Ohio

Afternoon Briefs: Actress sentenced in college admissions scandal; judge sides with transgender Ohioans

Actress Felicity Huffman gets 14 days in prison for college admissions scandal Actress Felicity Huffman was sentenced Friday to 14 days in prison for her involvement in the college admissions scandal. In May, Huffman pleaded guilty to conspiring to pay $15,000 to a fake charity to facilitate cheating when her…

Sep 13, 2019 4:51 PM CDT

Pain doc is accused of discussing plot to drug or kill opposing counsel whose lawsuit cost him $60K

A pain doctor who works in Ohio and Michigan was arrested on a federal drug charge last Friday after discussing with a patient various plans to kill or drug a lawyer with fentanyl, according to an FBI criminal complaint.

Aug 29, 2019 2:43 PM CDT

6th Circuit revives claim that judge created hostile work environment

A former dockets coordinator can pursue her lawsuit alleging that an Ohio municipal court judge created a hostile work environment. The Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals revived a claim by Andrea Boxill, a former dockets coordinator, against Judge James P. O’Grady of Franklin County, report Law.com and the…

Aug 20, 2019 11:54 AM CDT

Former Ohio judge who wrongly defined rape, made demeaning comments gets suspension

A former Ohio judge has been suspended from law practice for a range of misconduct that included failing to follow precedent when he ruled that a defendant had not committed rape because he didn’t penetrate the victim far enough. The Ohio Supreme Court suspended former Judge James Burge of Lorain…

Aug 14, 2019 3:15 PM CDT

Federal judge appears likely to certify unusual ‘negotiation’ class for nation’s cities in massive opioid case

A federal judge in Cleveland appears ready to approve a “negotiation” class representing the nation’s 33,000 cities, towns and counties to try to achieve a settlement in opioid litigation.

Aug 7, 2019 10:03 AM CDT

Law doesn’t impose ‘most gullible person on Facebook’ standard in suit over fake police page, 6th Circuit says

A federal appeals court has refused to toss a lawsuit against the city of Parma, Ohio, by a “cyber culprit” prosecuted for creating a fake Facebook page for the city’s police department. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Cincinnati allowed Anthony Novak to sue the city and two…

Jul 30, 2019 2:52 PM CDT

Lawyer suspended for disclosing client info in ‘vindictive’ bid to collect fees

The Ohio Supreme Court has suspended a lawyer for threatening to disclose confidential information in a bid to collect a fee and then carrying out the threat. The court indefinitely suspended lawyer Timothy Andrew Shimko, of Westlake, Ohio, in a July 18 opinion, report Court News Ohio and the Legal…

Jul 26, 2019 1:05 PM CDT

Neil Armstrong’s family received $6M in secret settlement with hospital that treated him before death

Astronaut Neil Armstrong’s relatives obtained a confidential $6 million settlement for alleged medical errors by the Ohio hospital that performed heart bypass surgery on him before his death in August 2012, according to published reports. The New York Times and the Cincinnati Enquirer reported on the secret settlement days after…

Jul 25, 2019 1:05 PM CDT

Judge told to stop vaping on the bench; motion claimed he was ‘constantly slurping’ on device

A common pleas judge in Cleveland has given up vaping from the bench after a request by the court’s administrative judge. Judge Joseph D. Russo of Cuyahoga County was asked to stop smoking electronic cigarettes earlier this year after a juror complained, Cleveland.com reports in a story noted by Above…

Jul 23, 2019 10:28 AM CDT

6th Circuit rules for workers’ comp law firm challenging ban on solicitation of claimants

Law Firms

Jul 15, 2019 10:00 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Bar associations battle over trademark; New Jersey judge rebuked over rape case

• Even though the Association of Trial Lawyers of America changed its name to the American Association for Justice in 2006, the Washington, D.C.-based bar association is suing the California-based Association of American Trial Lawyers for trademark infringement and unfair competition. The suit says the American Association for Justice sent…

Jul 3, 2019 4:27 PM CDT

Lawyer who gave incarcerated boyfriend $11 lands in ethical trouble for contraband

An Ohio lawyer who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor after admitting that she passed $11 to her incarcerated boyfriend found herself in disciplinary trouble for the conduct. The Ohio Supreme Court’s Board of Professional Conduct is recommending a stayed suspension for the lawyer, Virginia Riggs, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported Thursday.…

Jun 24, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

Judge’s cases under review after relatives cite severe alcoholism in guardianship petition

Ohio’s public defender is planning a review of as many as 2,700 cases overseen by a retired judge after the judge’s daughter and mother filed a petition for guardianship alleging advanced alcoholism that was a problem when he was still on the bench.

Jun 17, 2019 11:31 AM CDT

Oberlin College ordered to pay $44.4 million damages in libel case brought by small business

“People have no idea on how much stress this has had on our family and business for almost three years,” said David Gibson, the 64-year-old business co-owner, after the punitive verdict. “But from the beginning, we just didn’t understand why they were punishing us for something we had nothing to do with.”

Jun 17, 2019 6:30 AM CDT

Suits accuse dairy company of consumer fraud for touting ‘extraordinary care and comfort’ of cows

Two lawsuits filed in federal court in Chicago accuse the Fairlife milk company of consumer fraud for promoting its “extraordinary care and comfort” of dairy cows. The would-be class actions, filed June 11 and June 12, cite mistreatment of cows at the company’s northwest Indiana dairy, Fair Oaks Farms, that…

Jun 13, 2019 7:00 AM CDT