Cleveland Law Library Weblog

Ohio AG Focusing on Unlicensed Colored Contact Sales

Yesterday, on behalf of the Ohio Optical Dispensers' Board, Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann filed requests for TROs and injunctions against 6 businesses that are allegedly dispensing colored, cosmetic contact lenses without a license. Dann's office has issued a detailed Press Release on the actions, which name Two Cousins and Two Cousins Beauty Supply, both of which are located in Cleveland. The dockets in the cases (Nos. CV-07-639798 and CV-07-639799) can be viewed on the Cuyahoga Common Pleas Court's docket and have been assigned to Judges Eileen Gallagher and Joan Synenberg, respectively. According to the Press Release, four (4) other defendants have been sued in Athens, Canton, Columbus and Toledo.

5 Local Muni Court Judges Are Up For Re-Election

The Ohio Judicial Conference has published a list of all Municipal Court judges that are up for re-election on November 6th, by county. There are 2 seats up in Cleveland Municipal Court, 1 in Cleveland's Housing Court, 1 in Parma, and 1 in Rocky River. Click here to go to Judge4yourself.com to review ratings on both the incumbents and the candidates for these offices in Cuyahoga County, as prepared by the Judicial Candidates Rating Coalition.  This site is a joint project of the Cleveland Bar Association, the Cuyahoga County Bar Association, the Cuyahoga Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, the Norman S. Minor Bar Association, and the Ohio Women's Bar Association.

No More "Trouble in River City" Ohio

Similar to the lead character in The Music Man, who decried the evils of pool tables in River City, Ohio Governor Strickland has signed legislation outlawing gambling machines that allegedly require skill and pay out prizes or cash over $10.00. Click here to read HB 117, and click here to read the Governor's Press Release. (As an aside, Youtube.com provides video clips of some of the most memorable songs from The Music Man.)

Ohio Bar Exam Results Are Out

The July 24, 2007 Ohio Bar Exam results are out. Click here to go to the Ohio Supreme Court search engine to search for family and friends by last name, residential city, county, state or law school. The Supreme Court Press Release shows a pass rate of 81.3% and provides various links to information about the exam, candidate requirements for admission, and the swearing in ceremonies, which will be held on November 5, 2007 at various times and locations around the state.

Ohio Supreme Court Adopts New Rules

The Ohio Supreme Court has issued 2 press releases, announcing amendments to various of its Rules. In the first announcement, the Court advised of the following changes in its Rules of Practice: 1) elimination of case information statements; 2) redaction of social security numbers and personal information; 3) designation of filings as public documents; 4) changes in various filing deadlines; 5) allowance of service by email; and 6) prohibition of summary judgment motions in original actions. The second announcement provides notice of changes in both the Rules for the Government of the Bar and the Rules for the Government of the Judiciary. All of these rule changes pertain to CLE requirements, reporting, and sanctions for failure to comply. The Ohio Supreme Court provides a web-based Rule amendment search at the following link: Amendment Search.

Garfield Heights Bans Pit Bulls

Newsnet5.com reports that the City of Garfield Heights has banned pit bulls. Starting this Wednesday, a new ordinance will take effect that requires all pit bull owners to find new homes for their dogs. In defense of the new law, City Prosecutor Tim Riley stated that: "We found that people were not complying with the old ordinance, so we felt the only way to protect the safety of the people of Garfield Heights was to pass this ordinance." Nevertheless, the City will give pit bull owners some time to place their dogs or turn them in to a local animal shelter. An unofficial version of Garfield Heights' ordinances can be found online, but it does not contain the new animal law yet. Virtually all of the current sections referring to animals are contained in Chapter 505. Section 505.21 already defines a pit bull as a "vicious" dog, identifies the types of pit bulls that are included, defines standards and laws for maintaining pit bulls, and contains sanctions and penalties for violating these laws.

Cuyahoga Clerk of Court Posts Auto and Boat Title Forms

The Clerk of Court for Cuyahoga County has posted 17 forms for auto and boat titles. These forms include multiple affidavits, certificates, powers of attorney, an odometer disclosure statement, an Application for Certificate of Title for Motor Vehicle, an Ohio Consumer's Sales or Use Tax Return, and much more. In addition to maintaining all records for the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court and the 8th District Court of Appeals, the Clerk is charged with issuing Certificates of title (i.e., official proof of ownership) for automobiles, boats and trailers. While you are visiting the Clerk's web site, check out the Clerk's Public Records Request Policy.

New Law Library Podcast on The Index to Ohio Legal Periodicals

If you have not already heard, our Law Library created its 2nd podcast this week about a brand new product we created called The Index to Ohio Legal Periodicals. After a year's worth of sweat equity, we recently launched the Index in August. Our Index currently covers 20 Ohio journals and is searchable as a pdf file on the Internet. We are constantly updating the Index with new issues, and we have plans to expand our journal coverage. There is a free sample/demo at the following link, DEMO Link, and listeners will receive the password near the end of our broadcast. Our Index is available for free to members of the Cleveland Law Library (through the Members' Only page on our website), all county law libraries in Ohio and the Ohio Supreme Court Law Library. Other interested parties can purchase a year's subscription to the Index for $150.00. Please contact the Cleveland Law Library Director for further information.

Northern District Allows Filing of 5.0 mb Documents

On October 15th, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio revised its Electronic Filing Policies and Procedures Manual to allow the filing of larger documents up to 5.0 megabytes. The prior standard only allowed for the filing of documents up to 1.5 megabytes in size. The heightened standard ought to allow for increased electronic filings, consolidation of more documents and/or attachments into a single filing, and less manual filings (that follow an electronic notice of filing). It has been almost 2 years since electronic filing became the norm. Effective on January 1, 2006, the Northern District issued a notice that all attorneys were required to file electronically.

Federal Court Fees Revised

The federal court system recently posted updated versions of its fee schedules for appellate, district and bankruptcy courts. Click here to view these current fee schedules.