Starks v. Wheeling Twp. Trustees, 08ca000001 (9-19-2008)
Starks v. Wheeling Twp. Trustees, 08ca000001 (9-19-2008)
Opinion of the Court
{¶ 3} Appellees filed a Motion for Summary Judgment on September 18, 2007. Appellees maintained there was no genuine issue as to any material fact because Appellant failed to file an appeal from Appellees' December 30, 2005 Decision which assigned to Appellant responsibilities related to the construction of the line fence. The trial court scheduled the matter for non-oral hearing on October 11, 2007. Appellant filed a Motion for Extension of Time, requesting the trial court allow him to file his *Page 3 response brief on or before October 31, 2007, which was the original deadline imposed by the trial court for the filing of dispositive motions. Via Entry filed October 5, 2007, the trial court granted Appellant's motion, and continued the non-oral hearing until November 21, 2007. Appellant subsequently filed a response to Appellees' motion for summary judgment and also sought summary judgment in his favor. Appellees filed a supplemental memorandum in support of their motion for summary judgment to which Appellant replied. Via Entry filed December 28, 2007, the trial court found no genuine issues of material fact remained and granted summary judgment in favor of Appellees. The trial court also denied Appellant's motion for summary judgment.
{¶ 4} It is from this entry Appellant appeals, raising as its sole assignment of error:
{¶ 5} "I. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED WHEN IT GRANTED JUDGMENT IN FAVOR OF THE APPELLEE-DEFENDANT, WHEELING TOWNSHIP TRUSTEES, ET AL., ON THEIR MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT AND DENIED JUDGMENT IN FAVOR OF THE APPELLANT-PLAINTIFF, BOBBY STARKS, ON HIS MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT."
{¶ 7} "Summary judgment shall be rendered forthwith if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, written admissions, affidavits, transcripts of *Page 4 evidence, and written stipulations of fact, if any, timely filed in the action, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. No evidence or stipulation may be considered except as stated in this rule. A summary judgment shall not be rendered unless it appears from the evidence or stipulation, and only from the evidence or stipulation, that reasonable minds can come to but one conclusion and that conclusion is adverse to the party against whom the motion for summary judgment is made, that party being entitled to have the evidence or stipulation construed most strongly in the party's favor. A summary judgment, interlocutory in character, may be rendered on the issue of liability alone although there is a genuine issue as to the amount of damages."
{¶ 8} Pursuant to the above rule, a trial court should not enter a summary judgment if it appears a material fact is genuinely disputed, nor if, construing the allegations most favorably towards the non-moving party, reasonable minds could draw different conclusions from the undisputed facts, Houndshell v. American States Insurance Company
(1981),
{¶ 9} The party moving for summary judgment bears the initial burden of informing the trial court of the basis of the motion and identifying the portions of the record which demonstrate the absence of a genuine issue of fact on a material element of the non-moving party's claim,Drescher v. Burt (1996),
{¶ 10} It is based upon this standard we review Appellant's assignment of error.
{¶ 12} In May, 2005, landowners adjacent to Appellant filed a Complaint pursuant to R.C.
{¶ 13} R.C.
{¶ 14} Appellant did not file an appeal from the administrative order to the court of common pleas. Rather, on August 21, 2006, Appellant filed the instant action. Pursuant R.C.
{¶ 15} Appellees concede the trial court did not rule on count 3 of Appellant's Complaint which sought a mandamus for public records. Accordingly, we remand the matter to the trial court to proceed to disposition of count 3.
{¶ 16} Appellant's first assignment of error is overruled.
*Page 7Hoffman, P.J., Wise, J. and Edwards, J. concur
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