Presiding Judge Nancy A. Fuerst
Courtroom:
15-B
Fax:
(216) 348-4092
On Common Pleas Bench Since:
1997
Magistrate:
Thomas J Vozar
(216) 443-8505
Bailiff:
Sarah Ficzner (216) 443-8687
Scheduler:
Tom Wiktorowski (216) 348-4026
Staff Attorney:
Sarah Ficzner (216) 443-8687
Admitted to Bar:
1988
Born:
Cleveland, Ohio - 1951
Residence:
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
High School:
Beaumont School
College:
B.A. Economics, C.S.U.
Law School:
J.D. Cleveland Marshall College of Law
Legal Experience:
General practice of law (1989-96); Law Clerk (Federal Magistrate) U. S. District Court (1988-89), Clerk Extern, 8th District Court of Appeals, (1988).
LITIGATION PREFERENCES

General:Judge strives to effectively manage case flow of the criminal and civil dockets for timely resolution or disposition.

Pre-Trials: Initial CMC is scheduled by Court and conducted by phone; Subsequent phone status conferences/phone pretrials in early stages may be conducted and are generally initiated by Plaintiff's counsel. Parties required to appear in Court in mid to later stages of litigation. Judge conducts CMCs and pretrials unless unavailable.

Motion Practice: Scheduled on a case-by-case basis. Judge strives to make timely rulings.

Discovery: Scheduled on a case-by-case basis. Issues or problems with discovery may be brought to the Court's attention by written motion or by phone conference to facilitate timely resolution.

Settlement Conference: Scheduled on a case-by-case basis. Judge conducts conference. When appropriate, case referred to ADR for mediation, arbitration or business mediation.

Calendaring and Continuances: Calendar scheduled on a case-by-case basis. Trial continuances considered upon written motion and granted only for good cause shown.

Trials: Scheduled on a case-by-case basis. Trial briefs, proposed jury instructions, exhibit and witness lists, generally due 7 days before trial. Exhibits should be marked prior to presentment at trial. Objections to video/depo testimony should be submitted prior to the trial date. Judge gives and agreed short synopsis of the case to prospective jurors and conducts the initial part of the voir dire; attorneys follow up with questions; generally, no strict time limitations on voir dire, opening statement or closing arguments, however, parties are expected to be concise and cognet. Court orally presents a preliminary instruction prior to opening statements. Final instructions are presented orally and in writing. Court prefers a short recess after approximately 1 hr of testimony. Court will consider note-taking by jurors upon request of counsel.