SMBP government liability attorney Larry Barbiere successfully represented a former township assistant development administrator in a case where it was alleged the employee and the township violated the Ohio Public Records Act. The suit alleged the township and the employee unlawfully destroyed public records under R.C. 149.351 and failed to respond to a public records request within a reasonable time under R.C. 149.43. On August 27, 2012, the Ohio Twelfth District Court of Appeals handed down its decision in State ex rel. Doe v. Tetrault, CA2011-10-070, in which it, among other things, affirmed the trial court’s decision that certain notes created by a government employee on scrap paper and on a township owned laptop were not “public records” under the Act. View a copy of the decision.

SMBP Partner Chris Moore recently obtained summary judgment on behalf of a national retailer in a case in which a plaintiff alleged he suffered the aggravation of a preexisting heart condition and post traumatic stress after being asked to leave a store after causing a disturbance. The plaintiff alleged that the store was negligent and had violated his Fourth Amendment rights when a store security officer escorted him out of the store after he refused to vacate the premises. The Court granted the motion and dismissed the case, agreeing that the store had the right to control its premises and that the plaintiff’s refusal to leave the store, once asked, changed his status to that of a trespasser with no rights to remain in the store.

SMBP admiralty and maritime group attorneys Megan Ahrens and Todd Powers attended the annual Greater New Orleans Barge Fleeting Association (“GNOBFA”) River and Marine Industry Seminar in New Orleans, Louisiana in April. The seminar provides valuable updates on Jones Act liability, longshore and harbor workers compensation, liability under the general maritime law, collisions, licensure, and other maritime concerns. For further information about the Seminar, visit https://gnobfa.com/seminar.htm.

Attorneys from SMBP attended the 31st Annual Chicago-Kent College of Law Section 1983 Civil Litigation Conference on April 23-24, 2014 in Chicago Illinois. The conference features preeminent legal scholars and practitioners from across the country and provides updates on municipal and supervisory liability, alleged police misconduct, individual immunities, substantive due process, and other topics relevant to Section 1983 litigation.Larry Barbiere, Jay Patton, Kurt Irey, Scott Sollmann, Mike Morgalis, Katie Barbiere, andBrian Hurley attended this year’s conference.