Ohio

Prosecutors Claim Lawyer Had Suffered Months of Abuse Before Her Slaying

Prosecutors contend an Ohio man killed his live-in girlfriend, a Cincinnati criminal defense lawyer, after she suffered months of physical abuse at the hands of the defendant. Prosecutors laid out their case on Tuesday against Calvin McKelton, who is being tried on charges that he murdered Fairfield, Ohio, lawyer Margaret…

Oct 6, 2010 3:22 PM CDT

Jurors Names Kept Secret from Lawyers in Trial Over Murder of Criminal Defense Attorney

Jury selection began this morning, under extraordinary security measures, for the trial of a man accused of killing an Ohio criminal defense attorney who was his live-in girlfriend and, subsequently, an alleged witness to that crime. Even defense lawyers aren’t being told the names of jurors who are to hear…

Oct 4, 2010 5:52 PM CDT

Lawyer Calls Expert Toxicologist’s Bachelor’s Degree Into Question

The academic background of a James L. Ferguson, an Ohio toxicologist who testified in many criminal trials, is being questioned by a criminal defense lawyer who wonders if the former Franklin County coroner’s office employee even has a bachelor’s degree. Kort Gatterdam of Columbus, Ohio, represents Virginia LeFever, a woman…

Oct 1, 2010 5:56 PM CDT

Ohio Official Asks Federal Prosecutor to Review Chase Mortgage Foreclosures

Upping the ante in a mortgage foreclosure mess that already reportedly has prompted the attorney general’s office in six or more states to initiate probes of various lenders, an Ohio official has asked a federal prosecutor to take a look at Chase Home Mortgage and a company that was created…

Oct 1, 2010 3:33 PM CDT

Two Ohio Public Safety Lawyers Ousted Over Allegations of E-Mail Snooping

Two lawyers in the Ohio Department of Public Safety are jobless after the agency’s director accused them of routinely intercepting possibly confidential employee e-mails. Former top public safety lawyer Joshua Engel is accused of intercepting e-mails sent to the state inspector general and to the Columbus Dispatch newspaper, the Columbus…

Sep 30, 2010 2:07 PM CDT

Lawyer Files Defamation Suit Against Opposing Counsel in Teen Runaway Case

A lawyer who represented the Muslim parents of a teenage runaway last year in a high-profile case that captured the attention of Christian fundamentalists is now suing his opposing counsel for defamation. Attorney Omar Tarazi contends in a federal lawsuit filed Friday in Columbus, Ohio, that attorney John Stemberger, who…

Sep 7, 2010 9:15 PM CDT

Lawyer Suspended for Destroying Law Firm Docs in Court Restroom and After Hearing

An Ohio lawyer has been suspended for a year, in part because he destroyed law firm documents in a courthouse bathroom during a recess and after a civil case claiming a violation of his employment agreement. The Ohio Supreme Court said the documents had potential evidentiary value and Columbus lawyer…

Aug 27, 2010 12:54 PM CDT

Kentucky Bar Investigates Ohio Plaintiffs Lawyer Stan Chesley

Ohio tort lawyer Stan Chesley is facing an ethics investigation by the Kentucky Bar Association for his conduct in litigation involving fen-phen and priest abuse. The investigations were revealed in legal documents in the separate cases, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. The Louisville Courier-Journal reported last week on one of the…

Aug 25, 2010 3:33 PM CDT

Ohio Lawyer Suspended for Billing More than 24 Hours in a Day

An Ohio lawyer has been suspended for overbilling local courts for her representation of poor clients, submitting bills for more than 24 hours a day on three different occasions. The lawyer, Kristin Ann Stahlbush of Toledo, will be suspended for two years, with the second year stayed if she completes…

Aug 25, 2010 11:00 AM CDT

WilmerHale to Get $2.5M in Grants for Opening Business Center in Ohio

WilmerHale’s decision to move its business operations to Dayton, Ohio, will benefit the firm as well as the 190-some employees who will work there. The law firm expects to receive $2.5 million in economic grants from state and local officials for moving business operations to Dayton, the Am Law Daily…

Aug 20, 2010 12:11 PM CDT

Judge Weighs ‘Radical’ Tactic to Help Homeowners Suffering from Foreclosure Blight

An Ohio judge has ordered Fannie Mae to pay restitution to neighbors living near a foreclosed home after finding the mortgage giant guilty of housing code violations. Judge Raymond Pianka of Cleveland’s Municipal Housing Court is holding a hearing on Thursday to determine whether neighbors suffered economic losses because of…

Aug 12, 2010 11:00 AM CDT

Wife Says She Learned From Facebook That Her Hubby Had Another Wedding

Lynn France thought her husband might be having an affair. But she found out from Facebook, she says, that the situation was even worse. Although Lynn France, who is now 41, had married John France in Italy in 2005, wedding photos posted on the social networking site showed had married…

Aug 5, 2010 11:17 PM CDT

Temp Agency Pays $650K to Settle EEOC Suit Claiming ‘Cupcake’ Wasn’t a Dessert

An Ohio temporary agency has agreed to pay $650,000 to settle allegations it used code words to identify the race and sex of job applicants. The suit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission had claimed the company, Area Temps, profiled job hunters despite promises of equal employment opportunities, WKYC.com…

Jul 29, 2010 10:30 AM CDT

Tums, Anyone? What About a Massage? Law Schools Vie to Offer Best Perks at Ohio Bar Exam

Back in the day, tailgate parties were synonymous with college football games. But some law schools now host similar events for freshly minted legal eagles facing a grueling bar exam followed by a worrisome future in a difficult legal economy. In Ohio, eight of the state’s nine law schools and…

Jul 28, 2010 7:59 PM CDT

Jones Day Lays Off More Staffers, But Is ‘Poised for Additional Growth’

A week after confirming staff cuts in Los Angeles and Dallas, Jones Day has announced layoffs in its Cleveland office. The law firm did not specify how many people lost their jobs, but said none of them were lawyers, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. The newspaper cited a statement issued…

Jun 23, 2010 1:09 PM CDT