Ohio

Voting litigation heats up with 6th Circuit decision for purged Ohio voters

A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that Ohio must accept provisional ballots in the midterm elections from some voters because they received vague notices informing them they could be purged from the rolls. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Cincinnati ruled after the U.S. Supreme Court held in…

Nov 1, 2018 9:37 AM CDT

Ohio lawyers in romantic relationship get stayed suspension for discussing client confidences

Two Ohio lawyers in a romantic relationship have each received six-month stayed suspensions for discussing client information with each other. The Ohio Supreme Court issued the stayed suspensions for lawyers Brie Kerr and Thomas Holmes in an Oct. 25 opinion, report Law.com and the Legal Profession Blog. Both had consented…

Oct 30, 2018 10:01 AM CDT

Cleveland lawyer is suspended after client secretly recorded his bragging about discovery game

A Cleveland lawyer has been indefinitely suspended after a client secretly recorded his conversation bragging about ignoring the opposing counsel’s discovery requests and calling her “an arrogant bitch.” The Ohio Supreme Court suspended lawyer Steven Jerome Moody on Thursday, report Cleveland.com and Court News Ohio in a summary noted by…

Oct 15, 2018 7:30 AM CDT

Former law firm of disbarred lawyer Stan Chesley agrees to pay $19M for fee overcharges

A dissolved Ohio law firm once owned by mass-torts lawyer Stanley Chesley has agreed to pay fen-phen diet-drug litigants $19.1 million to resolve their unjust enrichment claims stemming from attorney fee overcharges in the mass-tort case. The agreed judgment signed Oct. 3 by U.S. District Judge Robert Cleland is part…

Oct 9, 2018 3:15 PM CDT

A suspect is forced by the FBI to unlock an iPhone using facial recognition

An Apple iPhone X user, suspected of possessing child pornography, was forced by the FBI use facial recognition to unlock their phone. Forbes, Endgadget and CNET all have coverage. Forbes reports this is the first known case where law enforcement in any country has compelled someone to unlock their phone…

Oct 2, 2018 3:52 PM CDT

Lawyer suspended for road rage incident in which he allegedly stomped on onlooker’s cellphone

An Ohio lawyer has received a one-year suspension, with six months stayed, for a road rage incident in which he was accused of intentionally causing an accident and stomping on the cellphone of an onlooker recording the aftermath. The Ohio Supreme Court suspended Columbus lawyer John Okuley in a decision…

Sep 27, 2018 8:15 AM CDT

Moritz family disputes development fees pulled from $30M gift to Ohio State’s law school

The family of Michael Moritz, the late lawyer who donated $30.3 million to Ohio State University in 2001 and whose name is attached to its law school, is disputing how the college is using the gift. Lou Ann Moritz Ransom—the widow of Michel Moritz—and their son, Jeff, claim the donation…

Sep 18, 2018 1:04 PM CDT

6th Circuit rules Trump’s call to eject rally protesters was protected by the First Amendment

A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that protesters cannot sue President Donald Trump and his presidential campaign for an alleged assault by audience members at a Louisville, Kentucky, rally following Trump’s command to “get ’em out of here.” The Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Trump’s direction…

Sep 11, 2018 3:22 PM CDT

6th Circuit tosses contempt order for lawyer arrested for missing court; ‘embattled’ judge presided

A Cleveland lawyer who was arrested and held in contempt after missing a show-cause hearing will get a new chance to make his case before a different federal judge. The Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the contempt finding for lawyer Brent English and removed the case on…

Aug 28, 2018 6:00 AM CDT

Judge who denied name changes for transgender teens is sued for alleged pattern of bias

A judge in Lebanon, Ohio, says he has no bias against transgender people but is obligated to consider the best interests of a child in name change requests—and that sometimes children don’t know what is best for them. Judge Joseph Kirby defended his decisions in name-change cases in an order…

Aug 15, 2018 10:30 AM CDT

Senators take aim at bail industry backers

The mention of “bail bonds” can conjure familiar images: red neon signs glowing near a county jail, or the leather vest, dark sunglasses and blond mane of reality show star Dog the Bounty Hunter. Usually not a skyscraper or office building. But insurance companies form the quiet backbone of the…

Aug 9, 2018 12:17 PM CDT

Thinking he was being funny, lawyer suspended for insulting paralegal he called a ‘ho’

A Cleveland lawyer has been suspended from law practice after his paralegal recorded his denigrating comments about her weight, appearance and intelligence. Howard Skolnick received a one-year suspension with six months stayed, reported Cleveland.com and the Cleveland Scene. The Legal Profession Blog noted the Aug. 1 Ohio Supreme Court opinion…

Aug 7, 2018 6:00 AM CDT

9th Circuit permits lawsuit by Trump supporters over California rally violence to go forward

The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday that supporters of President Donald Trump may continue a lawsuit alleging police intentionally steered them into an “unruly mob” of protesters who injured them.

Jul 31, 2018 6:00 AM CDT

Lawyer is suspended after apparent sex act with client is caught on courthouse security camera

A lawyer from Zanesville, Ohio, has been suspended after a security camera live-streamed an apparent sexual interaction with a client to courthouse deputies. Lawyer Brian William Benbow was suspended for two years, with one year of the suspension stayed, in a July 12 decision by the Ohio Supreme Court. The…

Jul 16, 2018 7:10 AM CDT

Ohio’s limitations on judicial candidates are constitutional, 6th Circuit rules

A three-judge panel from the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Ohio’s fundraising and partisan limitations placed on judicial candidates.

Jun 27, 2018 7:05 AM CDT