Court of Claims Explains Wrongful-imprisonment Awards; Board Approves Three Judgments

The Ohio Controlling Board on May 5 approved two Court of Claims items involving three individuals awarded damages for wrongful imprisonment.

Anderson Renick, clerk of the Court of Claims, told board members the statutory annual rate used to calculate wrongful-imprisonment damages is adjusted by the state auditor every two years and that the current annual rate is $68,808.83. He said judges apply the rate to the years imprisoned and that statute allows a judge, on motion, to certify a preliminary judgment for half of the statutory award so money can be disbursed quickly. Renick also described that settlements between the Attorney General’s Office and plaintiffs can resolve damages before a judge issues a full damages decision.

Representative Tom Sweeney asked whether plaintiffs express dissatisfaction at statutory amounts and asked for comparative data with other states. Renick said public information and comparative data are available through the Court of Claims website and open-data portal, which contains charts of judgments and award amounts by year. The board approved items 31 and 32 as a group with no recorded objections.