Dunlap v. Ohio Pub. Defender's Office, 08ap-474 (1-29-2009)
Dunlap v. Ohio Pub. Defender's Office, 08ap-474 (1-29-2009)
Opinion of the Court
OPINION
{¶ 1} Plaintiff-appellant, John Quincy Dunlap, appeals the dismissal of his civil action against the defendant-appellee, the Ohio Public Defender's Office, for alleged legal malpractice in their representation of him at his trial and subsequent appeal. Because we find that the applicable statute of limitations contained in R.C.{¶ 3} The record reveals that on November 15, 2007, the appellee filed a motion to dismiss the complaint pursuant to Civ. R. 12(B)(1) and (6). The appellant filed a response on November 29, 2007, and a hearing was held at the Chillicothe Correctional Institute on February 7, 2008.
{¶ 4} The Magistrate Decision filed on March 6, 2008, concluded that the appellant would have had to file his case on or before April 23, 2004. The Magistrate concluded that, "accordingly, to the extent that plaintiff has asserted a claim of legal malpractice, the court finds that plaintiff has filed his complaint beyond the statute of limitations, and thus his claim is time barred." The Decision recommended dismissal of plaintiff's complaint, and the Court of Claims adopted the Magistrate Decision on May 1, 2008, and dismissed the complaint.
I. On December 19, 2003, the Honorable Judge Brown rendered an Opinion in this case, on that day, the Ruling was Contrary to the Trial Court Transcripts, in which the Ohio Public Defenders could have prevented such adverse Judgment, in which would rendered this case, "Void" all together, as followed[:] (1) The Honorable Judge Brown states; at P-(2) Several Eye-witnesses saw Mr. Dunlap, shoot at the house, Seven Times, No witnesses testified that they saw Mr. Dunlap shoot any gun at the house where Mr. Dunlap stayed off and on. The fact of the shooting evidence of this case, there was only "Two holes in the House" I believe, and *Page 3 Mr. Dunlap could not have shoot "Seven Times as to the Judge's Adverse Ruling, but Mr. Dunlap should not have had to raise these issue[s], it should have been raised by the Ohio Public Defenders," Mr. Dunlap has been Illegally and Falsely Imprisoned for the last Six Years, in which the Ohio Public Defenders could have prevented. (2) Judge Brown Illegally entered these facts, at P-(4) in her Opinion, she adds, "Defendant had Bullets of both rifle admittedly discarded by Defendant during police chase and slug found in victim home." "I would like [to] know where is this Thirty Two Rifle, that Judge Brown has Illegally entered in the record of this case, Under Evidence Rules 401, 403(A), 404(B), 801, 803, under Evidence Rules 607(A), 609(B) Time Limits of Ten Years this Evidence that was used is not admissible and should be Impeached, because of the failure of the Ohio Public Defenders, this evidence was illegally admitted in the record of this case.II. The Court of Appeals erred in its Opinion in this Case No. 02-CR-1265, and when it erred the Ohio Public Defenders failed in their Duty, owned to their Client, John Quincy Dunlap, allowing this Court's Opinion to stand for truth of such matter of law and there is only Two Ways to correct such injustice, One is to issue and grant Habeas Corpus and release such person from confinement or Detention, and Two is to Compensate such person for such injustice of Unlawful and False Imprisonment, under R.C.
2725.17 ,2725.20 ,2743.13 ,2743.10 ,2743.02 , in which would in-it-self would be justified relief for such causes.
{¶ 6} The Supreme Court of Ohio has held that "[i]n order for a court to dismiss a complaint for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted (Civ. R. 12[B][6]), it must appear beyond doubt from the complaint that the plaintiff can prove no set of facts *Page 4
entitling him to recovery." O'Brien v. Univ. Community Tenants Union,Inc. (1975),
{¶ 7} The Supreme Court of Ohio has also held that a party has the requisite constructive knowledge to trigger the statute of limitations if he "* * * has knowledge of such facts as would lead a fair and prudent man, using ordinary care and thoughtfulness, to make further inquiry * * *." Schofield v. Cleveland Trust Co. (1948),
{¶ 8} In pertinent part, R.C.
{¶ 9} Accordingly, appellant had one year from the date the action accrued to file his legal malpractice claim against his trial counsel. In appellant's complaint filed on October 22, 2007, he essentially alleges he was the victim of legal malpractice which took place on April 23, 2003. As such, the appellant had to commence his action for malpractice on or before April 23, 2004, and his failure to do so rendered his claim for the same time-barred by the statute of limitations for this action. In applying the relevant statutes to the facts herein, we find appellant can prove no set of facts entitling him to recovery on his claims of legal malpractice.
{¶ 10} Further, a party who has had the opportunity to appeal his criminal conviction cannot substitute an action in the Court of Claims for a right of appeal in a different court. See Hardy v. Belmont Corr.Inst., Ct. of Cl. No. 2004-09631,
{¶ 11} Therefore, we find the decision of the Court of Claims to dismiss appellant's complaint was not in error, and we overrule both of appellant's assignments of error and affirm that decision in toto.
Judgment affirmed.
FRENCH, P.J., and TYACK, J., concur.
McFARLAND, J., of the Fourth Appellate District, sitting by assignment in the Tenth Appellate District. *Page 1
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