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(EDITOR'S NOTE: Section 533.15 was repealed as part of the 1998 updating and revision of these Codified Ordinances because a violation of substantially equivalent State law (Ohio R.C. 2907.322 and 2907.323) was made a felony by the Ohio General Assembly by Am. Sub. S.B. No. 2, effective July 1, 1996.)
(a) No person, with knowledge of its character or content, shall recklessly do any of following:
(1) Directly sell, deliver, furnish, disseminate, provide, exhibit, rent, or present to a juvenile any material or performance that is obscene or harmful to juveniles;
(2) Offer or agree to sell, deliver, furnish, disseminate, provide, exhibit, rent, or present to a juvenile, a group of juveniles, a law enforcement officer posing as a juvenile, or a group of law enforcement officers posing as juveniles any material or performance that is obscene or harmful to juveniles;
(3) While in the physical proximity of the juvenile or law enforcement officer posing as a juvenile, allow any juvenile or law enforcement officer posing as a juvenile to review or peruse any material or view any live performance that is harmful to juveniles.
(b) The following are affirmative defenses to a charge under this section that involves material or a performance that is harmful to juveniles but not obscene:
(1) The defendant is the parent, guardian, or spouse of the juvenile involved.
(2) The juvenile involved, at the time of the conduct in question, was accompanied by his or her parent or guardian who, with knowledge of its character, consented to the material or performance being furnished or presented to the juvenile.
(3) The juvenile exhibited to the defendant or his or her agent or employee a draft card, driver’s license, birth record, marriage license, or other official or apparently official document purporting to show that the juvenile was 18 years of age or over or married, and the person to whom the document was exhibited did not otherwise have reasonable cause to believe that the juvenile was under the age of 18 and unmarried.
(c) (1) It is an affirmative defense to a charge under this section, involving material or a performance that is obscene or harmful to juveniles, that the material or performance was furnished or presented for a bona fide medical, scientific, educational, governmental, judicial, or other proper purpose, by a physician, psychologist, sociologist, scientist, teacher, librarian, clergy, prosecutor, judge, or other proper person.
(2) Except as provided in division (b)(3) of this section, mistake of age is not a defense to a charge under this section.
(d) (1) A person directly sells, delivers, furnishes, disseminates, provides, exhibits, rents, or presents or directly offers or agrees to sell, deliver, furnish, disseminate, provide, exhibit, rent, or present material or a performance to a juvenile, a group of juveniles, a law enforcement officer posing as a juvenile, or a group of law enforcement officers posing as juveniles in violation of this section by means of an electronic method of remotely transmitting information if the person knows or has reason to believe that the person receiving the information is a juvenile or the group of persons receiving the information are juveniles.
(2) A person remotely transmitting information by means of a method of mass distribution does not directly sell, deliver, furnish, disseminate, provide, exhibit, rent, or present or directly offer or agree to sell, deliver, furnish, disseminate, provide, exhibit, rent, or present the material or performance in question to a juvenile, a group of juveniles, a law enforcement officer posing as a juvenile, or a group of law enforcement officers posing as juveniles in violation of this section if either of the following applies:
A. The person has inadequate information to know or have reason to believe that a particular recipient of the information or offer is a juvenile.
B. The method of mass distribution does not provide the person the ability to prevent a particular recipient from receiving the information.
(e) Whoever violates this section is guilty of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles. If the material or performance involved is harmful to juveniles except as otherwise provided in this division, a violation of this section is a misdemeanor of the first degree. If the material or performance involved is obscene, violation of this section is a felony to be prosecuted under appropriate State law.
(ORC 2907.31)
The provisions of this chapter are separable and if any provision, section, clause or part thereof is held to be illegal, invalid, unconstitutional or inapplicable to any person or circumstance, such illegality, invalidity, unconstitutionality or inapplicability shall not affect or impair any of the remaining provisions, sentences, clauses, sections or parts thereof, or their application to other persons or circumstances. It is hereby declared to be the intention of Council that this chapter would have been adopted if such illegal, invalid or unconstitutional provision, clause, section or part had not been included herein, and if the person or circumstance to which this chapter or any part hereof is inapplicable had been specifically exempted herefrom.
(Ord. 81-273. Passed 12-7-81.)
(a) Without limitation on the persons otherwise entitled to bring an action for a declaratory judgment pursuant to Ohio R.C. Chapter 2721, involving the same issue, the following persons have standing to bring a declaratory judgment action to determine whether particular materials or performances are obscene or harmful to juveniles:
(1) The chief legal officer of the Municipality if and when there is reasonable cause to believe that Ohio R.C. 2907.31 or Ohio R.C. 2907.32, or a substantially equivalent municipal ordinance, is being or is about to be violated;
(2) Any person who, pursuant to Ohio R.C. 2907.35(B) or a substantially equivalent municipal ordinance, has received notice in writing from the chief legal officer stating that particular materials or performances are obscene or harmful to juveniles.
(b) Any party to an action for a declaratory judgment pursuant to division (a) of this section is entitled, upon the party's request, to trial on the merits within five days after joinder of the issues, and the court shall render judgment within five days after trial is concluded.
(c) An action for a declaratory judgement pursuant to division (a) of this section shall not be brought during the pendency of any civil action or criminal prosecution when the character of the particular materials or performances involved is at issue in the pending case, and either of the following applies:
(1) Either of the parties to the action for a declaratory judgment is a party to the pending case;
(2) A judgment in the pending case will necessarily constitute res judicata as to the character of the materials or performances involved.
(d) A civil action or criminal prosecution in which the character of particular materials or performances is at issue, brought during the pendency of an action for a declaratory judgment involving the same issue, shall be stayed during the pendency of the action for a declaratory judgment.
(e) The fact that a violation of Ohio R.C. 2907.31 or Ohio R.C. 2907.32, or a substantially equivalent municipal ordinance, occurs prior to a judicial determination of the character of the material or performance involved in the violation does not relieve the offender of criminal liability for the violation, even though prosecution may be stayed pending the judicial determination.
(ORC 2907.36)
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