Ohio Code 903.14 – Submission to nonbinding arbitration prior to filing private civil action for nuisance
Prior to filing a private civil action for an alleged nuisance related to agricultural activities conducted at a concentrated animal feeding facility, the parties to the dispute shall submit the dispute to an arbitrator for nonbinding arbitration. The parties shall pay the arbitrator a reasonable compensation based on the extent and duration of actual service rendered. The cost of the arbitrator’s services shall be divided proportionately among the parties.
Terms Used In Ohio Code 903.14
- Animal feeding facility: means a lot, building, or structure where both of the following conditions are met:
(1) Agricultural animals have been, are, or will be stabled or confined and fed or maintained there for a total of forty-five days or more in any twelve-month period. See Ohio Code 903.01
- Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Impeachment: (1) The process of calling something into question, as in "impeaching the testimony of a witness." (2) The constitutional process whereby the House of Representatives may "impeach" (accuse of misconduct) high officers of the federal government for trial in the Senate.
- Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
If the decision reached by the arbitrator is not accepted by all parties to the dispute, the complaining parties may file a civil action and the claim shall proceed as if it had not been submitted to nonbinding arbitration. No oral or written statement prepared for or made in the nonbinding arbitration by the arbitrator or any of the parties, including any mental impression, recommendation, or decision by the arbitrator, is subject to discovery or admissible into evidence in any litigation or proceeding for any purpose, including impeachment. The arbitrator shall be disqualified as a witness, consultant, or expert on any subject that is related to the arbitration.