Trish's Café & Catering, Inc. v. Ohio Department of Health

961 N.E.2d 236, 195 Ohio App. 3d 612
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 30, 2011
DocketNos. 10AP-539 and 10AP-540
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 961 N.E.2d 236 (Trish's Café & Catering, Inc. v. Ohio Department of Health) 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
Trish's Café & Catering, Inc. v. Ohio Department of Health, 961 N.E.2d 236, 195 Ohio App. 3d 612 (Ohio Ct. App. 2011).

Opinion

French, Judge.

{¶ 1} Appellants, Trish’s Café & Catering, Inc. and Pat’s Bar & Restaurant, Inc., separately appeal judgments of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, which affirmed administrative decisions by Public Health — -Dayton & Montgomery County (“Public Health”), a designee of appellee, the Ohio Department of Health (“DOH”), finding appellants in violation of the Ohio Smoke-Free Workplace Act (“Smoke-Free Act”). This court sua sponte consolidated these appeals for purposes of record filing, briefing, and oral argument. For the following reasons, we affirm the trial court’s judgments.

{¶ 2} The Smoke-Free Act, R.C. Chapter 3794, prohibits proprietors of public places and places of employment from permitting smoking in those places and requires proprietors to post no-smoking signs and to remove ashtrays and receptacles used for disposing of smoking materials from any area where smoking is prohibited. R.C. 3794.02(A) and 3794.06. R.C. 3794.07 requires DOH and its designees to enforce the Smoke-Free Act and authorizes the director of DOH to promulgate rules to implement and enforce the Smoke-Free Act.

{¶ 3} On January 10, 2009, DOH received an anonymous complaint that the owner, employees, and customers of Trish’s Café were smoking in the establishment and that there were ashtrays everywhere. As a result, Public Health, as a designee of DOH, opened an investigation, generated a notice of a complaint, and assigned a sanitarian to investigate. On January 12, 2009, Aaron Fister, a [617]*617sanitarian employed by Public Health, conducted an on-site investigation of Trish’s Café and recorded his observations on an investigation worksheet. Fister observed three patrons and one employee, the bartender, smoking cigarettes, observed ashtrays being used by the smokers, and noted the lack of required no-smoking signs on the establishment’s front door. Based on those observations, Public Health found Trish’s Café in violation of the Smoke-Free Act by permitting smoking in prohibited areas and by failing to remove ashtrays from prohibited areas. Because Trish’s Café had two prior violations of the Smoke-Free Act within two years, and based on a determination that this violation was intentional, Public Health imposed a $1,000 fine for this violation.

{¶ 4} Trish’s Café, through its owner, Patricia Wehrley, requested administrative review, and an administrative hearing was held before an impartial decision-maker. Fister testified to his January 12, 2009 observations and maintained that customers continued smoking the entire 15 to 20 minutes he was in the establishment. When Fister presented himself to the bartender, she extinguished her cigarette and summoned the owner. Fister went over his report with the owner, who told him to get out and threatened to call the police. The impartial decision-maker issued a report and recommendation, in which he concluded that on January 12, 2009, the proprietor of Trish’s Café permitted smoking in a prohibited area, in violation of R.C. 3794.02(A), and failed to remove ashtrays from a public place, in violation of R.C. 3794.06(B). The impartial decision-maker agreed that the violation was Trish’s Café’s third within two years and that the violation was intentional. Trish’s Café filed written objections to the impartial decision-maker’s report and recommendation, but Public Health approved the recommendation. Trish’s Café appealed to the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, and that court affirmed.

{¶ 5} In a letter dated November 13, 2008, Public Health informed Pat’s Bar that a report had been filed against it, alleging a violation of the Smoke-Free Act. The letter cited a report dated May 15, 2008, but noted that additional reports received prior to the conclusion of the investigation would be included in the investigation, without additional notice. Additional complaints against Pat’s Bar were filed with DOH on May 19, 21, 23, and September 5, 2008. On November 21, 2008, a Public Health sanitarian, Aaron Florea, conducted an on-site investigation of Pat’s Bar and completed an investigation worksheet, stating that while he did not observe smoking, he observed an Altoids tin on the bar, and it contained ash residue. Public Health sent Pat’s Bar notice of a proposed civil fine, dated December 23, 2008, and signed by Florea, informing Pat’s Bar that it had been found in violation of R.C. 3794.06(B) and assessing a $100 civil fine.

{¶ 6} On behalf of Pat’s Bar, Tracie Lindon requested an administrative review, and an administrative hearing was held before an impartial decision-[618]*618maker. At the administrative hearing, Florea explained that he entered Pat’s Bar on November 21, 2008, and observed an Altoids tin on the bar, containing ash residue and cigarette butts, in the presence of Lindon, who was bartending. Lindon offered contrary testimony that the Altoids tin in question was on top of a cooler behind the bar, was closed, and contained no smoking materials. The impartial decision-maker issued a report and recommendation, in which he found credible Florea’s testimony that an Altoids tin, containing ash residue and cigarette butts, was present in an area where smoking was prohibited. He concluded that on November 21, 2008, Lindon, as the proprietor of Pat’s Bar, failed to remove an ashtray or other receptacle used for disposing of smoking material from a public place, in violation of R.C. 3794.06(B), and recommended that the findings of violation be affirmed. Pat’s Bar filed written objections, but Public Health approved the recommendation. Pat’s Bar appealed to the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, and that court affirmed.

{¶ 7} Appellants assert the following assignments of error:

[L] Chapter 3794 of the Ohio Revised Code is void for vagueness in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I, Section I of the Constitution of Ohio.
[II.] The proprietors of Trish’s Café * * * did not permit smoking in violation of Chapter 3794 of the Ohio Revised Code.
[III.] The proprietors of Trish’s Café * * * and Pat’s Bar * * * did not fail to remove from a public place ashtrays and/or smoking receptacles used for disposing of smoking materials.
[IV.] The trial court erred in finding that the sanitarian investigating Pat’s Bar did not violate its rights under the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I, Section 14 of the Constitution of Ohio.

{¶ 8} Pursuant to R.C. 3794.09(C), R.C. 119.12 governs an appeal from a finding of a violation of the Smoke-Free Act to the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. In an administrative appeal, pursuant to R.C. 119.12, the trial court reviews an order to determine whether it is supported by reliable, probative, and substantial evidence and is in accordance with the law. The Ohio Supreme Court has defined reliable, probative, and substantial evidence as follows:

(1) “Reliable” evidence is dependable; that is, it can be confidently trusted. In order to be reliable, there must be a reasonable probability that the evidence is true. (2) “Probative” evidence is evidence that tends to prove the issue in question; it must be relevant in determining the issue. (3) “Substan[619]*619tial” evidence is evidence with some weight; it must have importance and value.

(Footnotes omitted.) Our Place, Inc. v. Ohio Liquor Control Comm.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
961 N.E.2d 236, 195 Ohio App. 3d 612, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/trishs-cafe-catering-inc-v-ohio-department-of-health-ohioctapp-2011.