In the Matter of Mills, Unpublished Decision (3-8-2002)
In the Matter of Mills, Unpublished Decision (3-8-2002)
Opinion of the Court
On remand, the juvenile court did not issue a child support order. Instead, on July 28, 2000, Mr. Mills moved in the habeas corpus proceeding for an emergency order of custody alleging that Mrs. Mills had abused the children and that one of the children had attempted suicide. Mr. Mills supplemented this motion on July 31, 2000.
On November 7, 2000, the trial court dismissed Mr. Mills' motion for emergency custody of the children because the Scioto County Children Services Board ("The Board") had made the same allegations and had received custody of the children in separate proceedings in the juvenile court.
In his notice of appeal, Mr. Mills alleged for the first time that the grant of custody of the children to The Board in these separate proceedings rendered the child support issue moot in this case. He asserted that because the child support issue was moot, the order that he appealed in Mills 1 was now final and appealable.
On November 8, 2001, we ordered the parties to file supplemental briefs on the issue of whether this appeal was moot because The Board had custody of the children. On November 15, Mr. Mills filed his brief alleging that the appeal is not moot because the children are now in the custody of Mrs. Mills. In her response, Mrs. Mills agreed that she has custody of the children. She asserted that the appeal is moot and relied on an agreed judgment entry, which she attached to her brief, from a proceeding in the Domestic Relations Division of the Scioto County Court of Common Pleas.
Initially, we must determine whether the trial court's judgment entry is a final appealable order. It is well established that an appellate court does not have jurisdiction to review an order that is not final and appealable. See Section
As we found in Mills 1, the decision of the juvenile court from which Mr. Mills appeals is not a final appealable order.3 The parties are in the same situation as they were in the previous appeal.4 Therefore we have no choice but to dismiss this appeal again. Mr. Mills may appeal only after the trial court has issued a child support order.5 If no such order is forthcoming from the trial court, Mr. Mills has remedies such as mandamus available to him.
The Court finds there were reasonable grounds for this appeal.
It is ordered that a special mandate issue out of this Court directing the Scioto County Court of Common Pleas, Juvenile Division, to carry this judgment into execution.
A certified copy of this entry shall constitute the mandate pursuant to Rule 27 of the Rules of Appellate Procedure. Exceptions.
Abele, P.J. and Harsha, J.: Concur in Judgment and Opinion.
We have previously held that a judgment that defers the issue of child support for future determination does not constitute a final appealable order. In re Stiffler (Dec. 14, 1993), Highland App. No. 93CA830, unreported; Ackley v. Ackley (June 18, 1993), Ross App. No. 1924, unreported; [See, also,] Shivley v. Shivley (Sept. 22, 1994) Franklin. App. No. 94AP(02-249, unreported.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.