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Judiciary
‘I do not play properly’ decide who threatened to trace down, jail misbehaving litigant will get tossed from case
An Ohio decide who bragged about his historical past as a boxer and his intimidating presence on the childhood playground has been kicked off a case for his risk to trace down and jail a litigant if he violates a court docket order. (Picture from Shutterstock)
An Ohio decide who bragged about his historical past as a boxer and his intimidating presence on the childhood playground has been kicked off a case for his risk to trace down and jail a litigant if he violates a court docket order.
In an opinion posted April 8, the Ohio Supreme Courtroom tossed Judge Robert P. Ruehlman from the case of litigant Roger Dean Ward, who sued over site visitors citations that he obtained.
Ruehlman is a retired decide who was sitting by assignment in Jackson County, Ohio, in line with WXIX.
The Ohio Supreme Courtroom stated it was eradicating Ruehlman from the case due to the looks of impropriety.
Ruehlman made his remarks after declaring that Ward was a “vexatious” litigant throughout a November 2023 listening to. Ruehlman emphasised that Ward would wish permission to file court docket paperwork, and he can be in direct contempt of court docket if he disobeyed. Ruehlman warned of the implications a number of instances through the listening to.
“In the event you file something and mess around with this ruling, you’re going to go to jail. I’ll discover you and monitor [you] down and put you in jail. I gained’t—I gained’t—I gained’t mess around. I don’t play properly,” Ruehlman stated in considered one of his a number of jailing threats.
Ruehlman bragged about his tough-guy status throughout his lecture to Ward.
“I used to be the man on the playground that no one screwed with,” Ruehlman stated. “My dad was a boxer. I used to be a boxer. I bought 5 surgical procedures, plastic surgical procedures, to show that I used to be the man no one wished to idiot with and
you don’t need to idiot with—I’ve a status in my county; you don’t idiot with Decide Ruehlman.”
Ruehlman described Ward as a “sovereign citizen,” drawing an objection from Ward. Ruehlman then requested Ward whether or not he had a driver’s license and a license plate and stated he ought to comply with the legislation.
“In the event you don’t like our nation, go away. In the event you’re not going to comply with the legislation and behave your self and file these ridiculous lawsuits—um—you’re going to come back in entrance of me and I’ll file—I’ll—I’ll swiftly put you in jail,” Ruehlman stated.
Ruehlman denied having bias towards Ward and stated his feedback had been supposed to convey the message that he isn’t “a pushover.” Regardless of Ruehlman’s intentions, the problem is what an goal observer would assume, the Ohio Supreme Courtroom stated.
“As a result of an goal observer would moderately conclude that the decide has already decided that Ward can be responsible of direct contempt for which jail time is the suitable punishment—whatever the proof adduced at a possible contempt listening to—Decide Ruehlman is disqualified,” the state supreme court docket concluded.
Ruehlman didn’t instantly reply to a message from the ABA Journal requesting remark.
Hat tip to Law.com, which lined the choice.
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