Case Title: Plassman v. Ohio Adult Parole Auth.

Citation: 2014-Ohio-4033

Docket Number: 2013-1552

State: ohio

Court: Ohio Supreme Court

Date: 2014-09-23T00:00:00Z

Document:
[Until this opinion appears in the Ohio Official Reports advance sheets, it may be cited as 
Plassman v. Ohio Adult Parole Auth., Slip Opinion No. 2014-Ohio-4033.] 
 
 
 
 
NOTICE 
This slip opinion is subject to formal revision before it is published in 
an advance sheet of the Ohio Official Reports.  Readers are requested 
to promptly notify the Reporter of Decisions, Supreme Court of Ohio, 
65 South Front Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215, of any typographical or 
other formal errors in the opinion, in order that corrections may be 
made before the opinion is published. 
 
SLIP OPINION NO. 2014-OHIO-4033 
PLASSMAN v. OHIO ADULT PAROLE AUTHORITY. 
[Until this opinion appears in the Ohio Official Reports advance sheets,  
it may be cited as Plassman v. Ohio Adult Parole Auth.,  
Slip Opinion No. 2014-Ohio-4033.] 
Habeas corpus—Res judicata bars issuance of writ—Relator had adequate 
remedy by way of appeal—Writ denied. 
(No. 2013-1552—Submitted June 10, 2014—Decided September 23, 2014.) 
IN HABEAS CORPUS. 
_____________________ 
Per Curiam. 
{¶ 1} In 1995, relator, Todd Plassman, pled guilty to several counts of 
rape and was sentenced to indefinite terms of 9 to 25 years, to be served 
concurrently, but consecutively to his sentence imposed in another case.  
Plassman alleges that the prosecutor and the judge in his 1995 rape case verbally 
agreed off the record that he would serve no more than ten years in prison if he 
pled guilty. He asserts that he would not have pled guilty without such a promise. 
SUPREME COURT OF OHIO 
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{¶ 2} However, his claim is procedurally barred.  Plassman has filed a 
variety of actions over the years in an attempt to enforce the alleged limit on his 
sentence, some of which were decided on the merits but never appealed to this 
court.  See, e.g., State v. Plassman, 6th Dist. Fulton No. F-03-017, 2004-Ohio-
279; State v. Plassman, 6th Dist. Fulton No. F-07-036, 2008-Ohio-3842.  These 
actions not only render the case res judicata, but demonstrate that he had adequate 
remedies at law, precluding habeas relief. 
{¶ 3} A prisoner seeking release is not entitled to the writ when an 
appeal or other adequate remedy at law exists.  Billiter v. Banks, 135 Ohio St.3d 
426, 2013-Ohio-1719, 988 N.E.2d 556, ¶ 8. 
{¶ 4} Habeas corpus does not lie to challenge an alleged breach of a plea 
agreement, because other remedies are available.  Arnett v. Sheets, 4th Dist. Ross 
No. 10CA3156, 2010-Ohio-3985, ¶ 7, citing State ex rel. Rowe v. McCown, 108 
Ohio St.3d 183, 2006-Ohio-548, 842 N.E.2d 51, at ¶ 5.  Here, as in Arnett and 
Rowe, Plassman had alternative remedies available to him, such as filing a motion 
with the sentencing court to withdraw his guilty plea or to enforce the plea 
agreement.  Therefore, habeas corpus is inappropriate.  Agee v. Russell, 92 Ohio 
St.3d 540, 544, 751 N.E.2d 1043 (2001), citing Gaskins at 383. 
{¶ 5} In addition, Plassman’s numerous motions and other attempts to 
enforce the plea agreement, some of which were decided on the merits, mean that 
any further actions on those arguments are barred by res judicata.  In particular, 
the Sixth District specifically held that “[Plassman’s] argument of a ten-year 
sentence justifying warranting a Crim.R. 32.1 withdrawal of plea fails on its 
merits given the contents of the record of sentencing.”  2008-Ohio-3842, ¶ 24.  
Plassman failed to appeal that holding to this court.  Thus, the issues he raises are 
not only res judicata, they are barred from consideration in habeas corpus due to 
the availability of other remedies. 
{¶ 6} We deny the writ. 
January Term, 2014 
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Writ denied. 
O’CONNOR, C.J., and PFEIFER, O’DONNELL, LANZINGER, KENNEDY, 
FRENCH, and O’NEILL, JJ., concur. 
____________________ 
 
Todd Plassman, pro se. 
 
Michael DeWine, Attorney General, and M. Scott Criss, Assistant 
Attorney General, for respondent. 
_________________________