Cleveland Law Library Weblog

Two Cuyahoga County Public Health Agencies Will Merge By July 1st

What Cuyahoga County residents now know as separate boards for alcohol/drug addiction and mental health will soon be merged into a single Board to be known as the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board of Cuyahoga County. This new Board will become official on July 1, 2009 and will contract with providers to deliver public mental health, alcohol and other addiction services to County residents. The new Board's consolidation plan is available on the Internet. According to Crain's Cleveland Business, the new Board will have a combined budget of $166 million and 83 staff members.

Ohio BWCMay Have to Reform Group Ratings

According to the December 2008 COSE Update, the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court issued an opinion in San Allen Inc., et al. (dba Corky and Lenny's) v. Bureau of Workers Compensation, et al., (Case No. CV 644950 on the CP docket), which held that the current BWC group rating program is unfair and inequitable. COSE's BWC website page predicts that if this decision stands, the BWC will have to reform the current system with other changes that are already happening. However, the case is already on appeal in the 8th District Court of Appeals in Case No. CA-08-092544, and the record has been filed. COSE's website comments that any changes affected by the outcome of the case will not affect BWC premiums for the July 1, 2008 group rating year.

EEOC Private Claims Went Up 15.2 % in 2008

According to the EEOC's FY 2008 Performance and Accountability Report, private EEOC charges were up 15.2% over 2007 figures. That means that more and more employees have been claiming discrimination and/or harassment at work. Thanks for the tip on this information go to KJK's Ohio Employer's Law Blog, which predicts that the figures will go up again in 2009.

Ohio O.K.'d to Buy 700 New Drunk Driving Intoxilyzer Machines

According to cleveland.com, the Ohio Controlling Board has authorized the Ohio Department of Public Safety to purchase 700 brand new Intoxilyzer 8000 breath-testing machines to check for drunk driving. These new machines will be used in Clermont County first, but drunk drivers can expect to see them being employed state-wide in Ohio by September of 2009. Although these new machines are completely digital and Internet-ready, cleveland.com reports that their use is the subect of pending lawsuits against the manufacturer in at least Minnesota, Arizona, and Florida. 

Cuyahoga Falls Will Soon Open Mayors Court

According to the Falls News Press, Cuyahoga Falls will open the doors to its new Mayors Court on January 12th. However, local officers can start citing violators for minor misdemeanors (including traffic violations, disorderly conduct, unleashed dogs, and open containers) beginning on Monday, January 5th. The new court is moving into space being vacated by the Cuyahoga Falls Municipal Court, which is itself moving to Stow, Ohio. The new Clerk's office will be open 5 days a week, and the court will hold session on Mondays and Wednesdays, with "night court" coming eventually. Potential Magistrates include 9th Appellate District Court Judge Lynn Slaby and attorneys David Devaney and George Pappas. Like people who receive tickets in Cleveland, traffic violators in Cuyahoga Falls will soon be able to pay their tickets online. According to cleveland.com's blog, an aborted  attempt by members of the Ohio legislature could have prevented this new court from opening.

Ohio AG Sues Conneaut Company That Allegedly Swindled Consumers in Foreclosure

The Ohio Attorney General has sued a Conneaut business called "Please Save My Home" for violations of 3 Ohio Acts: the Consumer Sales Practices Act; the Telephone Solicitation Act; and the Debt Adjuster's Act. The suit claims that the company promised to help consumers get out of foreclosure and save their homes, but allegedly never delivered. According to the AG's Press Release, the average consumer spent $650 for possible loan modifications, legal representation, and forebearance agreements he or she never received. The case was filed in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court in Case No. CV 08 679588 on December 19, 2008. Click here to read a copy of the Complaint, and click here to access the docket in the case.

Welcome to New Cleveland Public Library Director, Felton Thomas

The Cleveland Law Library welcomes Felton Thomas as the brand new Director of the Cleveland Public Library. CPL's Press Release indicates that Mr. Thomas has 20 years of experience in librarianship and brings energy and vision for the future of CPL and its branch libraries. As a member of CLEVNET, which partners CPL, many regional public libraries, and the Cleveland Law Library, our Library is excited to learn how Mr. Thomas will also help to lead CLEVNET.

Ohio Court Records Will Soon Redact PIN Information

On December 22, 2008, the Ohio Supreme Court recently issued new rules for Ohio courts that will become effective in May 2009 regarding access to court records. Key to the changes to Rules 44-47 of the Ohio Rules of Superintendence are protections for personal identifiers such as social security numbers and bank or credit card numbers. These changes mirror protections that many other courts have already instituted. Other changes allow documents to be placed under seal, allow clerks to grant access to files with limited access, and allow clerks to limit the number of documents they will mail per month. Click here to read the Ohio Supreme Court's Press Release about the changes, and click here to read an article from the Plain Dealer about dissenter's reactions to the upcoming changes.

Richard Cordray Will Take Over as Ohio AG on Jan. 8th

On January 8th, 2009, current Ohio Treasurer Richard Cordray will take over for OSU Law Dean Nancy Rogers as Ohio's newest Attorney General. Cordray will be the 3rd person to sit in the AG's seat in the last 12 months. Click here to read our prior post about Dean Rogers' 5-month appointment.

State Auditor Issues Performance Audit of Cuyahoga County Recorder's Office

The Ohio Auditor of State has issued a Performance Audit that is not too welcome news for the staff of the Cuyahoga County Recorder's office. The report suggests that the local office wastes over $1 million a year and employs too many employees who make more than their counterparts in other Ohio counties. The report makes specific recommendations for reducing the number of staff, consolidating job functions, reducing wage increases, creating a staffing plan and job descriptions, and implementing a formal hiring process. Former Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Lillian J. Greene, who is the new County Recorder, will certainly have her work cut out for her implementing appropriate changes pursuant to this report. Click here to read the State Auditor's Press Release, and click here to read an article about the report from Crain's Cleveland Business.