Opinion
No. 97-2491.
Submitted March 31, 1999.
Decided April 28, 1999.
ON ORDER from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Western Division, Certifying a Question of State Law, No. C-1-97-73.
Arthur B. Casper, for petitioners Mark Mullins et al.
William M. Cussen and Brian M. Kneafsey, Jr., for respondents Rio Algom, Inc. et al.
Betty D. Montgomery, Attorney General, and Arthur J. Marziale, Jr., Assistant Attorney General, for intervenor-respondent Ohio Attorney General.
Michael R. Thomas, in support of petitioners, for amicus curiae Ohio Academy of Trial Lawyers.
Stewart R. Jaffy and Marc J. Jaffy, in support of petitioners, for amicus curiae Ohio AFL-CIO.
Andrew S. Lipton, in support of petitioners, for amicus curiae Armco Employees Independent Federation, Inc.
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Western Division, has certified the following question to us:
"Is Section 2745.01 of the Ohio Revised Code unconstitutional under state law thereby rendering Ohio Revised Code Section 2305.11.2 null and void?"
The certified question is answered in the affirmative on the authority of Johnson v. BP Chemicals, Inc. (1999), 85 Ohio St.3d 298, 707 N.E.2d 1107.
MOYER, C.J., DOUGLAS, RESNICK, F.E. SWEENEY, PFEIFER and COOK, JJ., concur.
LUNDBERG STRATTON, J., dissents.
I respectfully dissent for the reasons set forth in my dissenting opinion in Johnson v. BP Chemicals, Inc. (1999), 85 Ohio St.3d 298, 707 N.E.2d 1107.