Court Opinion

ID: 9379890
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-03-16 17:07:47.834716+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:16:00.400704
License: Public Domain

[Cite as Whittington v. Hill, 2023-Ohio-835.]

                                        COURT OF APPEALS
                                      LICKING COUNTY, OHIO
                                    FIFTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

                                                        JUDGES:
RICHARD WHITTINGTON                             :       Hon. John W. Wise, P.J.
                                                :       Hon. Patricia A. Delaney, J.
                         Plaintiff-Appellant    :       Hon. Craig R. Baldwin, J.
                                                :
-vs-                                            :
                                                :       Case No. 22CA0104
ELIZABETH HILL, et al.                          :
                                                :
                   Defendants-Appellees         :       OPINION

CHARACTER OF PROCEEDING:                            Civil appeal from the Licking County
                                                    Municipal Court, Case No. 22CVE01222

JUDGMENT:                                           Dismissed

DATE OF JUDGMENT ENTRY:                             March 16, 2023

APPEARANCES:

For Plaintiff-Appellant                             For Defendant-Appellee Kenna Hill

Richard Whittington                                 Kenna Hill
245 Eddy Street, Apt. D                             659 East Main Street
Newark, Ohio 43055                                  Newark, Ohio 43055
Licking County, Case No. 22CA0104                                                         2

Wise, P.J.

        {¶1}   Plaintiff-Appellant Richard Whittington appeals the October 17, 2022,

decision of the Licking County Municipal Court finding in favor of Defendants-Appellees

Elizabeth Hill and Kenna Hill following a bench trial.

        {¶2}   This case comes to us on the accelerated calendar. App.R. 11.1, which

governs accelerated calendar cases, provides, in pertinent part:

               (E) Determination and judgment on appeal.

               The appeal will be determined as provided by App.R. 11.1. It shall

        be sufficient compliance with App.R. 12(A) for the statement of the reason

        for the court's decision as to each error to be in brief and conclusionary form

               The decision may be by judgment entry in which case it will not be

        published in any form.

        {¶3}   This appeal shall be considered in accordance with the aforementioned

rule.

                            STATEMENT OF THE FACTS AND CASE

        {¶4}   On July 5, 2022, Appellant Richard Whittington filed an action for money

damages on a tort claim in the Licking County Municipal Court naming Kenna Hill and

Elizabeth Hill as defendants. Appellant alleged that Kenna Hill was the driver of a vehicle

which caused an automobile accident which resulted in injuries to Appellant. Elizabeth

Hill is the owner of the vehicle driven by Kenna Hill.

        {¶5}   On September 19, 2022, the matter proceeded to trial. Present at the trial

were Richard Whittington and Elizabeth Hill. The testimony presented at trial indicated
Licking County, Case No. 22CA0104                                                          3

that there was an automobile accident and that as a result of the accident Appellant and

his ex-wife Eudora suffered physical injuries.

       {¶6}   Appellant testified that on the day of the accident, his ex-wife Eudora was

driving a car which was involved in an accident with a car owned by Elizabeth Hill and

being driven by Kenna Hill. Appellant testified that he was following Eudora in a U-Haul

truck. Appellant testified that his injuries occurred when he fell out of the U-Haul truck

because he was panicking when he exited the truck after the accident. (T. at 4-6, 9-10).

       {¶7}   Appellant testified that the U-Haul truck was not involved in the accident. (T.

a 6). He further testified that the car being driven by Eudora Whittington had not yet been

titled in his name, and that his insurance company paid the car dealership and the car

was also returned to the dealership. (T. at 7).

       {¶8}   Elizabeth Hill testified that she is the owner of the vehicle involved in the

accident, and that on the day in question her brother Jason Burchard was driving the

vehicle. (T. at 20-21).

       {¶9}   At the conclusion of the trial the court took the matter under advisement.

       {¶10} By Judgment Entry filed October 17, 2022, the trial court found in favor of

Appellee, finding that Appellant failed to prove that Appellee was negligent with regard to

the automobile accident and further failed to prove that the accident was the proximate

cause of his injuries.

       {¶11} Appellant now appeals.

                                            Analysis

       {¶12} We begin by noting Appellant has failed to comply with App. R. 16 and Local

App.R. 9.
Licking County, Case No. 22CA0104                                                          4

       {¶13} App.R. 16(A) provides: The appellant shall include in its brief, under the

headings and in the order indicated, all of the following:

              (1) A table of contents, with page references.

              (2) A table of cases alphabetically arranged, statutes, and other

       authorities cited, with references to the pages of the brief where cited.

              (3) A statement of the assignments of error presented for review, with

       reference to the place in the record where each error is reflected.

              (4) A statement of the issues presented for review, with references

       to the assignments of error to which each issue relates.

              (5) A statement of the case briefly describing the nature of the case,

       the course of proceedings, and the disposition in the court below.

              (6) A statement of the facts relevant to the assignments of error

       presented for review, with appropriate references to the record * * *

              (7) An argument containing the contentions of the appellant with

       respect to each assignment of error presented for review and the reasons

       in support of the contentions, with citations to the authorities, statutes, and

       parts of the record on which appellant relies. The argument may be

       preceded by a summary.

              (8) A conclusion briefly stating the precise relief sought.

       {¶14} Appellant has the burden of demonstrating an error on appeal. See, App.R.

16(A)(7). “It is the duty of the appellant, not this court, to demonstrate his assigned error

through an argument that is supported by citations to legal authority and facts in the

record.” State v. Untied, 5th Dist. Muskingum No. CT2006-0005, 2007-Ohio-1804, ¶141,
Licking County, Case No. 22CA0104                                                             5

quoting State v. Taylor, 9th Dist. Medina No. 2783-M, 1999 WL 61619 (Feb. 9, 1999).

See, also, App.R. 16(A)(7).

         {¶15} Appellant's brief does not satisfy the requirements of App.R. 16 and Local

R. 9 in any of the above respects, not the least of which it does not present this Court with

a stated assignment of error. Such deficiency is tantamount to the failure to file a brief.

         {¶16} Pursuant to App.R. 18(C)1 we hereby dismiss this appeal for failure to file a

brief.

By Wise, P.J.

Delaney, J., and

Baldwin, J., concur.

JWW/kw 0314

         1
        (C) Consequence of Failure to File Briefs. If an appellant fails to file the
appellant's brief within the time provided by this rule, or within the time as extended, the
court may dismiss the appeal.