Ohio

Can Ohio governor suspend open carry during the GOP convention? Guns allowed, paint balls banned

Ohio Gov. John Kasich and a police union official differ over the governor’s power to suspend Ohio’s open carry laws during the Republican National Convention. The president of the Cleveland police patrolmen’s union, Steve Loomis, says he wants Kasich to declare a state of emergency, allowing the governor to suspend…

Jul 18, 2016 10:09 AM CDT

Lawyer is suspended for ‘disturbing pattern of neglect,’ fee sharing with disability group

A Cincinnati lawyer has been indefinitely suspended from law practice in an opinion that said he had shown “a disturbing pattern of neglect” as well as “a flagrant disobedience of court orders.” The Ohio Supreme Court suspended the lawyer, Robert H. Hoskins, in a decision (PDF) on Tuesday, according to…

Jun 30, 2016 7:30 AM CDT

Lawyers charged with obstruction for blaming crash on allegedly nonexistent black man

Two Ohio lawyers are charged with obstructing official business after police concluded they blamed their car crash on a black man who didn’t exist. The lawyers, Kenneth Lewis and Heather Wilsey, have both pleaded not guilty, the Chronicle-Telegram reports. Police in Elyria questioned the lawyers after their car crashed into…

Jun 28, 2016 4:32 PM CDT

Federal judge scraps Cleveland’s restrictions on protests during RNC in July

U.S. District Judge James Gwin has struck down Cleveland’s plans for a 3.3-square-mile event zone to prohibit protests and parades during the Republican National Convention next month. Gwin cited the zone as unconstitutional and an infringement of the rights to free speech and assembly, Cleveland.com reported. During the hearing, Gwin…

Jun 24, 2016 3:00 PM CDT

Lawyer is convicted of money laundering; purported drug dealer was confidential informant

A Cleveland criminal defense lawyer has been convicted on charges of money laundering and attempted money laundering after a confidential informant recorded their conversations. The lawyer, 45-year-old Matthew King, was convicted on Thursday, Cleveland.com reports. Prosecutors said King believed the confidential informant was a drug trafficker when King approached him…

Jun 17, 2016 10:52 AM CDT

Ohio lawyer who participated in sexting exchange with matrimonial client is suspended

An Ohio lawyer has been suspended from practice for a year by the state’s top court, with six months stayed, for participating in a sexually charged exchange of text messages with a matrimonial client. The texts, which were “mutual, reciprocal and very explicit and graphic,” according to records in the…

Jun 15, 2016 2:15 PM CDT

Federal judge orders arrest of New Jersey lawyer for not complying with Ohio appearance demands

A federal judge in Cleveland and a longtime New Jersey lawyer are at war over a civil case involving the attorney’s brother. As of Thursday, U.S. District Judge Dan Polster had ordered the arrest of attorney John McDermott, for failing to comply with orders to appear in Ohio on Wednesday…

Jun 10, 2016 11:45 AM CDT

Angry at killer’s lack of remorse, dad sprints across courtroom and makes flying leap, video shows

A wild courtroom scene was captured by a television news camera on Thursday, after the father of one of the victims of convicted Ohio serial killer Michael Madison turned to stare at the defendant during a victim impact statement at a sentencing hearing. “Right now, I guess we’re supposed to,…

Jun 3, 2016 9:10 AM CDT

Creative sentence sends Catholic man convicted in assault case to Baptist church

Jake Strotman says he was just trying to find out more about some Baptist street preachers when he approached the group one Saturday night in January. The 23-year-old Catholic had a few beers at the Cincinnati Cyclones hockey game, he told a judge last week, and the group was saying…

Jun 1, 2016 10:45 AM CDT

Media groups, ACLU back lawyer ordered to pay $11K for alerting reporter to upcoming civil trial

Civil liberties and media groups have submitted amicus briefs supporting an Ohio lawyer ordered to pay $11,000 in attorney fees for alerting a reporter to an upcoming civil trial. The briefs filed with the Ohio Court of Appeals argue the sanction imposed on lawyer Peter Pattakos violates the First Amendment…

May 17, 2016 11:22 AM CDT

Law firms hired by Ohio didn’t violate federal debt collection law via letterhead, SCOTUS rules

Special counsel hired to collect debts for the state of Ohio may use the state attorney general’s letterhead without violating the Fair Debt Collections Act, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in a unanimous decision. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote the opinion (PDF) for the court. The special counsel are…

May 16, 2016 12:12 PM CDT

Rebuked after muttered remarks at federal sentencing, defense lawyer says cursing is commonplace

Admonished by a federal judge for remarks he made under his breath while a prosecutor was arguing at a November sentencing hearing, and again while leaving in an elevator, a prominent Cleveland defense lawyer says he has apologized. However, attorney Craig Weintraub also says that such curse words are commonplace,…

May 10, 2016 10:05 AM CDT

Cleveland will pay $6M in death of Tamir Rice, shot by police while playing with toy gun

The city of Cleveland has agreed to pay $6 million to settle a suit in the 2014 death of Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old boy shot by police in what prosecutors called “a perfect storm of errors.” The settlement, which requires probate court approval, was reached after a mediation session overseen…

Apr 25, 2016 9:58 AM CDT

Woman charged after allegedly livestreaming sexual assault on Periscope

It appears Marina Lonina may have taken no direct physical role in the alleged rape of an intoxicated 17-year-old girl by a man in February in Columbus, Ohio. However, the 18-year-old woman was present at the scene and is facing the same felony charges after live-streaming the attack on the…

Apr 15, 2016 11:39 AM CDT

Federal judge describes her experience with ‘brutal’ home invaders at their sentencing

U.S. District Judge Susan Dlott and her husband, Stan Chesley, described on Thursday how three home invaders terrorized them as they demanded Rolex watches, threatened to kill them and pushed Chesley down the stairs. Dlott and Chesley testified during a sentencing hearing for the men, who were each sentenced to…

Apr 8, 2016 7:29 AM CDT