Ohio Justices Split on Tweaking Early Case Dismissal Standard

The Ohio Supreme Court appeared split Wednesday on whether to make it harder for certain parties to bring lawsuits in state court.

The Buckeye State requires judges to use a less stringent standard than the federal system when ruling against a dismissal motion and allowing discovery. Changing it would result in better-quality lawsuits, said Chad R. Zipfel, who represents fracking waste businesses from a lawsuit filed by the owner of a property where oil and gas drilling occurs alleging their wastewater damaged wells.

That position—supported by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (R)—was met with skepticism. Justice Patrick F. Fischer (R) ...