Billups v. Hurley, Unpublished Decision (10-21-2004)
Billups v. Hurley, Unpublished Decision (10-21-2004)
Opinion of the Court
{¶ 2} Pursuant to Civ.R. 53, and Loc.R. 12(M) of the Tenth District Court of Appeals, this matter was referred to a magistrate who issued a decision, including findings and conclusions of law. (Attached as Appendix A.) In her decision, the magistrate recommends that the court sua sponte dismiss the complaint for failure to comply with R.C.
{¶ 3} Petitioner filed objections to the decision of the magistrate, arguing that the case should have been transferred to the county where proper venue would lie. However, as the magistrate noted in her decision, failure to comply with the requirements of R.C.
{¶ 4} For the reasons stated in the decision of the magistrate, the objections are overruled.
{¶ 5} Following independent review pursuant to Civ.R. 53, we find that the magistrate made the proper determinations and applied the salient law. Accordingly, we adopt the decision of the magistrate as our own, including the conclusions of law contained in it. In accordance with that decision, the action is dismissed.
Objections overruled; action dismissed.
Brown and Sadler, JJ., concur.
Allegations of the Complaint:
{¶ 7} 1. According to the complaint filed December 11, 2003, petitioner, David Billups, is incarcerated in a state correctional facility, the Ross Correctional Institution in Ross County, Ohio.
{¶ 8} 2. According to the complaint, respondent Hurley serves as the warden of the institution.
Conclusions of Law relating to Sua Sponte Dismissal:
{¶ 9} This matter is before the magistrate on sua sponte consideration of whether petitioner has stated a claim upon which relief in habeas corpus may be granted by this court. In considering the motion under Civ.R. 12(B), the magistrate construes the allegations of the complaint in favor of petitioner. The magistrate treats unauthenticated documents attached to the complaint as additional allegations of the complaint and accepts them as true for the purposes of the present consideration under Civ.R. 12(B).
{¶ 10} The magistrate concludes that this action should be dismissed. First, this court cannot issue a writ of habeas corpus to respondent. Under R.C.
{¶ 11} Second, petitioner has not complied with the requirements of R.C.
{¶ 12} At the time that an inmate commences a civil action or appeal against a government entity or employee, the inmate shall file with the court an affidavit that contains a description of each civil action or appeal of a civil action that the inmate has filed in the previous five years in any state or federal court. The affidavit shall include all of the following for each of those civil actions or appeals:
(1) A brief description of the nature of the civil action or appeal;
(2) The case name, case number, and the court in which the civil action or appeal was brought;
(3) The name of each party to the civil action or appeal;
(4) The outcome of the civil action or appeal, including whether the court dismissed the civil action or appeal as frivolous or malicious under state or federal law or rule of court, whether the court made an award against the inmate or the inmate's counsel of record for frivolous conduct under section
{¶ 13} In the present action, petitioner has commenced a civil action against a state official but has not filed the required affidavit of prior civil actions/appeals. The failure of the inmate to provide this affidavit requires dismissal of the complaint. See State ex rel. Johnson v. Ohio Adult ParoleAuth.,
{¶ 14} Third, petitioner has not paid filing fees or qualified for installment payments of fees from his inmate account. Under R.C.
{¶ 15} In the present action, petitioner filed a motion to proceed without prepayment of fees, but the court denied that motion in a journal entry on December 24, 2003, pursuant to R.C.
{¶ 16} For the foregoing reasons, the magistrate recommends that the court dismiss this action sua sponte under Civ.R. 12(B) for failure to state a claim upon which relief in habeas corpus can be granted by this court.
Findings and Conclusion relating to Motion for SummaryJudgment:
{¶ 17} On January 14, 2004, petitioner filed a motion for summary judgment, stating that there were no issues of material fact. In a motion to accelerate filed the same day, petitioner stated that no facts were disputed.
{¶ 18} The magistrate concludes that, due to the defects on the face of the complaint, the complaint must be dismissed under Civ.R. 12(B) and the motion for summary judgment cannot be addressed and is essentially moot at this point. Accordingly, the magistrate concludes that the motion for summary judgment filed January 14, 2004 must be denied.
/s/ P.A. Davidson P.A. DAVIDSON MAGISTRATE
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