[Cite as Lollini v. Brown, 2010-Ohio-2697.]

STATE OF OHIO, JEFFERSON COUNTY 

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS 

SEVENTH DISTRICT 

MARY LOLLINI, et al., ) 

 ) CASE NO. 10 JE 8 

 PLAINTIFFS-APPELLEES, ) 

 ) OPINION

 - VS - ) AND

 ) JUDGMENT ENTRY

THOMAS BROWN, ) 

 ) 

 DEFENDANT-APPELLANT. ) 

CHARACTER OF PROCEEDINGS: Civil Appeal from Common Pleas Court, 

 Case No. 07CV633. 

JUDGMENT: Appeal dismissed. 

APPEARANCES: 

For Plaintiffs-Appellees: Attorney Theodore Tsoras 

 Robinson Law Offices 

 1140 Main Street, Third Floor 

 Wheeling, West Virginia 26003 

For Defendant-Appellant: Attorney Daniel Clevenger 

 Day Ketterer 

 Millennium Centre, Suite 300 

 200 Market Avenue North 

 P.O. Box 24213 

 Canton, Ohio 44701 

JUDGES: 

Hon. Joseph J. Vukovich 

Hon. Gene Donofrio 

Hon. Mary DeGenaro 

 Dated: June 7, 2010 

PER CURIAM. 
 - 2 -

¶{1} This matter comes on appeal from a March 3, 2010 judgment of the 

Common Pleas Court ordering appellant to provide medical records and any related 

criminal records of the defendant to the court for review and to be kept under seal. 

¶{2} In response to a directive from this Court, each party has filed a 

jurisdictional memorandum. Appellant asserts that defendant’s medical records are 

not discoverable under Civ.R. 26(B) because they are protected under R.C. 

2317.02(B), physician-patient privilege. Calihan v. Fullen (1992), 78 Ohio App.3d 266. 

Moreover, appellant argues that the trial court here has already verbalized an intent to 

allow discovery of the defendant’s medical records. He cites to a hearing transcript of 

March 1, 2010 page 9, where the Court stated as follows: 

¶{3} “COURT: Okay...if you could prove the force of the impact (to plaintiff’s 

counsel), I will be looking at ways to put them in.” 

¶{4} In response, appellee points out that the medical records (and criminal 

record, if any) were ordered for in camera inspection, not to be given to counsel for 

appellee. In addition, the order clearly allowed for the filing of a protective order. 

Appellee also argues that the underlying cause is an ordinary tort for personal injury, 

which was recognized at common law. Therefore, any attempt by appellant to view 

the matter as a special proceeding under R.C. 2505.02(B)(2) is misplaced. 

¶{5} Appellee argues that the holding in Bell v. Mt. Sinai Med. Ctr. (1993), 67 

Ohio St.3d 60, is controlling. In Bell, the Ohio Supreme Court explicitly stated “The 

action of a trial court directing a witness opposing a discovery request to submit the 

requested materials to an in camera review so that the court may determine their 

discoverable nature is not a final appealable order pursuant to R.C. 2505.02.” Bell,

syllabus. 

¶{6} In his reply brief, appellant argues that Bell is factually distinguishable in 

that the documents ordered produced here are statutorily protected from production 

pursuant to R.C. 2317.02(B) unless certain prerequisites are met. Appellant contends 

that appellant’s medical records are “clearly privileged” and there is no need to make 

an in camera inspection to make that determination. 

¶{7} Other appellate districts have held that the order to submit documents for 

in camera inspection is not a final appealable order as defined by R.C. 2505.02. 

Huntsman v. Aultman Hospital, 5th Dist. No. 2006CA331, 2008-Ohio-2554 (order 
 - 3 -

requiring liability insurance carriers and medical network providers to submit 

documents to the trial court for in camera inspection); Keller v. Kehoe, 8th Dist. No. 

89218, 2007-Ohio-6625 (order to file under seal documents for in camera inspection 

relating to the operation of a law business). It has further been held that only if the 

court compelled disclosure after an in camera inspection would the order become final 

and appealable. Gupta v. Lima (2001), 143 Ohio App.3d 300. 

¶{8} In this Court’s decision announced in Wilson v. Barnesville Hospital, 7th 

Dist. No. 01BE40, 2001-Ohio-3499, we held that “* * * when a party demonstrates that 

a substantial right is implicated by a discovery order of confidential information, there 

is an immediate right to review of the discovery order.” Here, no discovery order 

requiring the disclosure of confidential or privileged material has yet occurred. 

Appellant has every opportunity to present the same argument regarding privileged 

information should a discovery order be issued by the trial court. This appeal is 

premature. 

¶{9} Under the limited facts of this case, we hold that an order of a trial court 

which compels a party to submit documents to a trial court for in camera inspection is 

not a final or appealable order as defined by R.C. 2505.02. Only after a discovery 

order is issued which affects a substantial right of a party, as defined by R.C. 

2505.02(A)(1), may a party bring an appeal under the provisional remedy section of 

R.C. 2505.02. 

¶{10} Appeal sua sponte dismissed for lack of a final or appealable order as 

defined by R.C. 2505.02. Costs taxed against appellant. 

Vukovich, P.J., concurs. 

Donofrio, J., concurs. 

DeGenaro, J., concurs.