Title: Dunning v. State

State: ohio

Issuer: Ohio Supreme Court

Document:

[Cite as Dunning v. State, 105 Ohio St.3d 308, 2005-Ohio-1939.] 
 
 
DUNNING, APPELLANT, v. THE STATE OF OHIO, APPELLEE. 
[Cite as Dunning v. State, 105 Ohio St.3d 348, 2005-Ohio-1939.] 
Criminal law—Sentencing—Retroactive application of State v. Comer, 99 Ohio 
St.3d 463, 2003-Ohio-4165, 793 N.E.2d 473, denied. 
(No. 2004-1944 ─ Submitted April 13, 2005 ─ Decided May 11, 2005.) 
APPEAL from the Court of Appeals for Cuyahoga County, No. 84982. 
____________________ 
 
Per Curiam. 
{¶1} 
In 1999, the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas convicted 
appellant, Daniel Dunning, of involuntary manslaughter, felonious assault, and a 
firearm specification and sentenced him to an aggregate prison term of 13 years. 
{¶2} 
In July 2004, Dunning filed a petition in the Court of Appeals for 
Cuyahoga County for a writ of mandamus to compel appellee, the state of Ohio, 
to resentence him in accordance with our decision in State v. Comer, 99 Ohio 
St.3d 463, 2003-Ohio-4165, 793 N.E.2d 473, paragraphs one and two of the 
syllabus.  The state moved to dismiss the petition. 
{¶3} 
On October 14, 2004, the court of appeals granted the state’s 
motion and dismissed the petition. 
{¶4} 
We affirm the judgment of the court of appeals.  Dunning “is not 
entitled to the retroactive application of Comer to his convictions, which had 
become final before Comer was decided.”  State ex rel. Maxwell v. Spicer, 104 
Ohio St.3d 344, 2004-Ohio-6594, 819 N.E.2d 702, ¶ 5; Ali v. State, 104 Ohio 
St.3d 328, 2004-Ohio-6592, 819 N.E.2d 687, ¶ 6.  Therefore, the court of appeals 
properly dismissed Dunning’s mandamus petition. 
Judgment affirmed. 
SUPREME COURT OF OHIO 
2 
 
MOYER, C.J., RESNICK, PFEIFER, LUNDBERG STRATTON, O’CONNOR, 
O’DONNELL and LANZINGER, JJ., concur. 
____________________ 
 
Daniel Dunning, pro se. 
 
William D. Mason, Cuyahoga County Prosecuting Attorney, and Mary H. 
McGrath, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, for appellee. 
____________________