tbat respondents, tbe Civil Service Commission, rejected the application of relator, which allegation was admitted in tbe answer of respondents, there was sufficient oral testimony and documentary proof introduced into evidence, without any objection offered by respondents, to establish to the contrary that the rejection of rela *87 tor’s application was made solely by Gale L. Eeeder, Personnel Director, and not by the Civil Service Commission, and that the Civil Service Commission’s minutes of July 29, 1966, and August 2, 1966, coupled with testimony explaining the minutes, to which no objection was interposed, reflected the fact that the commission took no action on relator’s application before August 15, 1966, and, further, took no action before the date of the hearing in Common Pleas Court on September 26, 1966. There was, as hereinbefore mentioned, an agreement made on the morning of August 15, 1966, permitting the relator to take the examination followed by an impounding of his examination paper. It is uncontroverted from the evidence that the relator’s application never came before the Civil Service Commission or commissioners for official action before September 26,1966.

Even if we assume, for the sake of argument, that the pleadings raised no issue as to the failure of the commission to act on relator’s application, a variance between pleadings and proof in support thereof, which might have been obviated by the amendment of the pleadings, is deemed waived if not properly objected to at the trial, and is to be considered along with other proof, notwithstanding the lack of allegations. Massillon Savings & Loan Co. v. Imperial Finance Co., 114 Ohio St. 523; McCrary v. Jones, 34 Ohio Law Abs. 612; 43 Ohio Jurisprudence 2d 395, Section 369.

This oral testimony and documentary evidence that the Civil Service Commission had taken no action, and so had entered no final order, as to relator’s application to compete in the examination for Fire Chief was admissible on the issue raised by the allegations in the fifth paragraph of relator’s petition when he alleged he had no adequate remedy at law.

On the other hand, the .allegations of the petition concerning the rejection of relator’s application to engage in the examination are broad enough to support the contention and raise the issue that the commission made no final order, adjudication, or decision, but attempted to act through the Personnel Director by his unauthorized rejection of the application and explained in the testimony of the witnesses presented by both parties.

The four assignments of error amount to a claim that the decision of the trial court dismissing the petition was contrary to law and against the weight of the evidence. Our decision does *88 not require ns to determine the constitutional issue argued by relator to the effect that Rule IY, Section D, delegating discretion to the personnel director to reject relator’s application to take the examination for Fire Chief, was unconstitutional.

The respondents contend that relator was properly denied a writ of mandamus in the Common Pleas Court in this case because relator had a plain and adequate remedy in the ordinary course of the law, State, ex rel. Sibarco Corp., v. Berea, 7 Ohio St. 2d 85; State, ex rel. Sibarco Corp., v. Hicks, Building Inspector, 177 Ohio St. 81; Section 2731.05, Revised Code; and that such term, “plain and adequate remedy in the ordinary course of the law,” includes equitable remedies, State, ex rel. Central Service Station, Inc., v. Masheter, Dir. of Hwys., 7 Ohio St. 2d 1; State, ex rel. Libbey-Owens-Ford Glass Co., v. Industrial Commission, 162 Ohio St. 302; State, ex rel. Durek, v. Masheter, Dir. of Hwys., 9 Ohio St. 2d 76; 35 Ohio Jurisprudence 2d 278, Section 31; and, in an attack upon an order of the Civil Service Commission, includes an appeal to the Common Pleas Court from an order of the commission pursuant to Chapter 2506, Revised Code, titled “Appeals from Orders of Administrative Officers and Agencies.” State, ex rel. Steyer, v. Szabo, 174 Ohio St. 109; State, ex rel. Sibarco, v. Hicks, Building Inspector, 177 Ohio St. 81 (zoning-building permit case).

The trial court in its memorandum decision suggested that the relator, instead of seeking mandamus, might have pursued equitable remedies such as a mandatory injunction. Mandamus is the proper remedy of one who has been illegally removed from the classified civil service. Williams, Dir., v. State, 127 Ohio St. 398; State, ex rel. Miller v. Witter, 114 Ohio St. 122; State, ex rel. Click, v. Thormyer, Acting Dir. of Hwys., 105 Ohio App. 479; State, ex rel. Kendrick, v. Thormyer, 79 Ohio Law Abs. 200; 9 Ohio Jurisprudence 2d 455, Mandamus, Section 122.

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Bluebook (online)
228 N.E.2d 913, 11 Ohio App. 2d 84, 40 Ohio Op. 2d 243, 1967 Ohio App. LEXIS 416, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-marshall-v-civil-service-commission-ohioctapp-1967.