Civil Rights & Disputes in Ohio

Ohio's Civil Rights Commission (OCRC) investigates discrimination complaints. Complaints must be filed within 180 days of the discriminatory act for employment claims. Ohio covers employers with 4 or more employees — a lower threshold than the federal 15-employee minimum for Title VII and ADA claims. Ohio does not have explicit statewide protections for sexual orientation or gender identity, though Columbus, Cleveland, Toledo, Cincinnati, and other Ohio cities have local anti-discrimination ordinances covering these characteristics. Following the U.S. Supreme Court's 2020 decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, federal Title VII may provide employment protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity for Ohio workers whose employer meets the federal threshold. Ohio has a limited anti-SLAPP statute (ORC 2307.601) that applies to communications in connection with government actions and public proceedings, with fee-shifting for prevailing defendants. It is considerably narrower than strong anti-SLAPP states like California or Texas. The defamation statute of limitations in Ohio is one year under ORC 2305.11 — one of the shorter windows nationally. Ohio courts apply the zone-of-danger test for negligent infliction of emotional distress, requiring the plaintiff to have been in physical peril, and allow bystander claims only in limited circumstances. Punitive damages in Ohio civil rights cases are subject to the caps established under ORC 2315.21.