Appellate decision · Ohio · Protection orders · Family procedure
Ohio clarifies which errors a party can raise on appeal from a civil protection order
An Ohio appeals court can hear a protection-order appeal even when a party skipped written objections. The omission limits which errors the court can review.
Published November 6, 2026 · Reviewed by David Martino
A Franklin County magistrate granted A.A. a civil stalking protection order against S.P. The trial court adopted the decision, and S.P. appealed without first filing written objections. The Tenth District dismissed the appeal because it believed it lacked jurisdiction.
In A.A. v. S.P., the Supreme Court of Ohio resolved a disagreement among the state’s appellate districts. A final protection order gives the appeals court authority to hear the appeal. Civil Rule 65.1(G) requires a party to file objections in the trial court to preserve alleged errors that could have been raised there. A party who skips that step forfeits review of those errors, including review for plain error.
S.P.’s challenges fell within that rule. The Supreme Court modified the appellate judgment to affirm the trial court’s protection order.