LEAD DOMESTIC MAGISTRATE
As Lead Domestic Magistrate, I supervise our Domestic Relations Magistrates as well as the Child Support Enforcement Magistrates. My responsibilities also extend to our staff of court officers who work for the Domestic and Child Support Enforcement Magistrates. In addition, I maintain a regular Domestic Relations Docket.
PREPERATION, CHECK-IN, & TIMLINESS
Please be on time and prepared for your hearing. Upon arrival, always check in with the court officer located inside the courtroom. We understand that on occasion you may be running late, may have an emergency arise, or may be scheduled in more than one courtroom. If so, please contact all unrepresented parties, counsel, and the Court at your earliest opportunity so they can plan accordingly. When possible, this should occur in advance of the scheduled court time, If you need to leave to go to another courtroom, please advise the court officer before you leave of where you are going and how you can be reached. We may not be able to wait for you. Scheduling cases in multiple courtrooms is discouraged and should be kept to a minimum. It can be a disservice to your client, can be expensive and often creates inconvenience.
COURTROOM BEHAVIOR
All parties and counsel shall be professional, prepared, and civil with all court personnel as well as opposing parties and counsel.
CONTINUANCES
We understand that on occasion you may need a continuance of a hearing for good cause. Continuances should be requested on the court's mandated form and typically will be approved prior to the hearing date only if all parties are notified and agree. If you are seeking the continuance, you must contact the opposing party or attorney and the Guardian Ad Litem and request their approval. Please be courteous and seek the continuance at your earliest opportunity so as the provide parties and counsel with reasonable notice and minimize the time delay.
TEMPORARY ORDERS HEARINGS
All parties and counsel shall appear for temporary orders hearings. A party is only excused from appearing if advance approval is given by the Magistrate. The parties should plan to knowledgeably discuss with the opposing party or attorney possible settlement of all issues related to temporary orders, including the issues of parental rights and responsibilities and allocation of your debts and expenses. Only if settlement cannot be achieved will the matter be submitted to the court for an affidavit-only hearing related to any issues that cannot be resolved. If the amount of information available to the other party or the court is insufficient, the hearing may be continued for further discovery.
RULE 75 DE NOVO HEARINGS
Rule 75 hearings are typically heard on the resubmission of affidavits at a time scheduled between counsel and the Magistrate. The Magistrate will consider as an alternative or in addition to affidavits an oral argument or other means of hearing upon request. The oral argument generally is limited to no more than 15 minutes per side.
CHILDREN
DO NOT BRING YOUR CHILD(REN) TO COURT, if at all possible. All school age children are expected to attend school. Please find childcare for your preschool age children. If the Magistrate determines it is appropriate, a Guardian Ad Litem may be appointed to represent your children's best interest to the court. If the Magistrate determines it is appropriate to talk to your child(ren), it will only occur at a planned time after the conclusion of a hearing on the pending motion(s).
CASE DELINQUENCIES
The Court follows the Ohio Supreme Court guidelines for timely disposition of cases. Please keep this in mind as your case progresses.
SETTLEMENT AND MEDIATION
Settlement is encouraged by the court. Options and considerations for settlement are typically provided by the Magistrate on the date of the hearing. Mediation may be required by the court prior to having a hearing on any matters. Discussion of the issues with a trained mediator often opens up the lines of communication or assists parties with better understanding the position and motivations of the other party and may lead to resolution of many or all issues. Mediation often saves parties significant money and time. Mediation may occur through the court provided mediation services, a privately retained mediator or by settlement conferences hosted by the magistrate. The court also conducts periodic “Settlement Week” mediations in which you and your attorney may be orders to participate. Failure to follow the court orders for mediation will carry the same potential sanctions as failing to follow any other court order.
TRIALS
Unless specified, any time your case is set for hearing, it may go to trial. Please be prepared. If a trial is commenced, the hearing will go day-to-day as much as possible until completed, depending on the court's schedule. Some consideration also may be given to the schedules of the attorneys, parties and/or witnesses. All discovery should be completed prior to trial. Stipulations are encouraged and can often simplify the issues and shorten the trial. Please have the trial exhibits prepared and marked in advance, with extra copies available. Plaintiff’s exhibits shall be designated by numbers and Defendant’s exhibits shall designated by letters. ZOOM POLICYHearings may be pre-scheduled to occur by zoom and will proceed as planned. Any new request to convert an in-person hearing to a hearing by zoom shall be filed well in advance of the scheduled hearing date to allow the court time to review and respond to the request. A document you may use to request a hearing be converted to zoom can be found on the court’s website under Forms. All new requests shall include the reason you are requesting the hearing occur by zoom. The court will consider litigants who reside out of town, conflicts with other hearings and similar issues as potentially valid reasons for conducting a hearing by zoom. Trials will not be heard by zoom. Zoom log in information for all judicial officers may be found on the court’s website.
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