The Ohio Supreme Court has issued a ruling with major implications for anyone involved in court proceedings across the state, including right here in Lorain County. The court clarified that parties do not get extra time to file objections to a magistrate’s decision simply because the clerk mailed it.
The ruling stems from a Lorain County child support case involving NBA free agent Christian Wood, who was released by the Los Angeles Lakers in February, and Jedda Eggleston, the mother of his child.
The pair first connected in a uniquely modern way. In 2019, Eggleston went viral on Twitter, drawing more than 7 million views. Wood saw the post, reached out, and the two later formed a relationship. Their son was born in early 2021.
Wood had been paying $5,000 a month in child support, but a Lorain County magistrate increased the amount to $25,000 per month, concluding the higher figure matched the lifestyle their child would have had if the couple had stayed together.
Wood attempted to object to that ruling. However, he filed his objections one day late. He believed he had 17 days because the clerk mailed him the decision. The Supreme Court disagreed, ruling that magistrate objections are due 14 days from the date the decision is filed, and mailing does not extend that deadline.
Chief Justice Sharon Kennedy wrote that Ohio’s familiar “three-day rule” applies only when a deadline is tied to service. Magistrate decisions, she noted, are tied to the filing date instead.
For Wood, missing the deadline meant his objections could not be considered. And for anyone involved in an Ohio court case, the message is clear: deadlines tied to a filing date are firm, and mailing does not buy extra time.