Ohio Supreme Court shrinks appeal period
3/31/2009COLUMBUS, Ohio The Ohio Supreme Court yesterday used a Lucas County case to settle a dispute over how much time people have to appeal decisions made by county agencies.
The court unanimously determined that those unhappy with county agency decisions have 10 days to seek administrative hearings that could lead to court appeals rather than the 30-day deadline that applies to state agencies.
The ruling overturned a decision by the Toledo-based 6th District Court of Appeals, which found that the laws containing the differing deadlines conflicted.
The case was initiated by Patricia Crawford-Cole, of Toledo, whose in-home child care service lost its license after a surprise inspection by the Lucas County Department of Job and Family Services. The notice of license revocation was accepted and signed by someone other than Ms. Crawford-Cole.
Ms. Crawford-Cole later sought an administrative hearing after the typical 10-day
deadline had lapsed, prompting her argument that the 30-day deadline should apply to her case.
The court disagreed.