Ohio Code 5705.45 – Liability for wrongful payments from public funds – enforcement
Any officer, employee, or other person who issues any order contrary to section 5705.41 of the Revised Code, or who expends or authorizes the expenditure of any public funds, or who authorizes or executes any contract contrary to sections 5705.01 to 5705.47 of the Revised Code, unless payments thereon are subsequently ordered as provided in section 5705.41 of the Revised Code, or expends or authorizes the expenditure of any public funds on any such void contract, obligation, or order, unless subsequently approved as provided in that section, or issues a certificate under the provisions thereof which contains any false statements, shall be liable to the political subdivision for the full amount paid from the funds of the subdivision on any such order, contract, or obligation. Such officer, employee, or other person shall be jointly and severally liable in person and upon any official bond that he has given to such subdivision, to the extent of any payments of such void claim. The prosecuting attorney of the county, the city director of law, or other chief law officer of the subdivision shall enforce this liability by civil action brought in any court of appropriate jurisdiction in the name of and on behalf of the municipal corporation, county, or subdivision. If the prosecuting attorney, city director of law, or other chief law officer of the subdivision fails, upon the written request of any taxpayer, to institute action for the enforcement of the liability, the taxpayer may institute suit in his own name in behalf of the subdivision.
Terms Used In Ohio Code 5705.45
- Bond: includes an undertaking. See Ohio Code 1.02
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
- Person: includes an individual, corporation, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, and association. See Ohio Code 1.59
- Subdivision: means any county; municipal corporation; township; township police district; joint police district; township fire district; joint fire district; joint ambulance district; joint emergency medical services district; fire and ambulance district; joint recreation district; township waste disposal district; township road district; community college district; technical college district; detention facility district; a district organized under section 2151. See Ohio Code 5705.01