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Ohio Personal Injury Overview
Personal injury law involves civil claims in which an individual is injured through the negligence, recklessness or intentional misconduct of another person, a company, or property owner. A personal injury lawsuit may arise from physical or emotional injuries. Personal injury law compensates individuals injured as a result of another’s negligence or intentional misconduct. Personal injury laws vary from state to state. If you believe you have a personal injury claim, you should contact a personal injury lawyer in Ohio to evaluate your claim.
Ohio follows a system using the modified comparative negligence – 51% rule. In states following a modified comparative fault – 51% rule, an injured party can only recover if it is determined that his or her fault in causing the injury does not reach 51%. If the injured party was 50% or less at fault, he or she may still recover damages. However, if a plaintiff’s fault reaches 51%, he or she recovers nothing. In other words, a plaintiff may have caused half of the accident and still recover damages from the court, but if it is found that the plaintiff’s fault was responsible for more than half of the accident, that plaintiff is barred from receiving any damages determined by the court. Here, as in a pure comparative negligence state, a plaintiff’s recovery is reduced by the degree of his or her fault. For example, if Debbie sued Dave for damages she suffered in a car accident involving their vehicles, and Debbie was 51% at fault, Debbie would not recover anything from Dave. If, however, Debbie was 40% at fault, she could recover damages, but the damage award would be reduced by her portion of the fault in causing the injury. Therefore, a finding that Debbie suffered $10,000 in damages would result in Debbie receiving an award reduced by 40%, or a final award of $6,000.
Click here to read about contributory vs. comparative negligence.
A statute of limitations is a type of law that restricts the period of time that a person may initiate legal proceedings. Time limits can vary depending on the type of case and the state where the particular cause of action occurred. To learn more about statutes of limitations, read our Statute of Limitations page. To see a state by state comparison chart for the personal injury statute of limitations for each state, read our Statute of Limitations for Personal Injury Actions page.
In Ohio, the courts follow a modified joint and several liability approach in entering judgment against multiple defendants. A defendant found to be 51% or more negligent in causing the injury is jointly and severally liable for the plaintiff’s economic losses, making that defendant subject to the entire judgment amount. A defendant less than 51% negligent will be responsible only for the portion of damages proportionate to his or her share of the negligence. Additionally, non-economic damages are apportioned to each defendant based on that defendant’s percentage of the fault.
Click here for more about Joint and Several Liability.
One of the best ways to research personal injury lawyers in Ohio is to contact courts in OH and ask them for information about the personal injury attorneys who utilize their legal facilities when they bring personal injury cases to court. We have compiled a list below of some courts in Ohio to get you started:
Supreme Court
Supreme Court of Ohio
65 South Front Street
Columbus, OH 43215-3431
614-387-9000
Courts of Appeals
First District Court of Appeals of Ohio
230 East Ninth St., 12th Floor
Cincinnati, OH 45202
513-946-3500
Second District Court of Appeals of Ohio
41 N. Perry
P.O. Box 972
Dayton, OH 45422
937-225-4464
Third District Court of Appeals of Ohio
204 N. Main Street
Lima, OH 45801
419-223-1861
Fourth District Court of Appeals of Ohio
14 South Paint Street, Suite 38
Chillicothe, OH 45601
740-779-6662
Fifth District Court of Appeals of Ohio
110 Central Plaza S. #320
Canton, OH 44702-14111
330-451-7765
Sixth District Court of Appeals of Ohio
One Constitution Avenue
Toledo, OH 43624
419-213-4755
Seventh District Court of Appeals of Ohio
Mahoning County Courthouse
Youngstown, OH 44503-1710
330-740-2180
Eighth District Court of Appeals of Ohio
Cuyahoga County Courthouse
1 Lakeside Avenue #202
Cleveland, OH 44113-1085
216-443-6350
Ninth District Court of Appeals of Ohio
161 South High Street, #504
Akron, OH 44308-1602
330-643-2250
Tenth District Court of Appeals of Ohio
373 South High Street – 24th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215-4578
614-462-3580
Eleventh District Court of Appeals of Ohio
111 High Street, NE
Warren, OH 44481
330-675-2650
Twelfth District Court of Appeals of Ohio
P.O. Box 1009
Middletown, OH 45042-1901
513-425-6609
Courts of Common Pleas
Allen County
301 N. Main Street
Lima, OH 45802
419-223-8525
Ashtabula County
25 West Jefferson Street
Jefferson, OH 44047
440-576-3637
Athens County
Athens County Courthouse
1 South Court Street, 4th Floor
Athens, OH 45701
740-592-3242
Auglaize County
201 S. Willipie Street, Suite 211
P.O. Box 409
Wapakoneta, OH 45895
419-739-6765
Belmont County
101 W. Main Street
St. Clairsville, OH 43950
740-699-2137
Butler County
315 High Street, Third Floor
Hamilton, OH 45011
513-785-6550
Clermont County
270 Main Street
Batavia, OH 45103
513-732-7560
Columbiana County
105 South Market Street
P.O. Box 349
Lisbon, OH 44432
330-424-7777
Crawford County
112 East Mansfield Street, Suite 200
Bucyrus, OH 44820
419-562-2766
Cuyahoga County
Justice Center
1200 Ontario Street
Cleveland, OH 44113-1678
216-443-8560
Defiance County
Defiance County Courthouse
221 Clinton Street, Third Floor
P.O. Box 386
Defiance, OH 43512-0386
419-782-5931
Delaware County
91 North Sandusky Street
Delaware, OH 43015
740-833-2500
Erie County
323 Columbus Avenue
Sandusky, OH 44870
419-627-7731
Fairfield County
224 E. Main St.
P.O. Box 370
Lancaster, OH 43130
740-687-7030
Franklin County
369 S. High St.
Columbus, OH 43215
614-462-3621
Fulton County
210 South Fulton Street, Room 102
Wauseon, OH 43567
419-337-9230
Geauga County
100 Short Court Street
Chardon, OH 44024
440-285-2222
Greene County
Greene County Courthouse
45 N. Detroit Street
Xenia, OH 45385
937-562-5290
Guernsey County
801 Wheeling Avenue D-300
Cambridge, OH 43725
740-432-9230
Hamilton County
1000 Main Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202
513-946-5800
Hancock County
300 South Main Street
Findlay, OH 45840
419-424-7008
Huron County
2 East Main Street
Norwalk, OH 44857
419-668-1616
Lake County
25 North Park Place
Painesville, OH 44077
440-350-2657
Licking County
Courthouse
P.O. Box 4370
Newark, OH 43058-4370
740-670-5796
Logan County
Logan County Common Pleas Court
Courthouse – Room 18
101 South Main Street
Bellefontaine, OH 43311
937-599-7260
Lorain County
Lorain County Justice Center
225 Court St., 1st Floor
P.O. Box 749
Elyria, OH 44036-0749
440-329-5536
Lucas County
700 Adams St.
Toledo, OH 43624-1678
419-213-4777
Madison County
Madison County Common Pleas Court
1 N. Main Street
P.O. Box 557
London, Ohio 43140-0527
740-852-9776
Mahoning County
Mahoning County
120 Market St.
Youngstown, OH 44503
330-740-2208
Medina County
93 Public Square
Medina, OH
330-725-9735
Montgomery County
Montgomery County Common Pleas Court
41 N. Perry Street
Dayton, OH 45422
937-225-4512
Muskingum County
27 North 5th Street
Zanesville, OH 43701
740-455-7138
Ottawa County
Ottawa County Clerk of Court
315 Madison Street, Room 304
Port Clinton, OH 43452
419-734-6755
Portage County
203 West Main Street
Ravenna, OH 44266
30-297-3644
Richland County
Richland County Common Pleas Court
50 Park Ave. East
Mansfield, OH 44902
419-774-5567
Sandusky County
Sandusky County Courthouse, Second Floor
100 N. Park Ave.
Fremont, OH 43420
419-334-6169
Shelby County
Shelby County Courthouse
P.O. Box 947
Sidney, OH 45365
937-498-7230
Summit County
209 S. High Street
Akron, OH 44308
330-643-2219
Trumbull County
161 High Street
Courthouse
Warren, OH 44481
330-675-2557
Tuscarawas County
125 E. High Avenue
New Philadelphia, OH 44663
330-364-8811
Union County
215 W. 5th Street
Marysville, OH 43040
937-645-3006
Warren County
500 Justice Drive
P.O. Box 238
Lebanon, OH
513-695-1120
Washington County
205 Putnam
Marietta, OH 45750
740-373-6623
Williams County
One Courthouse Square
Bryan, OH 43506
419-636-1551
Wood County
Second Floor
One Courthouse Square
Bowling Green, OH 43402
419-354-9230
Wyandot County
109 S. Sandusky Avenue
Upper Sandusky, OH 43351
419-294-1432
