City of Pepper Pike v. Doe

This case raises the question of whether a defendant charged with but not convicted of a criminal offense has a right to a judicial remedy which orders expungement of her criminal record. Although novel for this court, the question of expungement and sealing of records has been raised in Ohio’s lower courts and addressed by other jurisdictions.3

In Ohio, convicted first offenders may seek expungement and sealing of their criminal records under the authority of R. C. 2953.32.4 But, even absent statutory authorization, trial courts in unusual and exceptional circumstances expunge criminal…