State ex rel. Shriver v. Ellis

75 N.E.2d 704, 49 Ohio Law. Abs. 161, 1946 Ohio App. LEXIS 701
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedDecember 14, 1946
DocketNos. 813, 814, 815 and 816
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 75 N.E.2d 704 (State ex rel. Shriver v. Ellis) 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. Shriver v. Ellis, 75 N.E.2d 704, 49 Ohio Law. Abs. 161, 1946 Ohio App. LEXIS 701 (Ohio Ct. App. 1946).

Opinion

[162]*162OPINION

By PHILLIPS, J.

Relators were discharged' by respondent, the duly appointed, qualified and acting Director of Public Service and an executive officer of the city of Martins Ferry, Ohio, a municipal corporation duly organized and existing under and by virtue of the laws of that state, in which corporation they worked when discharged.

Subsequent to discharge relators filed separate suits in mandamus in the court of common pleas seeking restoration to their respective former “positions” on the alleged ground that they were civil service employees of the city of Martins Ferry, Ohio, when discharged, and that respondent violated the law and acted in an arbitrary and unwarranted manner in removing them. Alternative writs were issued, respondents' answered, and the cases were submitted to the trial judge on their merits. The trial judge found relator Shriver was in the classified service, allowed to him the writ prayed for, and ordered him restored to the “position” from which he had been discharged; and found relators Sommer, Stricklin and Griffiths were not in the classified service but were deputies performing the work of their principal and held an “undoubted fiduciary relationship to him”, and denied each of them a writ of mandamus restoring them to the “positions” from which they had been removed.

Respondent-appellant Ellis appealed to this court on questions of law from the judgment of the court of common pleas, and relators-appellants Sommer, Stricklin and Griffiths on questions of law and fact from the judgment of that court rendered against them. The latter cases were not appealed properly on questions of law and fact. Accordingly the words “and fact” were striken from the notices of appeal of rela-tors-appellants; and it appearing by agreement of counsel that a bill of exceptions containing the testimony offered in [163]*163all four cases could be used in all such cases and had been prepared and settled, but not filed in the court of common pleas within the statutory period, leave was granted to rela-tors-appellants to file such bill of exceptions in their cases instanter (see §11564, GC), and those appeals were retained, argued, submitted and will be determined as appeals on questions of law upon the transcript of the docket and journal entries, the pleadings, and the evidence as disclosed by the bill of exceptions.

Notwithstanding the fact that respondent-appellant Ellis appealed his case on questions of law properly this court was without power to grant him leave to file a bill of exceptions. See §11564, GC. Therefore the appeal of respondent-appellant Ellis was submitted, retained, argued and will be determined as one on questions of law upon the transcript of the docket and journal entries and the pleadings upon which the case was tried in the court of common pleas.

By agreement of counsel and consent of this court the four appeals were argued together and disposition of the contentions of the respective parties as urged in those appeals will be made in this opinion.

The questions presented by the appeals of relators, all of whom, as disclosed by the record, before discharge were listed by appointments and requests of former directors of public service- of' the city of Martins Ferry, Ohio, on the rolls of the civil service commission then as being in the classified service after serving prior thereto varying periods of time as unclassified employees, is whether under the law, the pleadings and the evidence they, or any of them, were in the classified service of the City of Martins Ferry, Ohio, when discharged.

It is conceded that relators were removed without respondent’s compliance, or attempted compliance, with law relating to removal of civil service employees; that no classified employee can be, discharged arbitrarily; and that if any such relator, or relators, were legally in the classified service when-discharged such relator, or relators, must be restored to the position, or positions, from which he or she was removed by respondent.

In his answer. to relator Shriver’s petition respondent alleged that, among other duties, relator Shriver had charge of “distribution of water in its entirety”, “mechanical care- of pumps”, was “inspector of all water lines in dwellings, business houses, factories, or any place, or places, where water is used”; and was “collector of delinquent water rents”; had “general -supervision along with Director of Public Service over [164]*164the assistant' superintendent, pipe fitters and helpers, laborers and pump operators”; had “executive duties in the procurement of material and supplies”; and maintained “a close confidential relationship with Director in the matter of waterworks policy in operation, maintenance and expansion”; and that it was his duty to “keep and maintain a complete record of all water works affairs and functions”; and to “test and record according to State Health Department rules and regulations water as required.”

In his answer to relator Shriver’s petition respondent alleged, and in his reply thereto such relator denied, “that he has executive duties in the procurement of materials and supplies, as set forth in paragraph three of said fourth defense; denies that he maintains a close confidential relationshhip with the Director of Public Service in the matter of the Water Works policy in operation, maintenance- and expansion; denies that the duties of said Superintendent and Inspector are such that it is not practicable to determine the merit and fitness of applicants by competitive examinations, and that the occupant of said position performs duties which necessarily sustain an intimate fiduciary and confidential relationship with the Director of Public Service.”

Respondent did not allege in his answer that relator Shrivel- was a deputy having authority to act as such under the unclassified provisions of the statutes.

The evidence (which we have the right to consider) in the. case of relator Sommer, as disclosed by the bill of exceptions, reveals he discharged the duties of súperintendent of a cemetery owned by the city of Martins Ferry, Ohio, of which he had general charge; that he employed and directed the work of all employees thereof, all of whom were under his supervision; that he was authorized to and did sell cemetery lots and to and did collect therefor; and to transact all such business as is ordinarily and customarily transacted by one occupying such a poition, but was under direction of respondent in the platting of new additions; that he was permitted to and did buy certain materials and small tools and equipment essential to the maintenance and care of such a cemetery; that he charged and collected for all services rendered owners of lots in such cemetery to the amount in 1935 of $7,000.00, which included burial charges, various foundation constructions and general and special care of cemetery lots, which together with all income which was solely collected by him from the operation of such cemetery (except amounts paid by lot owners for perpetual care which he did not collect), was accounted for [165]*165by him; and finally that he was the sexton of such cemetery.

While employed as a general clerk in the light and water departments of the city of Martins Ferry, which employment she secured by passing a civil service examination which she was requested to take, relator Stricklin was under the general supervision of relator Griffiths, and received no instructions from the director of public service.

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Bluebook (online)
75 N.E.2d 704, 49 Ohio Law. Abs. 161, 1946 Ohio App. LEXIS 701, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-shriver-v-ellis-ohioctapp-1946.