Courts often use the precedents of equal or lower courts, the courts of other states, and the federal courts when such precedents are well reasoned or address new problems. Scope of the Common Law in Ohio Many major divisions of Ohio law are governed almost entirely, or in significant respects, by the common law. Torts is the division of the law which deals with civil remedies for injuries or damage caused by negligence, or other wrongful acts or omissions. For example, most of the law governing the question of liability for injuries suffered in automobile accidents is based on the common law of torts. Another important subject governed extensively by common law principles is property law.
Contract law is covered partly by the common law and partly by statutes.
Some parts of the law are based entirely on statute, for example, the conduct which is considered a crime, and the benefits which are available under workers' compensation. However, the common law retains its importance even in the parts or divisions of the law which are based on statute. For example, common-law principles and concepts are used to decide if, or how, a statute, ordinance, or regulation applies to a particular situation. Further, when a statute, ordinance, or regulation is interpreted in a certain way, the interpretation itself becomes part of the common law, and is thus entwined with the written law. The common law is a reservoir of methods and approaches to legal and social issues.