Latest news with #FranklinCountyCommonPleasCourt
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Appeals court says Ohio legislative effort to block local tobacco laws unconstitutional
An Ohio appeals court has unanimously decided that efforts by state lawmakers to prevent city governments from regulating tobacco products are unconstitutional. The Tenth District Court of Appeals, which covers Franklin County and hears many state government-related court cases, ruled July 8 that the Ohio General Assembly's attempt to bar Columbus and other cities from enacting their own rules about what types of tobacco products can be sold within their limits violated the Home Rule Amendment of the Ohio Constitution. Among other things, the Home Rule Amendment gives local governments the autonomy to enact ordinances related to the safety and welfare of their residents, including matters involving local police, sanitary, and other similar regulations, provided they don't contradict state laws. By 2023, Columbus and other cities had passed ordinances that regulated how flavored tobacco products were sold to snuff out swelling teen use of the products. The state legislature, in response, added an amendment state's 2023 budget bill to prevent cities from doing so. Gov. Mike DeWine twice vetoed the section, but state lawmakers voted to override the governor, in essence nullifying efforts by the cities. City Attorney Zach Klein's office filed a lawsuit against the state on behalf of Columbus and multiple other cities and municipalities in Ohio to prevent the law from taking effect. Klein, DeWine and others had argued for flavored tobacco bans, as well as limits on the sale of e-cigarettes, because of a rise in nicotine use among teenagers that threatened decades-long anti-tobacco efforts. The arguments also said sales of flavored tobacco, like menthol cigarettes, have targeted minorities and low-income people. Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Mark Serrott sided with the cities, saying the way the Ohio law is written violates the Ohio Constitution's provision that allows municipalities to govern themselves. The state appealed, and the Tenth District Appeals Court agreed with the cities. In a decision written by Judge David Leland, the appeals court said the state is trying to claim "exclusive power to regulate tobacco," which creates problems beyond where flavored tobacco is sold. "Cities would lose the power to enforce their tobacco laws, both criminal and civil. They would lose authority to keep city parks free of tobacco," Leland writes. "They could no longer regulate tobacco marketing. Licensing and zoning of convenience stores that sell tobacco products might be invalidated. Cities could do nothing to stem the sale of flavored tobacco products, no matter the addictive or mortal effects of the tobacco industry's targeted advertising to children or other demographic groups." Mayor Andrew J. Ginther told The Dispatch that he was encouraged by the decision. 'I'm glad the judges support the Ohio Constitution, that clearly states that home rule is a core principle of governing in this state. We have always said that local knows best,' Ginther said. 'The tobacco industry has disproportionately targeted young people, people of color and poor and disadvantaged communities and we feel like this is a smart and appropriate thing to do to protect kids. The governor stands with us on this.' The state can appeal the Tenth Court of Appeals decision to the Ohio Supreme Court. Steve Irwin, a spokesperson for Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, said Yost's office is reviewing the decision and will talk about what next steps may be taken. The district appeals court is comprised of eight judges, three of whom hear cases as a panel and rule at a time. All of those judges are Democrats. Six of the Ohio Supreme Court's seven justices are Republicans, with Justice Jennifer Brunner being the lone Democrat. (This story has been updated to include comments from public officials.) Dispatch reporter Jordan Laird contributed to this story. Reporter Bethany Bruner can be reached at bbruner@ or on Bluesky at @ This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio court sides with cities in state tobacco law dispute
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Court ruling puts Ohio school vouchers in limbo
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Advocates for Ohio's School Voucher System said even families with high incomes deserve taxpayer support for private schools. And they'll get it in the new Ohio budget that contains more than $700 million for vouchers that will go to private and parochial schools. GOP deficit hawks list complaints on megabill ahead of vote Last week, a Franklin County judge declared Ed Choice vouchers to be unconstitutional, but the order was delayed pending an appeal. In 2024, the state of Ohio spent nearly $1 billion on private school vouchers, with leaders of School Choice Ohio saying it's money well spent, giving parents and students educational options. 'We've placed children in private schools using Ed Choice,' School Choice Ohio President Eric 'Yitz' Frank said. 'We find options in public schools that work best for them so we are kind of agnostic about where people go to school, but we do believe they should have the ability to take their tax dollars and go to a school of their choice, whether it's a private or a public school.' 'The only difference is who pays for it?' teacher and Cleveland Heights School Board Member Dan Heintz said. 'Ohio went very successfully for a century with great private schools and great public schools, and it's really only been about the last 20 years that the private schools started to expect their neighbors, citizens from around the state to underwrite their decision to send their children to a private school.' How to get your unclaimed Ohio funds before they go to the Cleveland Browns Heintz is part of the Vouchers Hurt Ohio group that is suing the state. Their first victory came in Franklin County Common Pleas Court. 'The 'why not' is the Ohio state constitution, and that's what we saw Judge Page here in Franklin County decide this week when she ruled that Ed Choice vouchers are a violation of the state constitution,' Heintz said. Page ruled that lawmakers are violating the Ohio constitution by creating a second system of schools that receive an unreasonably high level of per-student tax dollars. Critics also point out that vouchers were promised to pull poor students out of underperforming districts, but vouchers often go to affluent families in high-ranking public school districts who never intend to send their children to public schools. Project underway to help relieve I-270/71 congestion on North Side 'There are kids that thrive in really what we would call poor-performing schools and there are kids that struggle in really what we consider to be, objectively, affluent schools and so putting the parents in the driver's seat, we think, will ultimately get better outcomes,' Frank said. And, for now, parochial and private schools will continue to receive public dollars. The vouchers are in the budget signed by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. The state is poised to appeal the finding in Franklin County Common Pleas Court that the vouchers are unconstitutional. It is expected that the case will go all the way to the Ohio Supreme Court, where Republicans hold all but one seat. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ohio AG warns customers following cement layer lawsuit
(WKBN) — Ohio Attorney General David Yost is using a lawsuit out of central Ohio as an example for customers of what to be aware of when contracting work for their home or business. Yost filed a lawsuit in Franklin County Common Pleas Court against Ronald Lewis, of Blacklick, and his business, Ron Lewis Cement. Yost accuses Lewis of violating the Consumer Sales Practices ACT and the Home Solicitation Act. The lawsuit contends that 10 customers lost nearly $70,000 after hiring Lewis for cement-pouring projects, but Lewis did not complete the jobs even though he accepted upfront payments. Two consumers reported that Lewis excavated their existing driveways but failed to complete the work. Others said he performed no work at all. Yost also noted that Lewis never registered his business with the Ohio Secretary of State and did not provide customers with a required three-day cancellation notice. The lawsuit seeks restitution and civil penalties. AG Yost reminds Ohioans that before signing a home-improvement contract, be sure to: Check with local officials to see whether permits are required for any project. Ask the contractor for references — and follow up on them. Check whether any complaints have been filed against the contractor with the Better Business Bureau and/or the Ohio Attorney General's Office. Get written estimates from at least three contractors. Verify your cancellation rights under Ohio law. Ensure that the contract details: A description of the work to be completed. Any warranties or guarantees. Any verbal promises made by the contractor. Avoid any contract requiring a large down payment or requiring full payment before the project is completed and inspected. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Franklin County judge questions motive, timing of illegal voting indictments
A Franklin County judge is weighing whether the case against a woman charged with voting illegally, filed weeks before the 2024 presidential election, should be dismissed or proceed to trial. The 62-year-old woman is accused of voting while not being a citizen in the November 2018 election, according to court records. The Ohio Attorney General's office indicted the woman in October 2024, two weeks before the statute of limitations ran out. Attorney General Dave Yost's office indicted two other people in Franklin County and three others across the state, including a man who had died two years earlier. While the indictment falls within Ohio's six-year statute of limitations for felonies, the defendant says the court should dismiss her case because her ability to find witnesses and evidence has been taken away. Yost's office says in court filings that the indictments were charged in the required amount of time and boil down to whether the person was allowed to vote, adding that her inability to find witnesses or evidence is irrelevant. In a May 15 hearing, Signal Cleveland reported, Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Chris Brown, a Democrat, questioned whether Yost had turned the woman and several others indicted for illegal voting in the leadup to the 2024 presidential election into "political props." "Doesn't that just seem a little fishy, the timing of this," the outlet quoted Brown as saying to an attorney from Yost's office. "Couldn't a person conclude that it was timed specifically to undermine confidence in the vote?" The outlet said the attorney from the AG's office responded that they were uncomfortable answering the question. In an April court filing, Brown called the timing of the indictments "unusual" and noted the media coverage surrounding them and public comments from Yost after the indictments were filed. Assistant Public Defender Kristen Eby, representing the woman, says in a motion requesting dismissal that the woman registered to vote while at the DMV to renew her driver's license. "The registrar told her that she needed to register to vote, given the amount of time that she had been in the United States (30+ years), so she did," court records say. "There is no way to identify, let alone locate, that employee. Even if we identified and located the employee, there is little chance that they would remember one person that they served one time several years ago." The woman, a legal permanent resident, did not indicate on her registration form that she was a citizen and voted in November 2018. In 2020, after Secretary of State Frank LaRose requested an investigation into voter fraud across Ohio, an Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation agent went to the woman's home and spoke with a relative. That relative said, according to court records, that after the woman had received a notice in the mail from the Secretary of State's office demanding she cancel her voter registration, she did so. According to court records, the case was closed in December 2020 without a prosecution. In 2021, another investigator spoke with the woman and verified that she had not said she was a citizen on her registration form. That investigator took the case to the Franklin County Prosecutor's office. "The prosecutor stated that they would not prosecute ... if she did not indicate that she was a United States citizen on her voter registration card," court records say. The woman's attorney says the prosecution, which Yost's office is handling, is "politically-motivated" and "timed to capitalize on voters' fears of election fraud, despite the fact that they have shown to be unfounded." Brown did not rule on the motion to dismiss during the May 15 hearing. He scheduled another hearing for June 16 to discuss any other motions that might be filed and potentially rule on the motion to dismiss. Two other Franklin County cases alleging illegal voting are currently scheduled for trial in June and July. The defendant in one of those cases, a woman who court records say believed she was naturalized as a citizen as a child when her mother became naturalized, is also asking for her case to be dismissed. Judge Andy Miller, also a Democrat, presided over that case and has not ruled. Reporter Bethany Bruner can be reached at bbruner@ or on Bluesky at @ This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Franklin County judge questions motive, timing of illegal voting charges
USA Today
01-05-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Finance influencer with more than a million followers charged with fraud in Ponzi scheme
Finance influencer with more than a million followers charged with fraud in Ponzi scheme Show Caption Hide Caption Con-artist who stole millions in Ponzi scheme sentenced to 18 years A globe-trotting con artist who defrauded 237 victims out of $24.5 million to fund a lavish lifestyle was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison. unbranded - Newsworthy Social media finance influencer Tyler Bossetti, 31, of Columbus, Ohio, faces federal charges for allegedly defrauding investors of over $11 million. Bossetti promised high returns on investments for property flipping, but federal prosecutors say he allegedly misused funds for personal luxuries and cryptocurrency ventures. Despite the charges, Bossetti remains active on social media, soliciting clients for credit improvement services. A social media finance influencer with more than a million followers faces federal charges accusing him of defrauding investors of more than $11 million. Tyler Bossetti, 31, is charged in U.S. District Court in Columbus, Ohio, with wire fraud and aiding in the filing of a false or fraudulent document. Bossetti encouraged investors to give him money that they would see high returns on, sometimes 30% or more, for flipping properties, according to court records. However, Bossetti used the money in other ways, including personal luxury housing and vehicles and cryptocurrency investments that resulted in large losses, court records say. In June 2022, Bossetti wired himself $900,000 through an interstate wire transfer. Bossetti would pay for the losses he incurred with the investments of new investors, court records say. Between September 2019 and June 2023, Bossetti received more than $20 million in investments, court records say. Investors lost more than $11.2 million, according to court records. Franklin County Common Pleas Court records show Bossetti and his brands, Boss Lifestyle LLC and Bossetti Enterprises LLC, have had at least 12 civil lawsuits filed against them in 2023 and 2024, several of which remain open and ongoing. The lawsuits are all related to alleged mishandling of money or lost investments. Bossetti has garnered a following on social media, where he has more than 1 million followers on Instagram and has hosted the "All for Nothing" podcast. Bossetti also has a Substack page with more than 88,000 followers. That page has remained active, with posts as recent as April 25, where he solicited people looking to improve their credit to reach out to his team. In the April 25 post, Bossetti wrote that he could see the "keyboard warriors" who have submitted fake forms to his website and that he is not trying to convince the "peasant trolls" that he can get results. "You don't stop a machine by throwing shade — you just prove it's working," the post states. "So to the ones who are serious about breaking free and leveling up financially, let's work. The rest? Stay broke, bitter and busy watching." A court date for Bossetti has not yet been set, according to U.S. District Court records. Reporter Bethany Bruner can be reached at bbruner@ or on Bluesky at @
