Estate of Severt v. Wood

Frederick N. Young, Judge.

Clark County Coroner Dirk G. Wood appeals from the trial court’s declaratory judgment ordering him to amend Joy Sue Severt’s death certificate to show her cause of death as “undetermined” rather than “suicide.”

Wood advances two assignments of error. First, he contends the trial court erred in not finding R.C. 313.19 void for vagueness. Second, he asserts the trial court erred in applying a “preponderance of the evidence” standard when reviewing his opinion concerning Joy Severt’s cause of death. He also argues that even under the preponderance standard, the trial…