Common Pleas Magistrates

Anita P. Berding

Chief Magistrate

Hamilton County Courthouse
1000 Main Street
Room 585
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

Margaret Rentz

Administrator/Magistrate

Phone: 513-946-5820
Fax: 513-946-5824

Alexis Royse, ESQ.

Law Clerk

Phone: 513-946-5821
Fax: 513-946-5824

David M. Kothman

Staff Attorney/Magistrate

Hamilton County Courthouse
1000 Main Street
Room 413
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

***All Felony Arraignment will be conducted Friday at 9am. Thursday lock-ups are being moved to Friday's docket.***
***All case management conferences will be reset 30 days from the date of that conference. All unopposed motions will be considered submitted as of the date they are scheduled, unless a hearing is requested. Contact the courtroom to request a hearing. All opposed motions will be reset for hearing unless parties waive the hearing. Attorneys should contact the courtroom concerning rescheduling opposed motions, or waiving the hearing. All default hearings must be reset. Please contact the assignment commissioner to reset default hearings. All forfeiture hearings must be reset. Please contact the courtroom to reset forfeiture hearings.***

Common Pleas Magistrates

Chief Magistrate Anita P. Berding is the primary magistrate serving the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas, General Division, pursuant to Local Rule 23 Cases/matters are referred by Local Rule, General Order of Reference (M9600400), Individual Order of Reference, and Special Order of Reference.

Those matters referred by General Order of Reference include all foreclosure cases; administrative appeal cases assigned to all judges with the exception of Hon. Robert P. Ruehlman; all forfeiture cases not resulting in indictment; all sex offender removal cases; all environmental cases filed by the County Prosecutor's Office. All general orders of reference refer cases to the magistrate until judgment, including a magistrate's decision on all cases wherein a jury demand has not been made and in those cases where a jury demand has been made and the parties consent to a trial by jury with the magistrate presiding.

All hearings for default, attachments/replevin, executions and evictions, are referred by Local Rule 23 and are scheduled at dates and times designated by the Assignment Commissioner, (513) 946-5939.

The magistrate handles arraignment and extraditions pursuant to Local Rule 7.

Pursuant to Local Rule 37, the magistrate presides over all hearings required under R.C. §2903.214, Civil Stalking Protection Orders.

Chief Magistrate Anita P. Berding’s daily calendar generally begins at 8:15 a.m. with Forfeiture cases. Case management hearings, defaults, extraditions are heard at 9:00 a.m.; motions for summary judgment at 9:15 a.m.; oral arguments on Administrative Appeal cases at 9:30 a.m.; and trials at 10:00 a.m.  For Instructions on Preparing a Magistrate's Decision please click here.

Magistrate David M. Kothman hears all proceedings in aid of execution, garnishment hearings, judgment debtor examinations, uncontested applications to confirm arbitration awards, and any matters referred by Individual Orders of Reference. Magistrate Kothman's hearing calendar begins at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Room 305.

Plaintiffs and petitioners are required to attend all hearings.  No faxes will be accepted and no telephone call-ins will be permitted except through leave of the court.

**No garnishment orders will be filed, entered or processed until April 20, 2020. Attorneys should refrain from filing new garnishments until that date or later. Garnishments received by the Clerk prior to that date will be returned with instructions to file them after April 20. This date may be extended as events pertaining to the COVID-19 virus continue to unfold.**