Case Title: State ex rel. Robinson v. Adult Parole Authority

Citation: 2018-Ohio-558

Docket Number: 

State: ohio

Court: Ohio Supreme Court

Date: 2018-01-24T00:00:00Z

Document:
[Until this opinion appears in the Ohio Official Reports advance sheets, it may be cited as State 
ex rel. Robinson v. Adult Parole Auth., Slip Opinion No. 2018-Ohio-558.] 
 
*Reporter’s Note: This cause was decided on January 24, 2018, but was released to the public on 
February 15, 2018, subsequent to the resignation of Justice William M. O’Neill, who participated 
in the decision. 
 
 
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. 2018-OHIO-558 
THE STATE EX REL. ROBINSON, APPELLANT, v. ADULT PAROLE AUTHORITY, 
APPELLEE. 
[Until this opinion appears in the Ohio Official Reports advance sheets, it 
may be cited as State ex rel. Robinson v. Adult Parole Auth., Slip Opinion No. 
2018-Ohio-558.] 
Mandamus—A magistrate’s decision, standing alone, is not a final, appealable 
order—Prior opinion withdrawn and cause dismissed for lack of final, 
appealable order. 
(No. 2016-1181—Submitted May 16, 2017—Decided January 24, 2018.*) 
APPEAL from the Court of Appeals for Franklin County, No. 16AP-284. 
________________ 
 
Per Curiam. 
{¶ 1} Appellant, Damon Robinson, commenced this action in the Tenth 
District Court of Appeals seeking a writ of mandamus against appellee, Ohio Adult 
Parole Authority.  The court of appeals referred the case to a magistrate, and on 
July 25, 2016, the magistrate purported to dismiss the petition sua sponte.  On 
SUPREME COURT OF OHIO 
 
2
November 30, 2017, we affirmed the judgment of the court of appeals.  __ Ohio 
St.3d __, 2017-Ohio-8721, __ N.E.3d __. 
{¶ 2} Upon further consideration, however, we conclude that we lacked 
jurisdiction to hear and decide the case.  Proceedings before a magistrate are 
governed by Civ.R. 53, as expressly incorporated by Loc.R. 13(M)(1) of the Tenth 
District Court of Appeals.  Under that rule, a “magistrate’s decision is not effective 
unless adopted by the court.”  Civ.R. 53(D)(4)(a).  For this reason, a magistrate’s 
decision, standing alone, is not a final, appealable order.  See State ex rel. Boddie 
v. Franklin Cty. 911 Admr., 135 Ohio St.3d 248, 2013-Ohio-401, 985 N.E.2d 1263.  
Because the court of appeals did not adopt the magistrate’s decision, Robinson 
never received a final, appealable order. 
{¶ 3} We hereby withdraw the prior opinion and order it withdrawn from 
official publication.  It therefore has no precedential value.  See In re Adoption of 
Ridenour, 61 Ohio St.3d 319, 327, 574 N.E.2d 1055 (1991), fn. 6.  We dismiss this 
appeal for lack of a final, appealable order. 
Cause dismissed. 
O’CONNOR, C.J., and FRENCH, O’NEILL, FISCHER, and DEWINE, JJ., concur. 
O’DONNELL and KENNEDY, JJ., concur in judgment only. 
_________________ 
Damon Robinson, pro se. 
Michael DeWine, Attorney General, and George Horvath, Assistant 
Attorney General, for appellee. 
_________________