BEATING THE DEADLINE--Franklin County Court of Claims clerk Mindy Conrad, right, processes a claim for Jan Daniele at the Franklin County Courthouse, in Columbus, Ohio, on Friday, Jan. 24, 1997. Today was the last day to file claims before Ohio's new tort reform law goes into effect. The new law places caps on the amount of money that may be awarded to plaintiffs for medical malpractice, product liability, and personal injury.