About the Painesville Municipal Court

Creative sentencing.  That is the most common phrase associated with the retired Painesville Municipal Court Judge Michael Cicconetti.  Throughout his time on the bench, Judge Cicconetti sentenced many defendants to unique sentences.  For example, one woman charged with assault for spraying someone with pepper spray was given the option to have the victim spray her with a non-harmful substance. 

            Judge Cicconetti recently retired and Judge James O’Leary was appointed to the bench to finish the term.  Recent elections have resulted in Paul Malchesky being elected for Judge of the Painesville Municipal Court.  His term will begin in January of 2020 and last for six years.

            The Painesville Municipal Court was established in 1927 and has seen many different Judges sit on the bench through those years.  Judge Cicconnetti was the judge to institute the creative sentencing and it remains to be seen whether the current Judge or future Judge will continue with that practice.

            The Court has jurisdiction over Concord Township, Fairport Harbor, Grand River, Leroy, Madison, and Painesville.  The Court has limited jurisdiction over civil claims, meaning the court can only hear matters up to a certain dollar amount.  The Court also hears cases on traffic and ordinance violations in addition to the more well-known criminal misdemeanor and preliminary hearings.  A typical morning will involve pre-trial hearings and preliminary hearings for the differing communities.  Bench trials or motion hearings are usually the final hearings either before lunch or for the afternoon, depending on the town or city that charged the crime. 

            Jury trials are typically scheduled on Fridays.  The jury pool consists of registered voters that live in one of the areas that are under jurisdiction of the Court.  Anyone selected for jury duty must follow the instructions given, usually a phone call to the court the night before reporting to confirm the trial is moving forward.  If the trial is moving forward, anyone selected must report to the courthouse the morning of the scheduled trial.

            The Court also handles eviction hearings.  These are typically handled on Thursday mornings.  The court will give both parties (landlord and tenant) an opportunity to be heard and move forward with the case as appropriate.  If an eviction is ordered, the bailiff will typically work with landlords to schedule move-out dates should the landlord be granted a writ of restitution.

            The Bailiff’s department is primarily responsible for security at the Court, including courtroom proceedings.  In addition to supervising the move-outs, Bailiffs also serve subpoenas and oversee vehicle immobilizations. 

            The Probation department at the court consists of four probation officers with the Chief Probation Officer being David Washlock.  Many defendants that either plead to a misdemeanor or are found guilty of a misdemeanor will need to be familiar with this department.  The hours of the department are posted on the Court website at https://www.pmcourt.com/prob.php.  Anyone that receives a sentence involving probation will also need to adhere to all the rules of probation which can be found on the same website.  These rules are in addition to any other requirements imposed by the Court as terms of probation.

            If you find yourself involved with the Painesville Municipal Court and need an exemplary criminal law attorney, be sure to contact the Fortress Law Office.