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The Legislative Service Commission staff updates the Revised Code on an ongoing basis, as it completes its act review of enacted legislation. Updates may be slower during some times of the year, depending on the volume of enacted legislation.

Chapter 2311 | Trial-related Matters

 
 
 
Section
Section 2311.01 | Trial defined.
 

A trial is a judicial examination of the issues, whether of law or of fact, in action or proceeding.

Section 2311.02 | Issues defined.
 

Issues arise on the pleadings where a fact or conclusion of law is maintained by one party and controverted by the other. They are of two kinds:

(A) Issues of law;

(B) Issues of fact.

Section 2311.04 | Trial of issues.
 

Issues of law must be tried by the court, unless referred as provided in the Rules of Civil Procedure. Issues of fact arising in actions for the recovery of money only, or specific real or personal property, shall be tried by a jury, unless a jury trial is waived or unless all parties consent to a reference under the Rules of Civil Procedure.

All other issues of fact shall be tried by the court, subject to its power to order any issue to be tried by a jury, or referred.

Section 2311.05 | Trial docket.
 

Except in a court having an assignment commissioner pursuant to section 2335.03 of the Revised Code, the clerk of the court shall make a trial docket at least twelve days before the first day of each term, and the cases shall be set for particular days, in the order in which they stand on the appearance docket.

Section 2311.06 | Numbering of cases.
 

A case in all its stages in the same court and upon every docket or book, and all papers filed or issued therein, shall bear the appearance docket number. The clerk of the court shall not place a case upon the trial docket in which nothing remains to be done except to execute an order for the sale of real or personal property and to distribute the proceeds as directed by the order. If it becomes necessary, the case may be redocketed, on the application of either party, whereupon it shall stand in all respects as if it had remained on the docket.

Section 2311.07 | Order of hearing cases.
 

Cases in which there is an issue of fact or damages to be assessed shall be tried in the order in which they stand on the trial docket, unless by the consent of parties, or by the order of the court, they are continued or placed at the end of the docket, or for good cause shown are especially assigned for trial or hearing out of their regular order. Actions for wages and actions pursuant to section 5903.02 of the Revised Code shall be first in order for trial.

Section 2311.08 | Assignment in series.
 

The court may assign for trial the cases triable to a jury, in a series, in the order in which they stand upon the docket, giving preference always to actions for wages, actions pursuant to section 5903.02 of the Revised Code, and cases not triable to a jury, in a series in like manner. All other cases shall be heard in the order in which they stand upon the trial docket, unless the court otherwise directs.

Section 2311.09 | Hearing of motions and demurrers.
 

The court at any time may hear a motion or demurrer and, by rule, prescribe the time of hearing motions and demurrers.

Section 2311.10 | Assignment when judge disqualified.
 

In any county where there are two or more judges, one of whom is disqualified to hear or try causes upon the trial docket, the causes may be assigned for trial or hearing in a series in the order in which they stand on the docket, by a judge qualified to try them, and be tried and heard in like order.

Section 2311.11 | Actions triable.
 

Actions are triable at the first term of the court after the issues therein, by the times fixed for pleading, or should have been made up. When issues are or should have been made up during a term, such action shall be triable at the term. When issues are or should have been made up either before or during a term of court, but after the period of preparing the trial docket of the term, the clerk of the court, if required by the court, shall place such actions on such docket.

Section 2311.14 | Interpreter provided for person with hearing, speech or other impediment.
 

(A)(1) Whenever because of a hearing, speech, or other impairment a party to or witness in a legal proceeding cannot readily understand or communicate, the court shall appoint a qualified interpreter to assist such person.

(2) This section is not limited to a person who speaks a language other than English. It also applies to the language and descriptions of any person with a developmental disability who cannot be reasonably understood, or who cannot understand questioning, without the aid of an interpreter. The interpreter may aid the parties in formulating methods of questioning the person with a developmental disability and in interpreting the answers of the person.

(B) Before entering upon official duties, the interpreter shall take an oath that the interpreter will make a true interpretation of the proceedings to the party or witness, and that the interpreter will truly repeat the statements made by such party or witness to the court, to the best of the interpreter's ability. If the interpreter is appointed to assist a person with a developmental disability as described in division (A)(2) of this section, the oath also shall include an oath that the interpreter will not prompt, lead, suggest, or otherwise improperly influence the testimony of the witness or party.

(C) The court shall determine a reasonable fee for all such interpreter service which shall be paid out of the same funds as witness fees. If the party taxed with costs is indigent, the court shall not tax the interpreter's fees as costs, and the county or, if the court is a municipal court that is not a county-operated municipal court, the municipal corporation in which the court is located shall pay the interpreter's fees.

(D) As used in this section, " developmental disability" has the same meaning as in section 5123.01 of the Revised Code.

Section 2311.21 | Abatement by death of party.
 

Unless otherwise provided, no action or proceeding pending in any court shall abate by the death of either or both of the parties thereto, except actions for libel, slander, malicious prosecution, for a nuisance, or against a judge of a county court for misconduct in office, which shall abate by the death of either party.

Section 2311.22 | Dower not abated by death.
 

If the plaintiff in an action for dower dies before final judgment therein, the action may be revived in the name of the personal representative of such plaintiff for the purpose of recovering the value of such dower, from the beginning of the action to the decedent's death.

Section 2311.33 | Limitation when defendant dies.
 

An order to revive an action against the successor of a defendant, other than the executor or administrator, shall not be made without the consent of such successor, unless made within one year from the time it first could have been made.

Section 2311.34 | Limitation when plaintiff dies.
 

An order to revive an action in the name of the representative or successor of a plaintiff may be made forthwith, but shall not be made, of right, without the consent of the defendant, after the expiration of one year from the time it might first have been made. When the powers of the defendant have ceased, the order of revivor may be made in the period limited in section 2311.33 of the Revised Code.

Section 2311.39 | Change of venue in corporation suit.
 

When a corporation having more than fifty stockholders is a party in an action pending in a county in which the corporation keeps its principal office, or transacts its principal business, if the opposite party makes affidavit that he cannot, as he believes, have a fair and impartial trial in that county, and his application is sustained by the several affidavits of five creditable persons residing in such county, the court shall change the venue to the adjoining county most convenient for both parties.

Section 2311.40 | Itemized bill of costs and expenses certified to county auditor.
 

In all civil actions in which the venue is changed, the clerk of the county to which such action has been sent, upon its termination in the courts of his county, shall make a full itemized bill of all costs and expenses of such action which have been paid out of the county treasury of the county to which it was changed, and certify such bill of costs and expenses to the county auditor of the county from which such action was sent. The auditor of the county in which it was instituted shall draw his warrant upon the treasury of his county, payable to the treasurer of the county, in which such trial was conducted for the full amount of costs and expenses, certified as provided in this section.

Section 2311.42 | Jury may be drawn from adjoining county.
 

In any civil case pending in the court of common pleas of any county in which the parties are entitled to a trial by jury, if it appears that the board of county commissioners of the county in which the action is pending is a party to the action, the court, upon the application of either party, shall certify that fact to the clerk of the court of common pleas in any adjoining county, together with the time fixed for the trial of the case and the number of jurors to be drawn, and shall order the clerk and commissioners of jurors of that county to draw from the annual jury list the number of names of persons certified to serve as jurors in the trial of such cases in that county. The sheriff or commissioners of jurors of the county from which the jury is drawn shall summon the jurors as provided in section 2313.10 of the Revised Code. The persons so drawn and summoned shall, in obedience to the summons, appear in the court of the county in which the action is pending to serve as jurors therein, being impaneled and subject to challenge the same as in other civil cases.

Each juror shall receive the greater of the compensation established for jurors in the adjoining county or three dollars for each day of service and mileage, and all costs, including the costs incident to the drawing, issuing, and service of the venire shall be paid from the county treasury in which the action is pending upon certificate by the clerk of that county as to the service and mileage of the jurors, and to the officers performing those services, upon the certificate of those officers.