Any party adversely affected by an order of the oil and gas commission may appeal to the court of common pleas of Franklin county. Any party desiring to so appeal shall file with the commission a notice of appeal designating the order appealed from and stating whether the appeal is taken on questions of law or questions of law and fact. A copy of the notice also shall be filed by appellant with the court and shall be mailed or otherwise delivered to appellee. Such notices shall be filed and mailed or otherwise delivered within thirty days after the date upon which appellant received notice from the commission by certified mail of the making of the order appealed from. No appeal bond shall be required to make either an appeal on questions of law or an appeal on questions of law and fact effective.

The filing of a notice of appeal shall not automatically operate as a suspension of the order of the commission. If it appears to the court that an unjust hardship to the appellant will result from the execution of the commission's order pending determination of the appeal, the court may grant a suspension of the order and fix its terms.

Within fifteen days after receipt of the notice of appeal the commission shall prepare and file in the court the complete record of proceedings out of which the appeal arises, including a transcript of the testimony and other evidence that has been submitted before the commission. The expense of preparing and transcribing the record shall be taxed as a part of the costs of the appeal. Appellant shall provide security for costs satisfactory to the court. Upon demand by a party the commission shall furnish at the cost of the party requesting the same a copy of the record. If the complete record is not filed in the court within the time provided for in this section either party may apply to the court to have the case docketed, and the court shall order such record filed.

In the hearing of the appeal the court is confined to the record as certified to it by the commission. The court may grant a request for the admission of additional evidence when satisfied that the additional evidence is newly discovered and could not with reasonable diligence have been ascertained prior to the hearing before the commission. The court shall conduct a hearing on the appeal and shall give preference to the hearing over all other civil cases irrespective of the position of the proceedings on the calendar of the court. The hearing in the court shall proceed as in the trial of a civil action and the court shall determine the rights of the parties in accordance with the laws applicable to such an action. At the hearing counsel may be heard on oral argument, briefs may be submitted, and evidence introduced if the court has granted a request for the presentation of additional evidence.

If the court finds that the order of the commission appealed from was lawful and reasonable, it shall affirm the order. If the court finds that the order was unreasonable or unlawful, it shall vacate the order and make the order that it finds the commission should have made. The judgment of the court is final unless reversed, vacated, or modified on appeal.

Effective Date: 12-02-1996.