Ohio

Lawyer who won $390K for clients at trial must pay $11K for alerting media about case

An Ohio lawyer is appealing a judge’s order requiring him to pay $11,000 to the defense, after winning $390,000 for the plaintiffs in a tort case, because he alerted a newspaper about the lawsuit. Attorney Peter Pattakos was sanctioned for telling a friend who is a Cleveland Scene editor about…

Feb 1, 2016 4:45 PM CST

Lawyer accused of sending false texts to client who was stabbed outside his office

A Cleveland lawyer is accused of sending false text messages to a client stabbed to death outside his law office in 2013. According to prosecutors, the text messages sent by lawyer Gregory J. Moore to the client, Aliza Sherman, falsely indicated he was in the office waiting for her arrival…

Jan 29, 2016 8:30 AM CST

Lawyer sues docs over shaken-baby diagnosis, state for taking away her kids

A lawyer in Toledo, Ohio, claims in a lawsuit that doctors wrongly diagnosed her daughter with shaken baby syndrome, and the state removed both daughters from her care without justification. Lawyer Molly Blythe of Holland, Ohio, filed the suit (PDF) on Jan. 15, the Toledo Blade reports. The suit claims…

Jan 25, 2016 9:05 AM CST

Remaining case against suspended judge dismissed on Tuesday; top court stays jail term on Thursday

Hours before she was scheduled to be taken into custody on Friday, a suspended Ohio juvenile court judge got good news. The state’s highest court has ruled that Judge Tracie Hunter does not have to serve a six-month sentence for having an unlawful interest in a public contract until her…

Jan 22, 2016 2:35 PM CST

After mistrial in client extortion case, 2 law partners take plea involving no prison time

A former county bar association president and his law partner in a Youngstown, Ohio, firm have avoided prison time in a federal case over claimed extortion of a client convenience store owner. Originally charged with extortion and obstruction of justice, among other crimes, defendant attorneys Scott Cochran and Neal Atway…

Jan 20, 2016 4:45 PM CST

Former federal prosecutor settles with Justice Department for an estimated $1.8M

A former federal prosecutor who claimed retaliation led to his firing in January 2009 has settled with the U.S. Justice Department for an estimated $1.8 million. The former prosecutor is Thomas Gruscinski, who worked in the U.S. Attorney’s office in Cleveland before his firing in 2009, Cleveland.com reports. The National…

Jan 20, 2016 5:45 AM CST

Lawyer files suit seeking to remove ‘In God We Trust’ from US currency

A lawyer who previously fought without success to remove the words “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance has taken on a new constitutional battle over the rights of atheists. California attorney Michael Newdow filed a federal lawsuit Monday in Akron, Ohio, seeking to have the phrase “In God We…

Jan 13, 2016 4:55 PM CST

Unhappy with his mug shot, fugitive sends police a new photo

An Ohio man who disliked his mug shot supplied police with a new photo of himself looking dapper in a sport coat and sunglasses. Police had posted the mugshot on Facebook in an effort to locate Donald “Chip” Pugh, 45, who failed to show up in court on a DUI…

Jan 12, 2016 9:00 AM CST

Judge waxes poetic on inmate’s pro se filing

After reading a pro se lawsuit that involved an inmate soiling his pants, an Ohio state court judge felt moved to poetry. Darek Lathan is serving a 17-month sentence for vandalism at the Correctional Reception Center in Orient, Ohio, the Columbus Dispatch reports. According to Lathan’s complaint (PDF), he told…

Jan 8, 2016 4:15 PM CST

Federal judge ran a mile barefoot to get help after home invasion

A federal judge ran a mile barefoot, in her nightgown, to get help after a Friday night home invasion in which she and her well-known husband were held at gunpoint in their bedroom, according to authorities and a neighbor. U.S. District Judge Susan Dlott only realized her feet were bleeding…

Dec 8, 2015 11:20 AM CST

Federal judge robbed at gunpoint at home; 3 men arrested

A federal judge and her well-known ex-attorney husband were robbed at gunpoint at their suburban Cincinnati home Friday night, authorities said. Police reports say Judge Susan Dlott, who sits in the Southern District of Ohio, and her husband, Stan Chesley, were held at gunpoint after three suspects kicked open a…

Dec 7, 2015 9:00 AM CST

Left with bill and arrested after blind date exits mid-meal, woman sees most of civil suit dismissed

Arrested for theft after her blind date exited during dinner and left her with a restaurant bill of $127.86 three years ago, an Ohio woman sued both the restaurant and the city of Wooster after she won the criminal case. But a federal judge last week dismissed most of the…

Nov 16, 2015 11:45 AM CST

Convicted rapist faces new case in courthouse attack on appellate attorney

A convicted rapist accused of breaking free from his restraints in a Cincinnati courthouse meeting room and repeatedly punching his appellate lawyer in the face earlier this month is now facing a new case over the alleged attack. Tony Pippin, 42, has been indicted by a Hamilton County grand jury…

Nov 13, 2015 3:59 PM CST

Criminal defense lawyer uses polygraph test to weed out dishonest clients

Some criminal defense attorneys make a point of not asking a client whether he or she is guilty. Bradley Koffel is at the opposite end of that spectrum, especially concerning defendants charged with sex crimes, the Columbus Dispatch reports. “An agreement with our staff is that we won’t take any…

Nov 9, 2015 4:35 PM CST

Is alleged drug kingpin influencing co-defendants by paying for their counsel?

Contending that a jailed defendant awaiting trial in an Ohio drug-trafficking case is seeking to influence three co-defendants by paying for their legal counsel, prosecutors have filed a motion seeking to block current defense attorneys from continuing to represent the trio. Alleged heroin kingpin Tevaughn “Big Baby” Darling “intends to…

Nov 9, 2015 2:30 PM CST