Case Title: In re Disqualification of White

Citation: 2000-Ohio-111

Docket Number: 2000AP037

State: ohio

Court: Ohio Supreme Court

Date: 2000-04-22T00:00:00Z

Document:
[Cite as In re Disqualification of White, 91 Ohio St.3d 1203, 2000-Ohio-111.] 
 
 
 
IN RE DISQUALIFICATION OF WHITE. 
GAULT v. THE JOEL POMERENE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL. 
[Cite as In re Disqualification of White (2000), 91 Ohio St.3d 1203.] 
Judges — Affidavit of disqualification — Allegation that judge appointed 
members to defendant hospital’s board of trustees — Judge’s 
appointments are required by statute and are limited — No bias or 
prejudice shown. 
(No. 00-AP-037 — Decided April 22, 2000.) 
ON AFFIDAVIT OF DISQUALIFICATION in Holmes County Common Pleas Court 
case No. 99CV014. 
__________________ 
 
MOYER, C.J. This affidavit of disqualification filed by Robert A. Bracco, 
counsel for plaintiff Patricia L. Gault, seeks the disqualification of Judge Thomas 
White from further proceedings regarding the above-referenced case. 
 
Affiant contends that Judge White should be disqualified from the 
underlying case because the judge has appointed members to the defendant-
hospital’s board of trustees and because the judge may have appointed friends or 
colleagues to the board.  This contention is not well taken on the authority of In re 
Disqualification of Morley (1994), 74 Ohio St.3d 1265, 657 N.E.2d 1363, wherein 
bias and prejudice was alleged because the judge was responsible for appointing a 
member to the board of commissioners of a park district.  In that situation, the 
judge had appointed only one park commissioner and had done so pursuant to 
express statutory authority. 
 
Similar to the situation presented in Morley, Judge White’s participation in 
the appointment process is required by statute and is limited in that he has only 
one of the five votes that can be cast in appointing a trustee.  See R.C. 339.02.  
SUPREME COURT OF OHIO 
2 
The judges have taken additional steps to limit their involvement in the selection 
of trustees by allowing the county commissioners, who have three votes in the 
appointment process, to recruit, advertise for, and interview prospective trustees. 
 
Moreover, affiant offers no evidence in support of his contention that the 
judge may have used his appointment authority to name friends or colleagues to 
the hospital board.  Judge White specifically denies that a friend or associate has 
been appointed to the hospital board during his tenure. 
 
For these reasons, the affidavit of disqualification is found not well taken 
and is denied.  The case shall proceed before Judge White. 
__________________