Legal Services Organizations and Ohio Courts’ COVID-19 Policies
Ohio Legal Aids
Ohio’s legal aids are continuing to provide services to help low-income individuals with their legal needs. However, to reduce spread of COVID-19, all of Ohio’s legal aids are suspending or discouraging in-person intake at this time. If you need legal aidservices, please apply online or over the phone. If you have a pre-existing appointment with a legal aid office, call that office to find out next steps.
Most Ohio legal aids are conducting meetings virtually. For example, due to COVID-19 virus concerns, the Legal Aid Society of Columbus has converted all of its in-person Brief Advice Clinics to virtual meetings until further notice. All clients are encouraged to call their office to register for a “virtual clinic.” Similarly the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland has switched entirely to working remotely. Their online intake is accessible 24/7 and telephone intake is open during select business hours.
You can find the contact information for your local legal aid here.
Ohio Courts
On March 27, 2020, the Supreme Court of Ohio issued an order that “tolls” the time requirements for filings and other court deadlines. As the Court explains, “tolling serves to effectively freeze time from…March 9, 2020 until the expiration of the order.” For example, if you had a filing deadline on March 19th (10 days after March 9th), your new deadline is now 10 days after the Court’s order expires. The order will expire either on 1) the date the Governor lifts the state of emergency; or 2) July 30, 2020, whichever comes first.
However, a local court can still require you to file within the original deadlines. That means that you need to check the court docket for your case to see if the court has placed an order on your case requiring filing within the initial deadline. To find the online docket for your case go to the court or clerk’s website.
Currently, there is not a single policy for court operations in Ohio. A number of courts are delaying hearings, except for certain matters, like protection orders. For example, Hamilton county has suspended jury trials until further notice due to COVID increase. If you have a hearing scheduled or have other business with a court, check their website or call to see if their hours or schedules have changed.
Ohio courts are operating under amended rules of court. The Ohio Supreme Court lists all courts in Ohio by county, as well as the 12 districts of the Ohio Court of Appeals, Ohio Court of Claims, and federal courts whose jurisdiction includes Ohio- their list can be accessed here. Orders regarding each court’s amended operations are listed, along with a link to the court’s website.
Many courts in Ohio are open for eviction hearing and require further action from tenants in order to stop the eviction. A tenant should file a declaration form with the court to stop their eviction. Please note that some courts in Ohio are automatically staying the eviction hearing until January if a tenant files the declaration. If your eviction hearing is stayed you will be notified. However, some courts are holding hearings. Make sure you attend any hearing scheduled by the court.