Opinion
Nos. 98-2110, 98-2481.
Submitted February 23, 2000.
Decided June 7, 2000.
Appeal and Cross-Appeal from the Court of Appeals for Stark County, Nos. 1997CA00417 and 1998CA00001.
Appeal and Cross-Appeal from the Court of Appeals for Stark County, Nos. 1997CA00420 and 1997CA00445.
The Okey Law Firm, L.P.A., Steven P. Okey and Scott A Washam, for appellants and cross-appellees.
Gallagher, Sharp, Fulton Norman, D. John Travis and Gary L. Nicholson, for appellee and cross-appellant Farmers Insurance of Columbus, Inc.
Davis Young and Henry A. Hentemann, for appellee and cross-appellant State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company.
Betty D. Montgomery, Attorney General, and Sharon A. Jennings, Assistant Attorney General, urging affirmance for amicus curiae Ohio Attorney General, in case No. 98-2110.
The court hereby, sua sponte, consolidates these two cases for disposition.
The judgments of the court of appeals are affirmed to the extent they vacated the default judgments. The causes are remanded to the trial court with instructions to permit plaintiffs to serve the Attorney General in accordance with R.C. 2721.12 and Cicco v. Stockmaster (2000), 89 Ohio St.3d 95, 728 N.E.2d 1066.
Moyer, C.J., Resnick, F.E. Sweeney and Lundberg Stratton, JJ., concur.
Douglas, J., concurs in judgment.
Pfeifer and Cook, JJ., dissent.
While I agree with the ultimate resolution, I do not subscribe to the majority's reliance on Cicco v. Stockmaster (2000), 89 Ohio St.3d 95, 728 N.E.2d 1066, in disposing of this matter. I believe that Cicco was not properly decided and, accordingly, I continue to adhere to my dissent therein.