Court Opinion

ID: 9882580
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-10-05 22:16:58.021884+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:00:29.897331
License: Public Domain

[Cite as In re M.D., 2023-Ohio-3315.]

                                       COURT OF APPEALS
                                  TUSCARAWAS COUNTY, OHIO
                                   FIFTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

                                                 JUDGES:
IN THE MATTER OF:                                Hon. William B. Hoffman, P.J.
                                                 Hon. John W. Wise, J.
                                                 Hon. Patricia A. Delaney, J.
        M.D.
                                                 Case No. 2023 AP 02 0010

        DELINQUENT CHILD                         OPINION

CHARACTER OF PROCEEDING:                      Appeal from the Court of Common Pleas,
                                              Juvenile Division, Case No. 22 JD 00299

JUDGMENT:                                     Reversed and Remanded

DATE OF JUDGMENT ENTRY:                       September 18, 2023

APPEARANCES:

For Appellant                                 For Appellee M.D.

JEFFREY M. KIGGANS                            LISA L. CALDWELL
TUSCARAWAS CJFS                               TUSC. COUNTY PUBLIC DEFENDER
389 16th Street, SW                           203 Fair Avenue, NE
New Philadelphia, Ohio 44663                  New Philadelphia, Ohio 44663

Guardian ad Litem                             Tuscarawas County Prosecutor's Office

MARY WARLOP                                   DOUGLAS JACKSON
116 Cleveland Avenue, NW                      125 East High Street
Canton, Ohio 44702                            New Philadelphia, Ohio 44663
Tuscarawas County, Case No. 2023 AP 02 0010                                                2

Wise, J.

       {¶1}   Appellant, Tuscarawas County Job and Family Services, appeals the

decision of the Tuscarawas County Court of Common Pleas, Juvenile Division (“trial

court”), which granted temporary custody of M.D. (“Appellee”) to Appellant. The following

facts give rise to this appeal.

                                FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

       {¶2}   On July 29, 2022, Appellee was placed into the legal custody of Tifanie and

Jason Kukwa by Stark County Court of Common Pleas, Juvenile Division at the

conclusion of an abuse, neglect, and dependency case, 2021 JCV 00298. The Kukwas

currently reside in Tuscarawas County.

       {¶3}   After placement with the Kukwas, Appellee had problems leading to the

filing of an unruly case in the trial court. After Appellee violated the terms and conditions

placed on Appellee by the trial court, a delinquency case was brought against Appellee.

       {¶4}   On November 22, 2022, Appellee stipulated to the delinquency charge.

       {¶5}   On January 18, 2023, the child was placed into the temporary custody of

Appellant by the trial court.

                                   ASSIGNMENTS OF ERROR

       {¶6}   Appellant timely filed her notice of appeal and raises the following

Assignment of Error:

       {¶7}   “I. THE TUSCARAWAS COUNTY JUVENILE COURT DID NOT HAVE

JURISDICTION       TO    PLACE      M.D.   INTO   THE    TEMPORARY         CUSTODY       OF

TUSCARAWAS COUNTY JOB & FAMILY SERVICES. THE APPROPRIATE COURT TO
Tuscarawas County, Case No. 2023 AP 02 0010                                              3

DECIDE CUSTODY OF THE CHILD IS THE STARK COUNTY FAMILY COURT

PURSUANT TO 2151.353(K).”

                                                I.

      {¶8}   In Appellant’s sole Assignment of Error, Appellant argues the trial court

lacked jurisdiction to place Appellee in the temporary custody of Appellant. We agree.

      {¶9}   R.C. §2152.19 states, in pertinent part:

             (A)    If a child is adjudicated a delinquent child, the court may make

      any of the following orders of disposition, in addition to any other disposition

      authorized or required by this chapter:

             (1)    Any order that is authorized by section 2151.353 of the

      Revised Code for the care and protection of an abused, neglected, or

      dependent child[.]

      {¶10} R.C. §2151.353 states, in pertinent part:

             (A)    If a child is adjudicated an abused, neglected, or dependent

      child, the court may make any of the following orders of disposition:

             (1)    Place the child in protective supervision;

             (2)    Commit the child to the temporary custody of any of the

      following:

             ***

             (f) Any other person approved by the court.

             ***

             (F) (1) The court shall retain jurisdiction over any child for whom the

      court issues an order of disposition pursuant to division (A) of this section
Tuscarawas County, Case No. 2023 AP 02 0010                                               4

       or pursuant to section 2151.414 or 2151.415 of the Revised Code until the

       child attains the age of eighteen years if the child does not have a

       developmental disability or physical impairment, * * * or the child is adopted

       and a final decree of adoption is issued[.]

              ***

              (K) The jurisdiction of the court shall terminate one year after the date

       of the award or, if the court takes any further action in the matter subsequent

       to the award, the date of the latest further action subsequent to the award,

       if the court awards legal custody of a child to either of the following:

              (1) A legal custodian who, at the time of the award of legal custody,

       resides in a county of this state other than the county in which the court is

       located;

              (2) A legal custodian who resides in the county in which the court is

       located at the time of the award of legal custody, but moves to a different

       county of this state prior to one year after the date of the award or, if the

       court takes any further action in the matter subsequent to the award, one

       year after the date of the latest further action subsequent to the award.

       {¶11} Appellant argues “the matter” referred to in R.C. §2151.353(K), means a

custody determination, allowing the trial court granting custody to retain jurisdiction for

one year after the date of the latest action in the custody determination. However, looking

at the statute as a whole, we find the State Legislature meant “the matter” to be the

original abuse, neglect and dependency case. The title of R.C. §2151.353(K) is
Tuscarawas County, Case No. 2023 AP 02 0010                                                 5

Disposition of Abused, Neglected, or Dependent Child. In State v. Hollingshead, 5th Dist.

Muskingum No. CT2022-0031, 2023-Ohio-1714, ¶17, this Court has noted:

               [W]hile we recognize that this caption is not part of the law and that

        the caption does not control the subject matter of the statute “ ‘it is proper

        to look to the title to ascertain the legislative purpose and intent.’

        (Commercial Credit Co. v. Schreyer, 120 Ohio St. 568, at page 574, 166

        N.E. 808, at page 810) * * *” as quoted in State ex rel. Wise v. Miller, 5th

        Dist. Holmes No. 01-CA-002, 2001 WL 1773878, *2.” The Supreme Court

        of Ohio has explained that while not part of the substantive law, “* * *, it is

        proper to look to the title to ascertain the legislative purpose and intent, and,

        if the body of the act contains no language which is in conflict with that

        expressed purpose, the inquiry is greatly facilitated. The force to be given

        to a title as a factor in interpretation of a statute in the state of Ohio

        surpasses that to be given in some of the states, because section 16, article

        II, of our Constitution, requires: ‘No bill shall contain more than one subject,

        which shall be clearly expressed in its title.’ ” Commercial Credit Co. v.

        Schreyer, 120 Ohio St. 568, 574, 166 N.E. 808, 810, 7 Ohio Law Abs. 333

        (1929).1

        {¶12} In the case sub judice, the title is drawn from subsection (A) of the statute

which provides that “[i]f a child is adjudicated an abused, neglected, or dependent child,

the court may make any of the following orders of disposition.” A basic tenant of statutory

construction is “the General Assembly is not presumed to do a vain or useless thing, and

1   This language now appears in Article II, Section 15(D) of the Ohio Constitution.
Tuscarawas County, Case No. 2023 AP 02 0010                                                  6

that when language is inserted in a statute it is inserted to accomplish some definite

purpose.” State ex rel. Cleveland Elec. Illum. Co. v. Euclid (1959), 169 Ohio St. 476, 479,

8 O.O.2d 480, 482, 159 N.E.2d 756, 759 as quoted in State v. Wilson, 77 Ohio St.3d 334,

336, 673 N.E.2d 1347, 1349 (1997). Subsection (K) of the statute then grants the original

trial court jurisdiction over “the matter” for a period of one year if the legal custodian does

not reside in the same county as the trial court.

       {¶13} Accordingly, we find that the “matter” referenced in R.C. §2151.353(K) is

the adjudication of a child as abused, neglected, or dependent. As such, we must look

to R.C. §2151.353(F)(1) to determine which court maintains jurisdiction over the custody

of the child. As the Stark County Court of Common Pleas, Juvenile Division, issued an

order of disposition pursuant to R.C. §2151.353(A) granting legal custody of Appellee to

the Kukwas, Stark County Court of Common Pleas, Juvenile Division, retains jurisdiction

over the custody of the child pursuant to R.C. §2151.353(F)(1).
Tuscarawas County, Case No. 2023 AP 02 0010                                    7

      {¶14} Appellant’s sole Assignment of Error is sustained.

      {¶15} For the foregoing reasons, the judgment of the Court of Common Pleas,

Juvenile Division of Tuscarawas County, Ohio is reversed and remanded for further

proceedings consistent with the law and this Opinion.

By: Wise, J.

Hoffman, P. J., and

Delaney, J., concur.

JWW/br 0906