Five judges serve on the Twelfth District Court of Appeals. The judges are elected for six-year terms in staggered, even-numbered years.
The court's primary function is to hear civil, criminal, and administrative appeals from the common pleas, municipal, and county courts within its district. Each case is heard and decided by a three-judge panel. The Judges are assisted in their work by administrative and legal staffs under the supervision of Bennett A. Manning, Court Administrator and Magistrate. The state is divided by counties into twelve appellate districts. The Twelfth District includes Brown, Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Fayette, Madison, Preble, and Warren Counties.
A variety of factors determines the number of judges in a district, including the court's caseload and the size of the district. The Twelfth District currently has five judges. In addition to its appellate jurisdiction, the Court also has original jurisdiction to hear applications for writs in specific original actions. The Twelfth District's central offices are in Middletown, Ohio, where the court has been located since its inception in 1981.
The court's mediation program assists parties in solving disputes outside the courtroom through voluntary agreement and settlement.
Sasha A. M. (VanDeGrift) Blaine, Esq. is the Court's Mediation Attorney and Appellate Mediator. Sasha is an OSBA Certified Appellate Specialist and a frequent presenter on appellate law topics, including appellate procedure, final appealable order law, oral argument strategies, and brief writing. Sasha has also served as a faculty assistant for the National Judicial College’s Civil Mediation course as well as numerous CLEs and presentations on mediation and conflict resolution strategies.
Before serving the Court, Sasha gained extensive appellate experience practicing law for a large firm in Dayton. Sasha also served as a Staff Attorney for the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas and as an adjunct professor and academic advisor for the University of Dayton Law School.
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Mediation by Nick Youngson CC BY-SA 3.0 Alpha Stock Images
Mediation, governed by R.C. 2710.01, et seq. is a process in which a neutral third party (the mediator) helps the parties to a legal dispute discuss possible ways to resolve the issues without need for further litigation. A mediator does not take sides and does not decide who is "right" or "wrong." Instead, the mediator gives each party some thoughts on how particular arguments or facts might be perceived by the Court so that the parties can evaluate their case and make an informed decision about whether to proceed with legal action or reach a settlement.
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Any appeal from a civil, domestic relations, or juvenile support case, as well as original actions, may be mediated.
If a case is selected for mediation, all parties are required to participate.
All parties and all lead counsel must attend mediation conferences in person. Exceptions to this rule are granted sparingly and only when requested ahead of time or under extraordinary circumstances.
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Most attorneys are most comfortable wearing their litigation "combat helmet." Mediation, however, is a collaborative process where the parties work together with the goal of finding a mutually agreeable solution. With the confidentiality protections, mediation is short and unique window of opportunity for the parties to quickly reach an outcome that they can control. Mediation results in settlement when the parties are able to find a solution that is better than more litigation.
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A party or attorney has three different ways to request mediation:
or
The SEARCH NOW button below is a direct link to the Ohio Supreme Court's website where the Court's opinions and decisions are posted. The supreme court's website has served as the Ohio Official Reporter for all court of appeals opinions since July 1, 2012.
If the Court issued an “Accelerated Calendar Judgment Entry” in deciding your case, those entries are, by state and local appellate rules of court, not to be published in any form, and are not reported to the Ohio Supreme Court for publication. Parties interested in obtaining a copy of an Accelerated Calendar Judgment Entry are advised to contact the Court of Appeals Clerk in the county from which the case originated.
The Ohio Rules of Appellate Procedure, Local Rules for appeals in the Twelfth District, and other Ohio Rules of Court.
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