Ohio

Prosecutor will seek sentence for lesser crime after man is convicted of killing ailing wife

The mandatory sentence for a 68-year-old Ohio man convicted of killing his ailing wife is life in prison. But an Ohio prosecutor says she will seek a lesser manslaughter sentence for John Wise, report the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Akron Beacon Journal and the Associated Press. The lesser charge could…

Nov 14, 2013 2:05 PM CST

Convicted killer’s execution stayed by governor in order to weigh his organ-donation request

Ohio Gov. John Kasich has stepped in to delay a convicted killer’s execution after the condemned man asked to donate his organs to ailing family members, the Associated Press reports. Ronald Phillips had sought to donate his kidney to his mother and his heart to his sister. But the Ohio…

Nov 13, 2013 9:40 PM CST

Claimed mastermind of $100M veterans charity fraud, a long-ago Harvard law grad, awaits jury verdict

An Ohio jury won’t have much of a defense perspective to rely on as members decide whether a 66-year-old Harvard Law School graduate committed crimes as the alleged mastermind of a claimed $100 million fraud operated under the guise of a military veterans charity. The defendant—who identifies himself as Bobby…

Nov 13, 2013 9:20 PM CST

Nurse was ‘worked to death,’ suit contends

An Ohio nurse who died in a car accident after working a 12-hour shift was “worked to death,” according to a suit filed by her husband. The wrongful death suit says Beth Jasper had to work extra shifts and without breaks because the hospital where she worked was “regularly understaffed,”…

Nov 13, 2013 1:02 PM CST

Death-row inmate wants to donate his organs to ailing family members

A convicted murderer scheduled to die in Ohio on Thursday is asking to donate his organs to family members suffering from kidney disease and a heart condition. Ronald Phillips wants to donate his kidney to his mother and his heart to his sister, the Associated Press reports. He is scheduled…

Nov 12, 2013 12:56 PM CST

Distracting sex-harassment allegations spur law dean to take leave of absence

Case Western Reserve law dean Lawrence Mitchell has announced he is taking a temporary leave of absence because of the “distraction” of a pending suit that accuses him of retaliation and possible sexual harassment. In an email to faculty and students, Mitchell said he is confident that the university’s review…

Nov 7, 2013 3:48 PM CST

Lawyer seeks to retain his license, despite affair with wife of client on trial for murder

Columbus, Ohio, lawyer James Owen hopes to retain his law license despite having an affair in 1997 with the wife of a client on trial for murder. The affair came to light two years ago, resulting in a new trial for the client, Robert Caulley, the Columbus Dispatch reports. Caulley…

Nov 6, 2013 12:20 PM CST

IRS workers get taxpayer-funded private counsel in nonprofit scandal

The claims that Internal Revenue Service workers displayed bias against conservative political groups’ applications for tax-exempt status have brought good news for two law firms. The IRS has retained Squire Sanders and Taft Stettinius & Hollister to represent the employees in ongoing federal litigation, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. “No one…

Oct 29, 2013 9:30 PM CDT

Was ‘satanic’ pay raise for law profs intended as retaliation for union activities?

Law professors at Cleveland-Marshall who received a $666 pay raise were allegedly penalized for their union activities, according to an unfair labor practice charge filed with the state of Ohio. TaxProf Blog links to the complaint (PDF). The document alleges that Cleveland-Marshall law dean Craig Boise was retaliating against members…

Oct 29, 2013 1:34 PM CDT

Strangers donate $14K to woman facing petty theft case over $3 in courthouse fountain coins

There seems to be a happy ending looming in the story of a struggling woman ticketed for allegedly taking less than $3 in change from a fountain near a Logan County, Ohio, courthouse. Since the incident was publicized and community members rallied to help Deirdre Romine, some $14,000 in donations…

Oct 23, 2013 11:00 PM CDT

Disciplinary counsel calls for mental exam of sitting municipal judge

A controversial municipal court judge in Cleveland should be examined to see if she is “suffering from a mental illness that substantially impairs her ability to perform her duties as a judicial officer,” recommends a report by a special counsel for the state supreme court’s office of disciplinary counsel. The…

Oct 21, 2013 2:27 PM CDT

Woman charged with petty theft, accused of taking $2.87 from courthouse fountain

Unemployed and hungry, an Ohio woman says she figured that she could help herself to some coins in a fountain at the Logan County Courthouse in Bellefontaine because they didn’t belong to anyone. Wrong. Police say they caught Deirdre Romine in the act, found $2.87 in her pocket and charged…

Oct 17, 2013 7:10 PM CDT

Judge’s definition of rape was too exacting when he acquitted defendant, appeals court says

An Ohio judge failed to follow established case law when he acquitted a rape defendant for failing to penetrate the victim far enough, an appeals court has ruled. The Ohio 9th District Court of Appeals said it accepted the case because the disregard for precedent is capable of repetition and…

Sep 24, 2013 12:39 PM CDT

Attorney who billed for 29-hour day did the work, his lawyer says

An Ohio lawyer who billed for lengthy work days on court-appointed cases, including one that stretched for 29 hours, is facing a disciplinary proceeding. However, Ben Swift did the work and just needed to keep better records, his lawyer told the Dayton Daily News (sub. req.). The Associated Press also…

Sep 16, 2013 4:19 PM CDT

Head of Cleveland housing nonprofit gets 1-year sentence for tax evasion

The head of a nonprofit housing advocacy organization in Cleveland has been sentenced to one year in federal prison for tax evasion. Edward Kramer, 63, the co-founder, director and chief counsel for Housing Advocates Inc., withheld taxes from the organization’s employees, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports, but failed to turn…

Sep 13, 2013 7:50 PM CDT