HOURS OF OPERATION: 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, EXCEPT LEGAL HOLIDAYS

CLERK’S HOURS OF OPERATION: 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM, MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, EXCEPT LEGAL HOLIDAYS

SCHEDULE OF COURT HOLIDAYS FOR 2024

People entering the Courthouse will no longer be required wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status.

ATTENTION EVERYONE ENTRING THE COURTHOUSE: 

To ensure the safety and security of everyone entering the Courthouse, effective February 12, 2024 everyone entering the front entrance of the Courthouse will need to have all items screened through the x-ray machine. This includes all bags. All drinks will need to be held going through the metal detector. Any drink containers that contain metal will no longer be allowed into the building as they cannot be properly screened. Drink containers that do not contain metal are still allowed in the building. Please arrive early for any court proceedings that you must attend.

PLEASE NOTE: Senior Magistrate and Court Mediator Harold Paddock will be retiring from the Court on June 28 after almost 14 years of service to the local legal community. Please bring any matters needing Mr. Paddock’s attention to him before the 28th at 513-732-7397. For matters regarding mediation on July 1 and after, please contact Tiffany Waddle at 513-732-7126.

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE: NEW HOURS FOR THE CLERK OF COURTS’ OFFICE: Effective November 15, 2023, the Clerk of Courts’ office hours have changed to 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM. Please adjust your filing schedule accordingly.

PLEASE NOTE: New court forms are available for the sealing of certain criminal cases. These documents are effective April 4, 2023, and copies are located in “Court Forms” on this website.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to mandatory health and security screenings at the entrance to the Courthouse, please arrive early for any court proceeding that you must attend. If you are running a fever, DO NOT COME TO COURT. You will be denied entry. You may but are not required to wear a mask when coming to court. Please review notices elsewhere on this web site for updated information.

PLEASE NOTE: The Common Pleas Court has added material concerning the use of technology in courtroom presentations and for remote access to this web site. You may access this new information in the page “FAQS & More” under the heading “Technology Information.” Included are a Technology Glossary, a schematic diagram of connections to courtroom systems, and a PowerPoint on connecting to the Court’s audio-visual system.

PLEASE NOTE: Any new Appointed Counsel appointment made as of September 8, 2022 will be reimbursed at a rate of $75/hour for both in and out of court. Any appointment made prior to September 8, 2022 will be reimbursed at the old rate of  $60 for In Court and $50 for Out of Court. For a complete copy of the Commissioners’ Resolution, please click HERE.

Former Clermont County Municipal Court Judge Kevin T. Miles has taken the bench in the Common Pleas Court, General Division. Judge Miles took the oath of office from Administrative Judge Anthony Brock on Friday, March 25, 2022 before a standing room only gathering of family, friends, elected officials, court staff, and legal colleagues. Judge Miles replaces retired Judge Jerry McBride, and will begin hearing cases on Monday, March 28, 2022 in Courtroom 204.

Please note that the Court has added a Technology FAQs page to this website. These FAQs, which cover the use of electronic devices in the Courthouse and in courtrooms, may be of assistance to attorneys, parties, and witnesses who come to court. The new Technology FAQs can be reached HERE.

PLEASE NOTE: Effective August 4^th,  2020, the Court of Common Pleas has ordered that the cost of filing a foreclosure complaint is increased to $570.00, of which $220.00 will be placed on deposit for the on-line auction fee mandated by H.B. 390. Please prepare your filing procedures accordingly.

PLEASE NOTE: The Court has adopted new procedures for garnishments and related proceedings. Please review the GARNISHMENT SPECIAL ORDER here.

PLEASE NOTE: The Court has issued a stay of foreclosure and sheriff’s sale proceedings. Please review the Order Staying Foreclosure here.

TO ALL COUNSEL SEEKING CRIMINAL CASE APPOINTMENTS: Please take notice that the Common Pleas Court has adopted a new form for counsel seeking to receive appointments to represent indigent criminal defendants. All counsel must submit the new form pursuant to the regulations of the Ohio Public Defender Commission in OAC chapter 120-1. Counsel are urged to review the regulations in that chapter. Completed forms should be returned promptly to Court Administrator Diana Owens. Please click for the Appointed Counsel Application Form in PDF format.

IT’S ABOUT TIME!

The Common Pleas Court is now on time. Outside contractors recently replaced the mechanism in the clock which graces the tower on top of the Courthouse. Using a large bucket truck, crews accessed the ailing inner workings of the three sided clock and have restored it to correct timekeeping. Officers of the Batavia Police Department assisted with the necessary traffic control on Main Street during the project.

 

 

 

 

Common Pleas Court Receives Supreme Court of Ohio Technology Grants: The Clermont County Common Pleas Court recently received two grants from the Supreme Court of Ohio for the upgrade of courthouse technology.  The grants from the Supreme Court’s Technology Grant Fund total $54,608, and consist of $40,000 for courthouse security video upgrades, and $14,608 for improved courtroom audio-visual equipment. The two grant checks were presented by Supreme Court Justice Judith French to the Common Pleas Court in a ceremony on April 25, 2019 in the courtroom of Judge Richard Ferenc.

Pictured above, left to right: Clermont County Bar Association President Ernie Ramos, Judge Anthony Brock, Justice Judith French,

Judge Richard Ferenc, Judge Victor Haddad.

NOTICE REGARDING NEW COURT COSTS SCHEDULE:
EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 1, 2018, the Court is amending its Local Rules Appendix A-Security for Costs. The current costs schedule will expire August 31, 2018. The increased costs are:

APPENDIX A
Security For Costs

EFFECTIVE DATE: SEPTEMBER 1, 2018

COURT COSTS SCHEDULE SEPTEMBER 1, 2018-PDF

Comments Welcomed: The new website for the Common Pleas Court has been available to the public since January 2017. If you have comments, suggestions, improvements to the new site, or an error correction, please submit them by clicking here.  Thank you for your input.

The Clermont County Board of Commissioners has posted a YouTube video “What is the Common Pleas Court?” on its website. The video can be accessed by clicking HERE.

Retiring Judge Thomas Herman has given an interview on his years of service to Clermont County. The video can be accessed by clicking HERE.

TO ALL COUNSEL INVOLVED IN FORECLOSURE CASES, Please take notice that the Court has adopted major amendments to Local Rule 11 involving judicial sales. A copy of the rule can be found here. All new foreclosure cases filed will require the submission of a Property Description Approval Form (available here) which must be reviewed by the Auditor’s Office Tax Map Department before filing the complaint with the Clerk. The fee for a Writ of Possession is now $200. The amended version of Local Rule 11 will be effective November 24, 2014. Please adjust your procedures to conform to the new version of the Local Rule and advise your clients accordingly. A complete version of the Local Rules as amended is available here.

Please take notice that the Court has updated its reported civil jury verdicts for reference by counsel and parties. The report covers trials through October of 2014. The jury verdicts report is available HERE.

Please take notice that the Court has posted on this web site a schematic diagram of major county buildings. Anyone is welcome to use this diagram to get to the correct government building, including the Clermont County Courthouse, in a timely manner. Attorneys are free to download and print this map to assist their clients. A copy of the schematic is available here.

Please take notice that failure to submit Appointed Counsel fee applications on criminal cases within 90 days of disposition of the case will result in a 35% reduction in the fee, based on Ohio Public Defender’s Office rules.

Please take notice that the Clerk of Courts has updated the Civil Case Classification form. Please use this version for all future filings. A copy of the updated 2014 form is available here.

Effective May 1, 2014, the fee for filing an appeal to the 12th District Court of Appeals has been raised to $225.00 for all cases, criminal and civil. Please plan accordingly if you are filing a Notice of Appeal in the near future.

Please take notice that the Clermont County Common Pleas Court has amended its Local Rules effective May 2, 2013. These amendments cover new provisions for petitions for Certificates of Qualification for Employment, updates to arraignment practice and the Clerk’s fee schedule, and renumbering of certain rules. The May 2, 2013 amendments are available here. The complete Local Rules are available here and on the Local Rules page of this web site. Individual Local Rules as amended have been posted on the Local Rules page.

Please take notice that the Court now has information about Certificates of Qualification for Employment (CQEs) listed in the Frequently Asked Questions section of this web site. The CQE petition process was created in a recent amendment to ORC 2953.25. The link to the FAQs is here.

Additional judge’s opinions are being posted on the Court’s web site as they become available for the benefit of the practicing bar. All posted court opinions may be accessed here.

May 26, 2011 The Local Rules of the Clermont County Common Pleas Court, General Division, as amended May 24, 2011, are now posted on the Court’s web site. The major change is the adoption of Local Rule 1 regarding the assignment to judges of both criminal and civil cases. In addition to the individual Local Rules, counsel and other interested parties may download a complete set of Local Rules in PDF format.

May 10, 2011 Judge Richard Ferenc was interviewed on Clermont County Today on May 6, 2001 regarding his initial impressions on becoming a Common Pleas Court Judge, and his observations on trends in the court caseload. To see the complete interview, please click HERE.