On Wednesday, July 24, 2024, the Ohio Supreme Court affirmed a lower court’s decision to dismiss an inmate’s mandamus complaint against a Marion County judge.
Prince Charles Cotten Sr., an inmate currently incarcerated at the Marion Correctional Institution, had filed a writ of mandamus in the Third District Court of Appeals against Judge Matthew Frericks of the Marion County Court of Common Pleas. In his complaint, Cotten sought an order to compel the judge to vacate any court costs, fines or fees that had been imposed against him related to a prior habeas corpus petition that Cotten had filed in the trial court.
Cotten argued that as an indigent inmate, he was exempt from paying such financial obligations. However, the trial court dismissed Cotten’s mandamus complaint for failure to state a valid claim. The judge found that Cotten had an adequate alternative legal remedy by pursuing an appeal of any costs or fee rulings in his habeas case through the standard appellate process.
Cotten then appealed the Third District’s dismissal to the Ohio Supreme Court. In a unanimous per curiam opinion, the high court affirmed the lower court’s judgment. The justices agreed that an appeal of the underlying habeas case was a sufficient legal avenue for Cotten to challenge any imposed costs or fees.
As Cotten did not demonstrate that he lacked an alternative remedy, one of the key requirements for obtaining a writ of mandamus. The Supreme Court further found that Cotten’s additional constitutional and misconduct allegations against the lower courts were unclear and irrelevant to whether the dismissal of his mandamus complaint was proper.
With no response filed by the trial court judge, the justices concluded it was evident beyond doubt that Cotten could not prove entitlement to the extraordinary writ. The Third District’s dismissal order was therefore upheld without need for further argument. The ruling leaves Cotten with pursuing an appeal in his prior habeas case as his ongoing legal option to dispute any financial obligations from that matter.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
