CONTACT:  Kenneth A. Brown – 800 282-6556 or 614-487-4426

Columbus (­­­­­Sept. 10, 2009) –The Ohio State Bar Association (OSBA) Jury Instructions Committee recently approved the 11 new Ohio jury instructions, bringing the total OSBA jury instructions to 120.  The list includes the first-ever instruction on the Ohio Ethics Law, with more to follow in 2010.  Also included is a first-ever “turnkey” complete instruction on basic personal injury.  Seven of the instructions are now online in Casemaker.  

Through Casemaker, the OSBA’s online legal research service, OSBA members have access to the entire set of Ohio Jury Instructions (OJI) prepared by the Ohio Judicial Conference, as well as additional instructions prepared by the OSBA Jury Instructions Committee.  

The seven new jury instructions available on Casemaker include:  

• Ohio Ethics Law, conflict of interest {RC 102.03(E)]
• Common law defenses, duress
• Diminution of value (Rakich case)
• Breach of confidentiality, including non-privileged disclosure of medical information (Biddle case)
• Breach of confidentiality of medical records to a third party (Haggeman case)
• Compromise verdict
• “Turnkey” complete instruction package on basic personal injury

Five instructions are part of a joint effort between the OSBA and OJI Committees to draft a new OJI Chapter 349 (Privacy); the chapter will be referred to OJI.  The instructions include: 

• Invasion of privacy; publication of private facts
• Invasion of privacy; common law
• Invasion of privacy; appropriation of name or likeness
• Invasion of privacy; intrusion into private affairs
• Invasion of privacy; false light (approved in 2008)

The OSBA Jury Instructions Committee is looking for new members.  If you are interested, please contact Steve Stover at sstover@ohiobar.org. 

Jack Neuenschwander of Piqua serves as chair of the OSBA Jury Instructions Committee.  The Vice-Chair is Judge Lisa L. Sadler of the 10th District Court of Appeals. 

The Ohio State Bar Association, founded in 1880, is a voluntary association representing approximately 25,000 members of the bench and bar of Ohio as well as nearly 4,000 legal assistants and law students.  Through its activities and the activities of its related organizations, the OSBA serves both its members and the public by promoting the highest standards in the practice of law and the administration of justice.

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