State ex rel. Woodard v. Ambrose

2013 Ohio 4049

• Court: Ohio Court of Appeals
• Decided: September 16, 2013
• Docket: 100083
• Status: Published

Opinion

[Cite as State ex rel. Woodard v. Ambrose, 2013-Ohio-4049.]

Court of Appeals of Ohio EIGHTH APPELLATE DISTRICT COUNTY OF CUYAHOGA

JOURNAL ENTRY AND OPINION No. 100083

STATE EX REL. RENO WOODARD

RELATOR

vs.

CUYAHOGA COUNTY JUDGE AMBROSE

RESPONDENT

JUDGMENT: WRIT DENIED

Writ of Mandamus Motion No. 466936 Order No. 467552

RELEASE DATE: September 16, 2013 FOR RELATOR

Reno Woodard, Pro se Inmate No. 461-073 Grafton Correctional Institution 2500 South Avon Belden Road Grafton, Ohio 44044

ATTORNEYS FOR RESPONDENT

Timothy J. McGinty Cuyahoga County Prosecutor

BY: James E. Moss Assistant County Prosecutor The Justice Center, 9th Floor 1200 Ontario Street Cleveland, Ohio 44113 LARRY A. JONES, SR., J.:

{¶1} Reno Woodard has filed a complaint for a writ of mandamus. Woodward

seeks an order from this court, which requires Judge Dick Ambrose to conduct a hearing

and render a ruling with regard to a “motion to correct illegal sentence” filed in State v.

Woodard, Cuyahoga C.P. No. CR-100083. For the following reasons, we decline to

issue a writ of mandamus on behalf of Woodard.

{¶2} Initially, we find that Woodard has failed to comply with Loc.App.R.

45(B)(1)(a), which mandates that a complaint for a writ of mandamus must be supported

by a sworn affidavit that specifies the details of his claim for relief. State ex rel. Leon v.

Cuyahoga Cty. Court of Common Pleas, 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No. 92826, 2009-Ohio-1612;

State ex rel. Santos v. McDonnell, 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No. 90659, 2008-Ohio-214; Turner

v. Russo, 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No. 87852, 2006-Ohio-4490; Barry v. Galvin, 8th Dist.

Cuyahoga No. 85990, 2005-Ohio-2324.

{¶3} Woodard has also failed to comply with R.C. 2969.25(C), which requires that

an inmate, who files a complaint against a government entity or government employee,

must support the complaint with a statement that: 1) sets forth the balance in the inmate’s

account for the preceding six months, as certified by the institutional cashier; and 2) a

statement that sets forth all other cash and items of value as owned by the inmate. The

failure of Woodard to comply with R.C. 2969.25(C) warrants dismissal of his complaint

for a writ of mandamus. Martin v. Woods, 121 Ohio St.3d 609, 2009-Ohio-1928, 906

N.E.2d 1113; State ex rel. Marshall v. Cuyahoga Cty. Court of Common Pleas, 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No. 99114, 2013-Ohio-705; Gaston v. Reid, 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No. 98192,

2012-Ohio-2937.

{¶4} Finally, Woodard’s request for a writ of mandamus is moot. Attached to

Judge Ambrose’s motion for summary judgment is a copy of a journal entry (journalized

on July 8, 2013), that demonstrates that a ruling has been rendered with regard to the

motion to correct illegal sentence. Thus, Woodard is not entitled to a writ of mandamus.

State ex rel. Jerninghan v. Cuyahoga Cty. Court of Common Pleas, 74 Ohio St.3d 278,

1996-Ohio-117, 658 N.E.2d 723; State ex rel. Gantt v. Coleman, 6 Ohio St.3d 5, 450

N.E.2d 1163 (1983). In addition, Woodard has failed to establish that there exists a duty,

on the part of Judge Ambrose, to conduct a hearing with regard to Woodard’s motion to

correct illegal sentence.

{¶5} Accordingly, we grant Judge Ambrose’s motion for summary judgment.

Costs to Judge Ambrose. Costs waived. The court directs the clerk of court to serve all

parties with notice of this judgment and its date of entry upon the journal as required by

Civ.R. 58(B).

{¶6} Writ denied.

LARRY A. JONES, SR., PRESIDING JUDGE

SEAN C. GALLAGHER, J., and KENNETH A. ROCCO, J., CONCUR