Court decisions from across the country have implications right here in Ohio. Here is a selection of recent cases, and why they matter.
In the case of Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, 597 U.S. ____ (2022), the U.S. Supreme Court held that the Free Exercise and Free Speech Clauses of the First Amendment protect an individual engaging in a personal religious observance from government retaliation because the Constitution neither mandates nor permits the government to suppress such religious expression. Here, […]
In the case of Barrett v. Director of Ohio Dept. of Job and Family Services, 2022-Ohio-2152, the Court held that an employee was ineligible for unemployment benefits after quitting his job without just cause. Here, an employee argued that he was wrongfully denied unemployment benefits after accepting a position with knowledge that the position was […]
In the case of State ex rel. Reese v. Ohio Dept. of Rehab. & Corr. Legal Dept., Slip Opinion No. 2022-Ohio-2105, the Supreme Court granted a writ of mandamus petition submitted by a former inmate (“Reese”) who sought the disclosure of personal records from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (“Respondent”) pursuant to Ohio’s […]
In the case of Doe, et al. v. Metro. Govt. of Nashville & Davidson County, the Court of Appeals characterized the heightened importance of sexual harassment claims in the K-12 school setting and the effect of such claims on Title IX liability. Here, the plaintiffs asserted allegations of sexual harassment resulting from the recording of […]
In Rice v. Columbiana Cty. Bd. Commrs., 2022-Ohio-2078, the Appellate Court held that the Columbiana County Board of Commissioners (“County”) was not entitled to statutory immunity under R.C. Chapter 2744 for the negligent maintenance and repair of a sewage backup in the sewer system line that resulted in damage to the homeowners’ homes, but also […]
In the case of Stewart v. Pugh, the Court analyzed whether a mayor of a city can be sued in his individual capacity for libel, slander, and invasion of privacy claims when he publicly released a memorandum containing the results of a city patrolman’s pre-disciplinary hearing and past disciplinary history. R.C. 4117.10(A) denies courts jurisdiction […]
In the case of State ex rel. Sanderlin v. State Teachers Retirement Sys., the Magistrate upheld the State Teachers Retirement System (“STRS”) decision to terminate Relator’s disability benefits upon an evidentiary finding that Relator is no longer permanently disabled. Here, Relator was granted disability benefits in 2002 after an STRS finding that Relator suffered […]
In the case of Peltier v. Charter Day School, Inc., 37 F.4th 104 (4th Cir.2022), a federal appellate court held that the charter school was a state actor and therefore violated the Equal Protection Clause when the charter school required female students to wear skirts. In this case, the parents of several charter school students […]