Opinion ID: 6352814
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: “Request to Add to Mandamus”

Text: {¶ 29} After the close of briefing in this case, Reese filed a document titled “Request to Add to Mandamus.” Reese alleges that on August 10, 2021, he requested information from OSHP’s “Southington Post” and the central-records department of OSHP after learning from DRC that OSHP is the appropriate records custodian from which to request the records in request No. 2 of his April 14, 2021 letter. According to Reese, OSHP has refused to provide the information he requested. He therefore asks this court to add the “[OSHP] Southington Post” and the “[OSHP] Central Records” department as respondents in this action. {¶ 30} Liberally construed, Reese’s “request to add to mandamus” is a motion for leave to amend his complaint to state claims against OSHP. See State v. Schlee, 117 Ohio St.3d 153, 2008-Ohio-545, 882 N.E.2d 431, ¶ 12 (“Courts may recast irregular motions into whatever category necessary to identify and establish the criteria by which the motion should be judged”). The general policy of Civ.R. 15(A) favors liberal amendment of pleadings. State ex rel. Becker v. Eastlake, 93 Ohio St.3d 502, 504, 756 N.E.2d 1228 (2001); see also S.Ct.Prac.R. 12.01(A)(2)(b) (the Ohio Rules of Civil Procedure, unless clearly inapplicable, supplement this court’s rules of practice in original actions). {¶ 31} In this case, however, even the liberal complaint-amendment policy does not support Reese’s attempt to add claims against new parties. Reese’s attempt to do so is procedurally defective. If this court were to treat his request as an amended complaint asserting claims against OSHP, the amended complaint would contain no affidavit specifying the details of the claims, as required by S.Ct.Prac.R. 12.02(B). By failing to comply with the affidavit requirement, the 11 SUPREME COURT OF OHIO amended complaint would be subject to dismissal. See id. We therefore deny Reese’s request for leave to add the OSHP entities as respondents.