General Information

Cleveland Heights Municipal Court, 40 Severance Circle Cleveland Heights, Ohio 44118.  Click Here for Map!

Contacting the Court

  • If you need additional information or have a question about a specific case, you can contact the court at (216) 291-4901.  For criminal matters including traffic and housing court, choose option 3.  Choose option 4 for civil court.
  • Fax Number is (216) 291- 2459
  • You can call   291- 3385 for general jury information.  To check if the trial for which you are a scheduled juror is going forward call  291- 4901 and choose option 7
Email The Clerk

 

About the Court

This court is the Municipal Court for the City of Cleveland Heights. Generally, it handles traffic and misdemeanor criminal charges arising in the City of Cleveland Heights as well as civil matters arising in this City whose demand for relief does not exceed $15,000. This court also has a small claims division which handles complaints in which the demand for relief does not exceed $3,000.

Hours of Operation

The court is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is closed on weekends and legal holidays, Columbus Day, and the day after Thanksgiving.

Criminal Matters

A criminal case is one brought by the State or the City of Cleveland Heights which charges that the defendant violated the law. This court only handles misdemeanors. In other words, criminal cases in which the maximum jail sentence does not exceed one year.

Housing court cases and traffic court cases are both criminal in nature. However, in general, with some exceptions, they are handled on their own separate dockets.

Civil Matters

Generally, a civil case is one in which one entity sues another entity to recover money. Eviction hearings are also included in the court's civil docket. In this court one can file claims seeking recovery up to $15,000.

Small Claims Court is also a part of this court's civil division. It is designed to handle small matters in the simplest manner possible. Recovery in a small claims action is limited to $3,000. Usually you do not need a lawyer to file a small claims action but you may have one represent you if you wish. This Web Site offers a Guide to Small Claims Court. You may also obtain a pamphlet with the same information from the court.

Court Personnel

                                               

The Honorable A. Deane Buchanan

"Justice administered firmly and fairly for all persons coming before the Court" is the motto of A. Deane Buchanan.

Judge Buchanan assumed the position as Judge of the Cleveland Heights Municipal Court in November 2001. A native of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, Judge Buchanan received his bachelor of arts degree from Princeton University in 1968 and his juris doctorate from Case Western Reserve University in 1973. After receiving his law degree, Judge Buchanan engaged in the private practice of law and eventually became a partner in the law firm of Hardiman, Buchanan and Trivers in Cleveland, Ohio. He also served as Executive Assistant for Legal Affairs to Governor Richard F. Celeste and Vice Chairman of the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals for a period in Columbus, Ohio. Judge Buchanan’s involvement in community affairs has been consistent throughout his 28-year legal career including service as a member and Chairman of the Cuyahoga County Mental Health Board. Judge Buchanan is an active member of many civic and professional organizations, including Leadership Cleveland, the NAACP, the National Bar Association and the Norman S. Minor Bar Association. Judge Buchanan has been a resident of Cleveland Heights for over 14 years and is married to Louise Bryant Buchanan, and they have one daughter, Ashley Elizabeth.

 

Magistrate Georgeann Schmidt -- Ms. Schmidt has been with the Court since April 1987, as a part-time magistrate, and in 1999 became a full time magistrate. Ms. Schmidt is responsible for the court housing and traffic arraignment dockets. She hears small claims cases, conducts civil case management conferences, evictions and bond hearings. She is an active member of the Ohio Association of Magistrates. A graduate of William Patterson College and Cleveland Marshall College of Law, her legal experience includes representation of indigent clients through the Free Medical Clinic of Greater Cleveland, and Hudson County Legal Service in New Jersey. Formerly, she was the executive director and general counsel of Cleveland Housing Receivership Project, Inc., a pilot program established to address housing deterioration through nuisance abatement.

 

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