Case Title: State ex rel. Simpson v. Cooper

Citation: 2008-Ohio-6110

Docket Number: 20081712

State: ohio

Court: Ohio Supreme Court

Date: 2008-12-02T00:00:00Z

Document:
[Cite as State ex rel. Simpson v. Cooper, 120 Ohio St.3d 297, 2008-Ohio-6110.] 
 
 
 
THE STATE EX REL. SIMPSON, APPELLANT, v. COOPER, JUDGE, APPELLEE. 
[Cite as State ex rel. Simpson v. Cooper, 
 120 Ohio St.3d 297, 2008-Ohio-6110.] 
Mandamus to compel vacation of criminal conviction—Adequate remedy by 
appeal—Writ denied. 
(No. 2008-1712─Submitted November 19, 2008─Decided December 2, 2008.) 
APPEAL from the Court of Appeals for Hamilton County, No. C-080473. 
__________________ 
 
Per Curiam. 
{¶ 1} This is an appeal from a judgment dismissing a petition for a writ 
of mandamus to compel a common pleas court judge to vacate a criminal 
conviction.  Because the petition failed to state a viable mandamus claim, we 
affirm the judgment. 
Conviction and Sentence 
{¶ 2} In 1984, appellant, Marcus Simpson, was convicted of aggravated 
robbery and was sentenced to prison.  On appeal, the judgment was affirmed.  
State v. Simpson (Apr. 3, 1985), Hamilton App. No. C-840420, 1985 WL 6728. 
Mandamus 
{¶ 3} In June 2008, Simpson filed a petition in the Court of Appeals for 
Hamilton County for a writ of mandamus to compel appellee, Hamilton County 
Common Pleas Court Judge Ethna M. Cooper, to vacate his conviction for 
aggravated robbery.  Simpson claimed that he had been erroneously tried for the 
uncharged offense of attempted aggravated robbery and that he was actually 
innocent of the charged and uncharged offenses.  The court of appeals granted 
Judge Cooper’s motion to dismiss the petition. 
Appeal 
SUPREME COURT OF OHIO 
2 
{¶ 4} In his appeal as of right, Simpson contends that the court of 
appeals erred in dismissing his mandamus petition.  Simpson’s contentions lack 
merit for the following reasons. 
{¶ 5} First, notwithstanding his claims to the contrary, Simpson was 
convicted of aggravated robbery and not attempted aggravated robbery. 
{¶ 6} Second, Simpson had an adequate remedy at law by direct appeal 
to raise his challenge to the validity or sufficiency of his indictment.  State ex rel. 
Dix v. McAllister (1998), 81 Ohio St.3d 107, 108, 689 N.E.2d 561. 
{¶ 7} Finally, 
res 
judicata 
bars 
Simpson’s 
claims 
concerning 
insufficiency of the evidence supporting his conviction, which he previously 
asserted in his direct appeal.  See, e.g., Lynch v. Wilson, 114 Ohio St.3d 118, 
2007-Ohio-3254, 868 N.E.2d 982, ¶ 6. 
{¶ 8} Therefore, we affirm the judgment of the court of appeals. 
Judgment affirmed. 
MOYER, 
C.J., 
and 
PFEIFER, 
LUNDBERG 
STRATTON, 
O’CONNOR, 
O'DONNELL, LANZINGER, and CUPP, JJ., concur. 
__________________ 
 
Joseph T. Deters, Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney, and James 
Michael Keeling, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, for appellee. 
 
Marcus Simpson, pro se. 
______________________