Court Opinion

ID: 9962566
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-04-23 20:12:01.589134+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:19:02.476325
License: Public Domain

[Cite as State ex rel. Sajn v. Vogel, 2024-Ohio-1552.]

                               IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF OHIO

                                    TENTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

State ex rel. Michael J. Sajn,                           :

                 Relator,                                :
                                                                    No. 23AP-758
v.                                                       :

Rebecca Vogel, In Her Official Capacity                  :     (REGULAR CALENDAR)
As Hearing Officer for the Ohio Parole
Board et al.,                                            :

                 Respondents.                            :

                                             D E C I S I O N

                                       Rendered on April 23, 2024

                 On brief: Michael J. Sajn, pro se.

                 On brief: Dave Yost, Attorney General, and George Horvath,
                 for respondents.

                                          IN MANDAMUS
                                     ON SUA SPONTE DISMISSAL
BOGGS, J.

        {¶ 1} Relator, Michael J. Sajn, seeks a writ of mandamus ordering respondent,
Rebecca Vogel, in her official capacity as hearing officer for the Ohio Parole Board, to vacate
his allegedly unlawfully imposed post-release control, any unlawful sanction time imposed
under his post-release control, and to hold a new post-release control violation hearing.
For the following reasons, we sua sponte dismiss his petition for writ of mandamus.
        {¶ 2} Pursuant to Civ.R. 53 and Loc.R. 13(M) of the Tenth District Court of Appeals,
this matter was referred to a magistrate. The magistrate considered the action on its merits
and issued a decision, including findings of fact and conclusions of law, which is appended
hereto. The magistrate concluded that Sajn failed to provide along with his affidavit of
No. 23AP-758                                                                               2

indigency a statement which set forth the balance in his inmate account in accordance with
R.C. 2969.25(C)(1).
       {¶ 3} No objections have been filed to the magistrate’s decision. “If no timely
objections are filed, the court may adopt a magistrate’s decision unless the court determines
that there is an error of law or other defect evident on the face of the decision.” Civ.R.
53(D)(4)(c).
       {¶ 4} Upon review, we find no error in the magistrate’s findings of fact or
conclusions of law. Therefore, we adopt the magistrate’s decision, including the findings of
fact and the conclusions of law therein, as our own and conclude that Sajn has failed to
comply with the mandatory requirements of R.C. 2969.25(C). In accordance with the
magistrate’s decision, this action is sua sponte dismissed.
                                                                          Action dismissed.
                          DORRIAN and JAMISON, JJ., concur.
No. 23AP-758                                                                                 3

                                         APPENDIX
                          IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF OHIO

                                 TENTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

State ex rel. Michael J. Sajn,                 :

              Relator,                         :

v.                                             :                     No. 23AP-758

                                               :
Rebecca Vogel, In Her Official Capacity                         (REGULAR CALENDAR)
As Hearing Officer for the Ohio Parole         :
Board et al.,
                                               :
              Respondents.
                                               :

                          MAGISTRATE’S DECISION

                                 Rendered on January 24, 2024

              Michael J. Sajn, pro se.

                                      IN MANDAMUS
                                 ON SUA SPONTE DISMISSAL

       {¶ 5} Relator, Michael J. Sajn, seeks a writ of mandamus ordering respondents,
Rebecca Vogel, in her official capacity as a hearing officer for the Ohio Parole Board (“parole
board”), and Shonisha Boley, in her official capacity as a parole officer for the Ohio Adult
Parole Authority (“OAPA”), to vacate allegedly unlawfully imposed postrelease control,
vacate allegedly unlawful sanction time, and to hold a new postrelease control violation
hearing.

I. Findings of Fact
       {¶ 6} 1. At the time of the filing of this mandamus action, relator was an inmate
incarcerated at the Lorain Correctional Institution in Grafton, Ohio.
No. 23AP-758                                                                                 4

       {¶ 7} 2. Respondents are government employees of the parole board and OAPA.
The parole board and OAPA are administrative sections of the Ohio Department of
Rehabilitation and Correction (“ODRC”).
       {¶ 8} 3. On December 21, 2023, relator commenced this mandamus action by filing
his complaint.
       {¶ 9} 4. In his complaint, relator alleges that prior to his release from a term of
imprisonment on July 25, 2013, he was screened for postrelease control. Relator alleged he
was not informed by prison authorities he would be placed on postrelease control. Relator
states he was never served with any paperwork related to postrelease control, nor did he
sign any paperwork for postrelease control, as required by ODRC policies and procedures.
       {¶ 10} According to relator, he was arrested on “drug charges” in 2017 and
imprisoned. (Compl. at 3.) Relator states that, following his release from prison on
September 25, 2020, the state of Ohio “assumed his parole supervision on November 20,
2023.” (Compl. at 3.) Relator alleges the state of Arizona revoked his probation on August
31, 2021, at which time OAPA’s supervision of relator terminated. Relator alleges that on
August 2, 2023, he was informed he was in violation of his postrelease control and arrested
in Ohio. Relator states he was charged with “five counts of Rule 1 violations, two counts of
Rule 2 violations, and one count of Rule 3 violation.” (Compl. at 5.)
       {¶ 11} Relator claims that he was not on postrelease control in Ohio on August 2,
2023. From this, relator claims that OAPA and ODRC committed due process violations
“when they mistakenly placed the Relator on postrelease control, caused his unlawful
arrest, and restrained him of his liberty interests with no just cause.” (Compl. at 4.) Relator
claims that revocation of postrelease control was unlawful because postrelease control was
not legally imposed on relator. Further, relator states:
              The mere fact that the Relator was in custody several times in
              Ohio and Arizona and there was never a parole holder placed
              on him in regards to the [postrelease control] in question, nor
              any revocation proceedings initiated in regards to the
              [postrelease control] in question, is evidence that [postrelease
              control] was never imposed, or properly implemented in this
              matter.
(Compl. at 9.)
No. 23AP-758                                                                              5

       {¶ 12} Relator seeks relief in the form of a peremptory writ of mandamus ordering
respondents to “hold a new parole board hearing in this matter to ‘vacate the unlawfully
imposed Postrelease control’, and to ‘vacate any and all unlawful sanction time imposed
under the invalid Postrelease control.” (Sic passim.) (Compl. at 10.)

II. Discussion and Conclusions of Law
       {¶ 13} R.C. 2969.25(A) and (C) provide procedural requirements for inmates
commencing a civil action or appeal against a government entity or employee. See State ex
rel. Foster v. Foley, 170 Ohio St.3d 86, 2022-Ohio-3168, ¶ 10; State ex rel. Swanson v. Ohio
Dept. of Rehab. & Corr., 156 Ohio St.3d 408, 2019-Ohio-1271, ¶ 6. Compliance with the
inmate filing requirements of R.C. 2969.25 is mandatory, and failure to comply compels
dismissal. Boles v. Knab, 129 Ohio St.3d 222, 2011-Ohio-2859, ¶ 1.
       {¶ 14} With regard to the requirements for an affidavit of indigency, the statute
provides as follows:
              If an inmate who files a civil action or appeal against a
              government entity or employee seeks a waiver of the
              prepayment of the full filing fees assessed by the court in which
              the action or appeal is filed, the inmate shall file with the
              complaint or notice of appeal an affidavit that the inmate is
              seeking a waiver of the prepayment of the court's full filing fees
              and an affidavit of indigency. The affidavit of waiver and the
              affidavit of indigency shall contain all of the following:
              (1) A statement that sets forth the balance in the inmate
              account of the inmate for each of the preceding six months, as
              certified by the institutional cashier;
              (2) A statement that sets forth all other cash and things of value
              owned by the inmate at that time.
R.C. 2969.25(C). R.C. 2969.21 provides definitions applicable to R.C. 2969.25. The term
“inmate account” is defined as “an account maintained by the department of
rehabilitation and correction under rules adopted by the director of rehabilitation and
correction pursuant to section 5120.01 of the Revised Code or a similar account
maintained by a sheriff or any other administrator of a jail or workhouse or by the
administrator of a violation sanction center.” R.C. 2969.21(E).
       {¶ 15} Substantial compliance with the inmate filing requirements of R.C. 2969.25
is not sufficient. State ex rel. McGlown v. Mohr, 10th Dist. No. 14AP-478, 2015-Ohio-1554,
¶ 9, citing State ex rel. Manns v. Henson, 119 Ohio St.3d 348, 2008-Ohio-4478, ¶ 4; State
No. 23AP-758                                                                                6

ex rel. Neil v. French, 153 Ohio St.3d 271, 2018-Ohio-2692, ¶ 7. Nor can a deficiency in
compliance with the statutory requirements present at the time of the filing of the
complaint be cured at a later date. State ex rel. Swopes v. McCormick, 171 Ohio St.3d. 492,
2022-Ohio-4408, ¶ 14 (stating that “all avenues for curing a failure to comply with
R.C. 2969.25” were “expressly foreclosed”) (Emphasis sic.)); State ex rel. Young v. Clipper,
142 Ohio St.3d 318, 2015-Ohio-1351, ¶ 9 (stating that failure to comply with the mandatory
requirements of R.C. 2969.25 “is not curable by subsequent amendment” and that a
“belated attempt to file an affidavit that complies with R.C. 2969.25 does not excuse the
noncompliance”); Fuqua v. Williams, 100 Ohio St.3d 211, 2003-Ohio-5533, ¶ 9; Boles at ¶
2. Furthermore, the Supreme Court of Ohio has held that a court does not err by sua sponte
dismissing a complaint for failing to comply with the inmate filing requirements in
R.C. 2969.25. State ex rel. Bey v. Bur. of Sentence Computation, 166 Ohio St.3d 497, 2022-
Ohio-236, ¶ 19; State ex rel. Watkins v. Andrews, 142 Ohio St.3d 308, 2015-Ohio-1100, ¶
8; State ex rel. Hall v. Mohr, 140 Ohio St.3d 297, 2014-Ohio-3735, ¶ 5.
       {¶ 16} Here, relator filed with his complaint an affidavit of indigency. Relator’s
affidavit contained information allegedly certified by the institutional cashier regarding the
period of incarceration beginning August 7, 2023. The affidavit contained information
related to his inmate account balance as of November 21, 2023, total state pay credited for
the report period; average monthly state pay for the report period; total funds received from
all sources, excluding state pay, for the report period; and total amount spent in the
commissary during the same period. However, relator failed to provide with his affidavit of
indigency a statement certified by the institutional cashier that set forth the balance in
relator’s inmate account for each of the preceding six months as required by
R.C. 2969.25(C)(1). See State ex rel. Swanson v. Ohio Dept. of Rehab. & Corr., 10th Dist.
No. 20AP-151, 2021-Ohio-338, ¶ 7; State ex rel. Sands v. Lake Cty. Common Pleas Court,
172 Ohio St.3d 146, 2023-Ohio-2599, ¶ 8; Greene v. Turner, 151 Ohio St.3d 513, 2017-Ohio-
8305, ¶ 6. Furthermore, the affidavit does not contain a statement that sets forth all other
cash and things of value he owns as required by R.C. 2969.25(C)(2). State ex rel. Armengau
v. Ohio Dept. of Rehab. & Corr., 10th Dist. No. 15AP-1070, 2017-Ohio-368, ¶ 11. Because
relator has failed to fully comply with the mandatory requirements of R.C. 2969.25(C), his
complaint must be dismissed. Id. at ¶ 13; Sands at ¶ 11; State ex rel. Roden v. Ohio Dept. of
No. 23AP-758                                                                             7

Rehab. & Corr., 159 Ohio St.3d 314, 2020-Ohio-408, ¶ 9; State ex rel. Swain v. Ohio Adult
Parole Auth., 10th Dist. No. 16AP-519, 2017-Ohio-517, ¶ 5.
      {¶ 17} Accordingly, it is the decision and recommendation of the magistrate that this
mandamus action should be dismissed sua sponte.

                                             /S/ MAGISTRATE
                                             JOSEPH E. WENGER IV

                             NOTICE TO THE PARTIES

             Civ.R. 53(D)(3)(a)(iii) provides that a party shall not assign as
             error on appeal the court’s adoption of any factual finding or
             legal conclusion, whether or not specifically designated as a
             finding of fact or conclusion of law under Civ.R.
             53(D)(3)(a)(ii), unless the party timely and specifically objects
             to that factual finding or legal conclusion as required by Civ.R.
             53(D)(3)(b). A party may file written objections to the
             magistrate’s decision within fourteen days of the filing of the
             decision.