City appeals court directed to resolve dueling city councils dispute

The Supreme Court of Ohio has revived for a second time a Nelsonville woman’s lawsuit seeking to remain on Nelsonville City Council.

In a unanimous per curiam opinion, the Supreme Court found the Fourth District Court of Appeals wrongly dismissed Margarita Nguyen’s request to be reinstated as a member of city council and as council president. A legal tug-of-war has resulted in two competing groups claiming to be the city’s rightfully elected council.

In 2025, the Supreme Court rejected the Fourth District’s finding that Nguyen and fellow council member Carol Powell waited too long to challenge their removal from office.

In its latest ruling, the Supreme Court concluded the Fourth District wrongly dismissed Nguyen’s case as moot based on the results of the contested 2025 municipal elections, which purportedly ended her term.

The Supreme Court ruled the Fourth District could not declare Nguyen’s case moot without first deciding the legal issues that led to the competing councils.

The lower court must also determine whether Nguyen’s brief resignation justified her removal from office.