Free Legal Help in Ohio
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Common Legal Questions in Ohio
126 attorney-reviewed questions from people in Ohio. Select one to read the guidance, or start a free chat.
Auto Accident (38)
- A 'Passing on the Right' Ticket in Ohio When the Vehicle Ahead Was Turning Left: What the Statute Says
- A Court Notice in Ohio for a Hit-and-Run in a Car You Had Already Sold: What to Do
- A Hit-and-Run on Your Parked Car in an Ohio Parking Lot, With No Coverage: What Recourse Is Left
- A Lawyer's Letter Asking About Your Insurance After an Ohio Crash: The BMV Report It Refers To
- A Settlement Offer Below Your Medical Bills After an Ohio Rear-End Crash: What Goes Into Deciding Whether to Sue
- A Truck You Had Just Bought Was Totaled in Ohio Before You Insured It: Your Coverage and Your Claim
- An Assured-Clear-Distance Ticket Dismissed in Ohio: Do You Still Owe for the Other Car?
- An Uninsured Driver in Ohio Promised to Pay for the Damage and Hasn't: Your Three Options
- At Fault and Uninsured in Ohio, With No Injuries
- Charged After Hitting a Fence in Ohio and Leaving Your Information With the Owner: The Statute That Applies
- Crashed a Rental Car in Ohio After Reporting Bald Tires: Who Pays for the Damage
- Deliberately Struck by a Car in Ohio: Your Injury Claim and the One-Year Clock
- Hit by Another Driver in Ohio While You Were Uninsured: Your Claim and Your License
- Hit by a Company Vehicle in Ohio, You Beat the Ticket, and the Insurer Still Won't Pay: Your Claim
- Hit by a Driver Excluded From the Policy in Ohio: Recovering When Her Insurance Won't Pay
- Hit by a Speeding Car While Turning in Ohio: Fault, the Right of Way, and an Accusation You Did It on Purpose
- Hurt as a Passenger in Ohio When Both Drivers Deny Fault: Who You Can Claim Against
- Hurt in a City Bus Accident in Ohio: Claims Against a Public Transit Authority
- Hurt on a Borrowed Motorcycle in Ohio When a Car Failed to Yield: Whose Insurance Pays
- No Contest or Paying the Ticket for an Ohio Assured-Clear-Distance Citation: What Each Choice Means
- Not at Fault in Ohio, but Your Insurer Never Moved Coverage to Your New Car: What You Owe and What It Owes
- Police Recorded a Crash on the Other Driver's Word After an Ohio Road-Rage Incident: What It Means and How to Dispute It
- Police Won't Report a Hit-and-Run on Your Car in Ohio: Your Options Without the Report
- Rear-Ended While Stopped in Ohio With a Neck Injury: Fault, Your Claim and the Deadline
- Someone Wrecked Your Uninsured Car in Ohio While Driving It: Getting Paid, and Your Own Exposure as the Owner
- Struck in a Crosswalk in Ohio: The Right of Way and Your Injury Claim
- Sued in Ohio After Your Adult Son Crashed Your Uninsured Car: Whether You as the Owner Are Responsible
- Two Years After a Drunk-Driving Crash in Ohio: The Deadline and the Other Driver's Policy Limit
- Uninsured in Ohio and Facing an Injury Claim After a Crash: What the Papers Mean
- When the Repair Costs More Than the Car Is Worth in Ohio: Total Loss, Keeping the Car, and Your Injury Claim
- You Stopped After an Ohio Crash but Left Before Police Came: What the Hit-and-Run Law Requires
- Your Car Is Totaled in Ohio and You Owe More Than It's Worth: The Gap Between the Payout and the Loan
- Your Car Was Taken and Crashed in Ohio While You Were Asleep: Whether It Falls on You
- Your Car Won't Accelerate After an Ohio Crash Repair and the Adjuster Blames the Transmission: Proving What Caused It
- Your Insurer Reversed Fault After an Ohio Crash, and Now You're Asked for the Other Driver's Deductible: What You Owe
- Your Insurer Says Your Spouse Was at Fault, but the Police Report Disagrees: How to Dispute It in Ohio
- Your Sister Drove Your Car in an Ohio Hit-and-Run: What You as the Owner Can Be Held Responsible For
- Your Stolen Car Was Used in a Hit-and-Run in Ohio: Whether You Are Responsible
Family & Child Custody (15)
- Can I Get Custody If My Child's Mother Has Seizures and Lives Alone With Our Child in Ohio?
- Can I Get a Legal Separation Agreement in Ohio If My Wife Wants to Live Apart?
- Can My Abusive Spouse Claim Rights to a House I Bought Before Marriage in Ohio?
- Can You Terminate an Absent Father's Parental Rights Without an Adoption in Ohio?
- Child Support Continuing Past Age 18 Across State Lines
- Do I Have to Let My Son's Father See Him Without a Custody Order in Ohio?
- Enforcing Visitation When a Custody Order Leaves Parenting Time 'At the Other Parent's Discretion'
- Enforcing an Unpaid Child Support Order Against a Self-Employed Parent
- How Can I Get Unsupervised Visitation with My Son in Ohio Without Paying Supervision Fees?
- How Do I Modify Parenting Time and Seek Reunification Before My Daughter Moves Out of State in Ohio?
- How Do I Request Unsupervised Visitation and File a Contempt Motion Against My Child's Grandparents in Ohio?
- Should I Continue My Child's Therapy After an Ohio Emergency Custody Order?
- Spousal Support Eligibility After a Long Marriage
- What Evidence Do We Need for an Emergency Custody Hearing in Ohio?
- Why Do I Still Owe Child Support If I Already Pay for My Child's Needs in Ohio?
Criminal Defense (12)
- Can I Be Charged With Menacing for Yelling at a Neighbor Over My Cats in Ohio?
- Can I Get a Retrial in Ohio After Accepting a Plea Deal?
- Proving Lawful Permission to Be in a Dwelling in a Burglary Case
- Threatened With Identity Theft Charges After an Account Was Opened With Disputed, Unverified Permission
- What Are My Legal Options If My Brother Assaults Me and Throws Me Out of the House in Ohio?
- What Happens After an Importuning and Disseminating Harmful Matter Charge in Ohio?
- What Laws Apply When a Private Citizen Poses as a Minor Online in Ohio?
- What Should I Do If Someone Threatens to File False Criminal Charges Against Me in Ohio?
- What Should I Expect at My Ohio Court Date for a Concealed Weapon Citation?
- When Will Snapchat Report Something to the Police After I Accidentally Send an Image?
- Whether Kratom Use Could Affect a Probation Drug Test
- Will He Go to Prison If I Miss Court in My Ohio Domestic Violence Case?
Consumer Protection (10)
- Can I Dispute Carvana Denying My Claim Over Mismatched Wheels in Ohio?
- Can I Recover Motel Costs After Being Denied Promised 24-Hour Storage Unit Access in Ohio?
- Can an Ohio Eye Doctor Withhold My Prescription Over an Unpaid Glasses Balance?
- How Can I Get My Rabbits Back From an Unresponsive Shipping Company in Ohio?
- How Do I Get My Car Back After a Repossession With No Lien on the Title in Ohio?
- How Do I Respond to a Debt Collector's Court Summons in Ohio?
- Liability for a Deposited Check Later Found to Be Fraudulent
- Recourse When a Seller Withholds a Vehicle's Title
- What Are the Pros and Cons of a Home Equity Investment on My Home in Ohio?
- What Do I Do If I Received a Motion for Default Judgment From a Debt Collector in Ohio?
Housing & Tenant (8)
- Can My Landlord Withhold My Rent Refund Over Normal Carpet Wear in Ohio?
- Can My New Ohio Landlord Evict Me and Collect Back Rent From Before They Owned It?
- Do I Have Tenant Rights After Living With My Mother for Two Years in Ohio?
- Does My Landlord Have to Give Me a 30-Day Notice Before Eviction in Ohio?
- How Do I Get a Refund for Rent Paid on an Uninhabitable Apartment in Ohio?
- Landlord Failing to Return a Security Deposit After Move-Out
- Options for Homeowners Facing Foreclosure Proceedings
- Tenant Remedies for a Landlord's Delayed Repairs
Civil Disputes (7)
- Can a Creditor Refile a Case After a Judgment Is Vacated for Lack of Service in Ohio?
- Disputed Ownership of a Pet After a Temporary Custody Arrangement
- How Long Do I Have to Keep My Ex's Belongings in Ohio Before I Can Get Rid of Them?
- Reviewing Restrictive Clauses in a Room-Rental Lease Agreement
- Small Claims Dispute Over Vehicle Ownership With an Ex-Partner
- What Can We Do About a Woman Spreading False Accusations About My Wife in Ohio?
- Who Can Access Discovery Documents in a Legal Case
Employment (7)
- Can I Sue for Race Discrimination and Retaliation After Being Fired During My Probationary Period in Ohio?
- Can My Employer Backdate My FMLA Termination Date in Ohio?
- Can My Employer Deduct Drive-Off and Cash Drawer Shortages From My Paycheck in Ohio?
- Can My Ohio Employer Withhold My Bonus After I Quit?
- Defending an Employer Against a Retaliatory Harassment Claim
- Do I Have to Pay Back a Cash Register Shortage Out of My Own Pocket in Ohio?
- Employer Telling Others an At-Will Employee Was Fired Without Formal Notice
Personal Injury (6)
- Burned by Cement on a Hired Job in Ohio With No Protective Gear: Who Can Be Liable
- Can I Sue for a Rear-End Accident With No Visible Car Damage in Ohio?
- Denied a Wheelchair Before a Flight and Hurt on the Airport Escalator: Whether the Airline or the Airport Is Responsible
- Hospitalized With a Lung Infection After Vaping in Ohio: A Product Claim and Its Deadline
- Suing a Restaurant Over Burns From Improperly Bagged Hot Food
- You Fell in a Store in Ohio Months Ago: Whether the Video Still Exists and How to Ask for It
DUI & Traffic (5)
Workers Compensation (5)
- A Fall at Work in Ohio When You Already Had a Disability: How Workers' Comp Treats It
- Hurt by a Resident While Working in Assisted Living in Ohio: Your Workers' Compensation Claim
- Hurt in a Fall at Work in Ohio: Starting a Workers' Compensation Claim
- Papers to Sign After an Ohio Work Injury: What Your Employer Cannot Make You Give Up
- Suing a Coworker Over a Medical Emergency at Work in Ohio: What Workers' Comp Allows
Business & Contract (2)
Estate & Probate (2)
Financial & Debt (2)
Protective Orders & Harassment (2)
Civil Rights & Police Misconduct (1)
Medical Malpractice (1)
Ohio Courts & Legal Aid
- Look up a case or find court forms at the Supreme Court of Ohio.
- Get free civil legal help from Ohio Legal Help.
- Use the LSC — Find Legal Aid to find a local legal-aid office by ZIP code.
- Use the LawHelp.org to browse free legal information and self-help resources.
- Use the ABA Lawyer Referral Directory to get matched with a local attorney through your state bar.
Case Law Cited in Ohio
25 court decisions cited across these pages. These are provided as legal background, not as advice about any particular case.
Ross v. Nutt, 177 Ohio St. 113 (1964)
An owner is not liable for injuries caused by a thief's driving, even where keys were left in the car; liability for another's driving attaches only on entrustment to an incompetent driver or agency.
Cited on: Your Stolen Car Was Used in a Hit-and-Run in Ohio: Whether You Are Responsible · Sued in Ohio After Your Adult Son Crashed Your Uninsured Car: Whether You as the Owner Are Responsible · Your Sister Drove Your Car in an Ohio Hit-and-Run: What You as the Owner Can Be Held Responsible For +1 more
Petti v. Perna, 86 Ohio App.3d 508, 621 N.E.2d 580 (3d Dist. 1993)
The part of a police report giving the officer's conclusions about the cause of a crash he did not witness, or its contributing factors, was not admissible; the court held the error harmless on that record.
Cited on: Your Insurer Says Your Spouse Was at Fault, but the Police Report Disagrees: How to Dispute It in Ohio · Police Recorded a Crash on the Other Driver's Word After an Ohio Road-Rage Incident: What It Means and How to Dispute It · Hit by a Company Vehicle in Ohio, You Beat the Ticket, and the Insurer Still Won't Pay: Your Claim
Gulla v. Straus, 154 Ohio St. 193, 93 N.E.2d 662 (1950)
An owner is liable for a permissive driver's crash only for negligent entrustment: knowingly, through actual knowledge or knowledge implied from known facts, entrusting the vehicle to an incompetent driver. A missing license alone is not enough unless it caused the injury.
Cited on: Sued in Ohio After Your Adult Son Crashed Your Uninsured Car: Whether You as the Owner Are Responsible · Your Sister Drove Your Car in an Ohio Hit-and-Run: What You as the Owner Can Be Held Responsible For
Loukinas v. Roto-Rooter Servs. Co., 167 Ohio App.3d 559, 855 N.E.2d 1272 (1st Dist. 2006)
Even before litigation begins, a party is under a duty to preserve evidence it knows or reasonably should know is relevant to the action.
Cited on: You Fell in a Store in Ohio Months Ago: Whether the Video Still Exists and How to Ask for It · Your Car Won't Accelerate After an Ohio Crash Repair and the Adjuster Blames the Transmission: Proving What Caused It
Paschal v. Rite Aid Pharmacy, Inc., 18 Ohio St.3d 203, 480 N.E.2d 474 (1985)
A shopkeeper owes business invitees a duty of ordinary care to keep the premises reasonably safe, but is not an insurer of their safety; the shopper lost in that case.
Cited on: Denied a Wheelchair Before a Flight and Hurt on the Airport Escalator: Whether the Airline or the Airport Is Responsible · You Fell in a Store in Ohio Months Ago: Whether the Video Still Exists and How to Ask for It
A.B. v. R.B., 2022 Ohio 1105 (2022) — Ohio Court of Appeals
As set forth herein, we affirm the lower court’s judgment, finding that mother is entitled to interest as to the arrearages, consistent with California law.
Cited on: Child Support Continuing Past Age 18 Across State Lines
Bond v. Howard Corp., 72 Ohio St.3d 332, 650 N.E.2d 416 (1995)
A party that hires an independent contractor for inherently dangerous work owes no duty to protect against its hazards unless it actively participated, meaning it directed the activity that caused the injury or gave or denied permission for the critical acts.
Cited on: Burned by Cement on a Hired Job in Ohio With No Protective Gear: Who Can Be Liable
Carpenter v. Scherer-Mountain Ins. Agency, 135 Ohio App.3d 316, 733 N.E.2d 1196 (4th Dist. 1999)
An insurance agent who undertakes to obtain coverage owes a duty to act diligently; the measure of damages is what would have been due under the correct coverage.
Clarke v. Royal, 2021 Ohio 2005 (2021) — Ohio Court of Appeals
rendered a final judgment for Ms. Royal in the amount of $2,100 (double the $950 security deposit, plus the $200) plus $5,415 in attorney fees
Cited on: Landlord Failing to Return a Security Deposit After Move-Out
David v. Lose, 7 Ohio St.2d 97, 218 N.E.2d 442 (1966)
When bailed property is returned damaged, the bailor's prima facie case is the bailment, delivery, and failure to return the property undamaged; the bailee must then show the loss occurred without its fault.
Cited on: Crashed a Rental Car in Ohio After Reporting Bald Tires: Who Pays for the Damage
Deming v. Osinski, 24 Ohio St.2d 179, 265 N.E.2d 554 (1970)
A vehicle proceeding in violation of a law or ordinance loses its preferential right of way (quoting Morris v. Bloomgren); where the oncoming driver was lawful, the turning driver bore the duty to yield.
Doe v. Etihad Airways, P.J.S.C., 870 F.3d 406 (6th Cir. 2017)
The Montreal Convention, like the Warsaw Convention before it, provides the exclusive remedy for international passengers' claims within its scope.
Dukuzumuremyi v. Martin, 2025 Ohio 508 (2025) — Ohio Court of Appeals
granted judgment to Rashidah on her replevin claim
Cited on: Disputed Ownership of a Pet After a Temporary Custody Arrangement
Eicher v. United States Steel Corp., 32 Ohio St.3d 248, 512 N.E.2d 1165 (1987)
The duty to frequenters under R.C. 4101.11 does not extend to hazards inherently present in the work where the frequenter is an independent contractor's employee.
Cited on: Burned by Cement on a Hired Job in Ohio With No Protective Gear: Who Can Be Liable
Elliott v. Harding, 107 Ohio St. 501, 140 N.E. 338 (1923)
The parent-child relationship alone does not make a parent who owns a car liable for the child's driving; Ohio does not follow the family-purpose doctrine. Entrusting a car to a driver known to be incompetent can still create liability.
Hughes v. Al Green, Inc., 65 Ohio St.2d 110, 418 N.E.2d 1355 (1981)
Once a buyer has received a vehicle, the risk of loss before title issues is decided by the UCC and falls on the buyer; title no longer decides who may proceed against a third-party tortfeasor.
Cited on: A Truck You Had Just Bought Was Totaled in Ohio Before You Insured It: Your Coverage and Your Claim
In re Adoption of L.M.C., 2023 Ohio 3119 (2023) — Ohio Court of Appeals
Generally, a petition to adopt a minor child may only be granted if the natural mother and father of the child execute written consent or the probate court finds, pursuant to R.C. 3107.07(A), that consent is unnecessary.
Cited on: Can You Terminate an Absent Father's Parental Rights Without an Adoption in Ohio?
Jaques v. Manton, 125 Ohio St.3d 342 (2010)
R.C. 2315.20 does not address evidence of medical write-offs, so Robinson v. Bates controls.
Love v. City of Port Clinton, 37 Ohio St.3d 98, 524 N.E.2d 166 (1988)
Where the essential character of an alleged tort is an intentional, offensive touching, the statute of limitations for assault and battery governs even if the touching is pleaded as negligence.
Cited on: Deliberately Struck by a Car in Ohio: Your Injury Claim and the One-Year Clock
Messer v. Summa Health Sys., 2018 Ohio 372 (2018) — Ohio Court of Appeals
An employee must first establish a prima facie case of retaliation by demonstrating each of the following elements: (1) that she was engaged in a protected activity, (2) that the employer knew of her participation in the activity, (3) that she was subjected to adverse employment action, and (4) that "there is a causal link between the protected activity and the adverse employment action."
Cited on: Defending an Employer Against a Retaliatory Harassment Claim
Robinson v. Bates, 112 Ohio St.3d 17, 857 N.E.2d 1195 (2006)
Both the original medical bill and the amount accepted as full payment are admissible to prove the reasonable value of medical care; the jury decides the value.
Smith v. Howard Johnson Co., 67 Ohio St.3d 28, 615 N.E.2d 1037 (1993)
Ohio recognizes a tort for interference with or destruction of evidence; its elements include probable litigation, the defendant's knowledge of it, and willful destruction designed to disrupt the plaintiff's case.
Cited on: You Fell in a Store in Ohio Months Ago: Whether the Video Still Exists and How to Ask for It
State v. Armstrong, 2021 Ohio 1087 (2021) — Ohio Court of Appeals
A privilege once granted can be revoked, however.
Cited on: Proving Lawful Permission to Be in a Dwelling in a Burglary Case
Summers v. Lake of the Woods Apartments, 212 N.E.3d 389 (2023) — Ohio Court of Appeals
When a landlord fails to maintain rental property in accordance with these statutory conditions, R.C. 5321.07 provides tenants “with leverage to redress breaches of those duties.”
Williams v. Sharon Woods Collision Ctr., Inc., 2018-Ohio-2733, 117 N.E.3d 57 (1st Dist.)
Affirmed a Consumer Sales Practices Act judgment against a collision-repair shop, including a jury finding that it failed to perform repairs in a workmanlike manner.