Pro Se Litigant Files Writ of Prohibition Against Judge Rhonda L. Best in Ohio Supreme Court, Alleging Repeated Violations of AOD Stays

On Tuesday, June 2, 2026, Sarah Carpenter filed a complaint for a writ of prohibition in the Ohio Supreme Court against Judge Rhonda L. Best of the Tiffin-Fostoria Municipal Court. Carpenter, acting pro se, is seeking to prevent Judge Best from exercising further judicial power or enforcing orders in Tiffin-Fostoria Municipal Court Case No. CVG 2600430.

The complaint alleges that Judge Best has repeatedly and knowingly exercised jurisdiction over Case No. CVG 2600430 despite being divested of subject-matter jurisdiction due to successive Affidavits of Disqualification (AODs) filed by Carpenter. Carpenter requests that the Supreme Court declare all entries made by Judge Best on April 10, April 30, and May 6, 2026, to be null and void.

According to the complaint, an eviction hearing was held and a default judgment was granted against Carpenter on April 10, 2026, in Case No. CVG 2600430, despite Carpenter never having been served with process. The court’s civil clerk reportedly admitted that service returns were not entered until April 16, 2026, six days after the default judgment.

Upon discovering the unserved judgment, Carpenter filed an AOD against Judge Best with the Ohio Supreme Court on April 29, 2026 (Case No. 26-AD-095). The complaint states that pursuant to Ohio Revised Code 2701.031(E), the filing of an AOD immediately strips a judge of judicial authority and stays all underlying proceedings until the Chief Justice rules. However, the complaint alleges that Judge Best, in defiance of this mandate, held an unauthorized hearing and issued a void journal entry on April 30, 2026.

To address this alleged violation, Carpenter prepared a second AOD, which was docketed by the Supreme Court as Case No. 26-AD-103. Notice was served upon the Tiffin-Fostoria Municipal Court on May 4, 2026. The complaint further alleges that on May 6, 2026, Judge Best deliberately ignored this second active Supreme Court stay and held an unauthorized hearing to deny Carpenter’s motion to compel the production of public records and metadata audit trails.

Carpenter claims this action was taken to mask alleged systemic lawlessness, with the municipal clerk’s office issuing declarations that the court maintains no software audit trails or metadata, allegedly allowing for the insertion of unverified, backdated paperwork into the case file.

Carpenter argues that Judge Best patently and unambiguously lacks jurisdiction, and that the actions taken while under the AOD stays are void ab initio. She asserts that there is no plain, adequate, or safe remedy in the ordinary course of law, and that the Seneca County Court of Common Pleas has demonstrated administrative hostility.

In addition to the writ of prohibition, Carpenter also filed an emergency motion for a stay and immediate order voiding all municipal court judgments pending the writ. She requests an emergency order staying all lower court proceedings, halting any eviction execution, and declaring the April 10, April 30, and May 6 entries void as a matter of law.

A copy of the original filing can be found here.