Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Brian Grosh
Former Ohio Judge Pleads Not Guilty in Ex-Wife’s Murder
CLEVELAND (CN) – Disgraced former Cuyahoga County Judge Lance Mason pleaded not guilty Tuesday to the murder of his estranged ex-wife, three years after he went to prison for beating her in front of their two children. Appearing in court via video teleconference, Mason, 51, also waived his right to a speedy trial. Former Cuyahoga County Judge Lance Mason.
Obama Pushes Simple Message at Ohio Rally: Vote
CLEVELAND (CN) – A gymnasium full of adoring progressives were treated to a visit from former President Barack Obama when he arrived in Cleveland on Thursday night to stump for Richard Cordray, the Democratic candidate for Ohio governor. “This election is more important than any I can remember in my lifetime,” Obama told the crowd of over 2,500 that packed the gym of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s East Professional Center. “This time it really is different.
Traveler Slams Seizure of Dogs by Ohio Authorities
CLEVELAND (CN) – A California man who was traveling through Ohio with his two adult dogs and 10 puppies claims in court that authorities seized the dogs, one of which is his registered service animal, because he did not have local dog tags. John D’Angelo, represented by attorneys Michela Huth of Ohio and Richard Rosenthal of New York, sued the city of Middleburg Heights, two animal control officers, a police officer and Cuyahoga County in Cleveland federal court.
Atheist Fights Court-Ordered Alcoholics Anonymous Treatment
CLEVELAND (CN) – An Ohio atheist convicted of drug charges claims in court that a state judge and treatment providers forced him to participate in Alcoholics Anonymous, which he says is rooted in monotheistic spirituality. Self-professed atheist and humanist James Lindon filed his pro se lawsuit Monday in Cleveland federal court against Judge Shirley Strickland Saffold, Cuyahonga County departments and officials, and a treatment center and program.
Class Accuses Ulta Beauty of Reselling Used Makeup
CHICAGO (CN) – A federal class-action lawsuit claims Ulta Beauty routinely repackages used cosmetics that are returned to its retail stores and then resells them to unsuspecting consumers who think they’re buying a new product. The lawsuit, filed in Chicago federal court on Friday by lead attorney Theodore Bell of Wolf Haldenstein, was prompted by a viral Twitter thread from a woman claiming to be a former Ulta employee. The ex-employee posted the allegations to Twitter on Jan.
Triple Murderer Wants New Look at Forensic Evidence
CLEVELAND (CN) – An Ohio man convicted of three murders claims in a federal lawsuit that he is entitled to a new, impartial evaluation of the forensic evidence used against him after the state suppressed other evidence in his favor, including concerns that an analyst was biased.
Consignment of 1877 Inness Landscape Inspires Suit
CLEVELAND (CN) – A Tennessee couple took an art dealer to court Wednesday, saying he got their 94-year-old family matriarch to consign a pricey painting they were storing at her house. Represented by attorneys at Cavitch, Familo & Durkin, the couple Richard and Becky Hearty filed their complaint with a federal judge in Cleveland. The famed American landscape artist George Inness painted the artwork in question, “Shades of Evening,” in 1877. Hearty says his father, Richard J.
Tattoo Artist Wants Cut of ‘NBA2K’ for Copied Ink
CLEVELAND (CN) – As video game makers hone the digital versions of basketball superstars for the franchise “NBA 2K,” a tattoo artist claims in a federal complaint that they are profiting off the unsanctioned reproductions of his original work. A tattoo artist whose client roster includes LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal, James Hayden brought the complaint Monday in his home district of Cleveland.
Anti-Abortion Student Group Fights Rules for On-Campus Displays
CINCINNATI (CN) – An anti-abortion student organization at Miami University of Ohio filed a federal lawsuit against the school, claiming it tried to make the group post warning signs around its exhibit on campus.
ACLU Challenges Michigan’s Religious-Freedom Adoption Rule
DETROIT (CN) – The American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of two lesbian couples who were denied the opportunity to adopt children through Michigan’s foster care system, challenging the state’s practice of letting taxpayer-funded agencies reject qualified same-sex couples because of religious objections.
Juvie Inmates Say They Were Forced to Fight for Guards’ Amusement
CLEVELAND (CN) – Three Ohio men and one boy claim in a lawsuit against Cuyahoga County that they were repeatedly forced to participate in organized fights during their incarceration at a juvenile detention facility for the entertainment of guards.
Study Finds Most Ohio Death-Row Inmates Are Impaired
(CN) – A new report finds that most, if not all, of the 26 Ohio prisoners scheduled to be executed over the next three years have significant impairments that limit their legal culpability and may preclude them from the death penalty under the Eighth Amendment. Those impairments include mental illness, intellectual disabilities, severe childhood trauma and being under the age of 21 at the time of their offenses.
Ohio City Council Hopeful Fights Political Sign Rules
TOLEDO, Ohio (CN) – An independent candidate for city council in Perrysburg, Ohio claims in court that a municipal ordinance limiting the amount of time political signs can be displayed on private property violates his rights under the First Amendment. Charles Pfleghaar sued the city of Perrysburg and its planning and zoning administrator, Brodin Walters, on Tuesday in Toledo federal court.
EPA Accused of Ignoring Lake Erie Algae Problems
TOLEDO, Ohio (CN) – Two environmental advocacy groups in the Great Lakes region sued the Environmental Protection Agency, hoping to compel the agency to list the open waters of Lake Erie as impaired by harmful algae blooms. The Environmental Law and Policy Center, or ELPC, filed a lawsuit Tuesday in Toledo federal court against the U.S. EPA, Administrator Scott Pruitt and Robert Kaplan, acting regional administrator of EPA Region 5.
Ohio High Court Weighs Death-Row Inmate’s Bid for DNA Tests
COLUMBUS, Ohio (CN) – Ohio death-row inmate Tyrone Noling believes DNA testing of evidence found at the scene of a 1990 double homicide could be his chance to clear his name and avoid execution, and his fate now rests with the state’s highest court.
Medical Marijuana Users Challenge Kentucky Pot Laws
FRANKFORT, Ky. (CN) – Three Kentucky residents who say they have a “legitimate and dire need” for medical cannabis claim in a lawsuit filed Wednesday that Kentucky’s laws on marijuana possession and trafficking violate the state’s own constitution. Dan Seum, Amy Stalker and Danny Belcher sued Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin and Attorney General Andy Beshear in Franklin County Circuit Court, seeking to invalidate the state’s prohibitions against the use of medical marijuana.
Cleveland Fires Police Officer Who Shot Tamir Rice
CLEVELAND (CN) — The Cleveland police officer who shot and killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice outside a Cleveland recreation center was fired Tuesday — not for killing the boy, but for lying on his job application. Timothy Loehmann was fired Tuesday morning, two and a half years after he killed Tamir, on Nov. 22, 2014.
Prisoner Advocacy Group Fights Censorship at Ohio Prison
TOLEDO, Ohio (CN) – A nonprofit advocating for prisoner rights filed a federal lawsuit claiming softcover books it sent to inmates at a privately run prison in central Ohio were sent back because they weren’t pre-approved by management.
EPA Accused of Dragging Feet on Ohio Water Pollution
TOLEDO, Ohio (CN) – An environmental advocacy group claims in a federal lawsuit that the Environmental Protection Agency neglected its duty by not accepting or rejecting a list of pollution-impaired waters submitted by Ohio, delaying efforts to fight algae problems in Lake Erie. The Environmental Law and Policy Center, or ELPC, filed the lawsuit Wednesday in Toledo federal court against the U.S. EPA, Administrator Scott Pruitt and Robert Kaplan, acting regional administrator of EPA Region 5.
Living Near Bio-Energy Plant Stinks, Class Says
CLEVELAND (CN) – Cleveland residents fed up with noxious odors from a nearby bio-energy facility filed a class-action lawsuit claiming the facility, which supplies green energy to the local electric utility, is a nuisance that diminishes area property values. The lawsuit filed Wednesday in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court names Collinwood Bio Energy LLC as the sole defendant.
Enviros Fight Fracking in Ohio National Forest
COLUMBUS, Ohio (CN) – Four environmental groups sued the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management over their authorization of oil and gas leases that allow fracking of shale formations in Ohio’s only national forest. The Center for Biological Diversity, Sierra Club, Ohio Environmental Council and regional environmental organization Heartwood filed a lawsuit Tuesday in Columbus federal court challenging the legality of the new leases.
Sonographers Sue Over Botched Exam Scores
CLEVELAND (CN) – Two healthcare workers who make their living performing diagnostic ultrasounds claim in a federal class action that the organization that awards their professional credentials incorrectly reported that they failed their sonography certification exams. Lead plaintiffs Stephanie Miller and Mary Alyce Dawson sued Inteleos Inc.
Ohio AIDS Taskforce Fights Denial of Grant Money
CLEVELAND (CN) – A Cleveland nonprofit providing support services for people afflicted with HIV and AIDS sued the Ohio Department of Health over its denial of federal grant funding for the first time in 25 years. The AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland filed a lawsuit Friday in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, arguing Ohio’s denial of its application for funding under a federal grant program specifically allocated for HIV and AIDS support services is an arbitrary abuse of discretion.
Ohio Cities Team Up Against Wireless Equipment Law
CLEVELAND (CN) – Joining dozens of other cities across the state, Cleveland claims in court that an Ohio law taking effect Tuesday, originally meant to regulate dog sales, will violate its home-rule rights to decide where wireless equipment can be installed. Ohio Senate Bill 331 was originally introduced to regulate the retail sale of dogs, but it was later amended to add unrelated regulations during the lame-duck session that followed November’s general election.
Activist Says James Woods Defamed Her on Twitter
COLUMBUS, Ohio (CN) – A 64-year-old Ohio woman sued actor James Woods over a series of tweets he sent out during the 2016 campaign season, claiming she received threats about a post falsely identifying her as a Donald Trump supporter giving a Nazi salute. Portia Boulger, a former teacher and long-time activist for progressive causes from Chillicothe, Ohio, filed a defamation and invasion of privacy lawsuit against the Oscar-nominated and Emmy award-winning actor in Columbus federal court.
ACLU Challenges Cleveland’s Anti-Panhandling Laws - Courthouse News Service
CLEVELAND (CN) – A disabled veteran and a nonprofit advocacy group for the homeless backed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio claim Cleveland’s anti-panhandling ordinances violate First Amendment rights. In a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday in Cleveland federal court, John Mancini and the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, or NEOCH, say two Cleveland ordinances that criminalize panhandling are unconstitutional, content-based restrictions on free speech.
Teacher Accused of Kicking Student in Testicles - Courthouse News Service
CLEVELAND (CN) – An irate gym teacher at a Cleveland charter school kicked an 11-year-old student in the testicles while reprimanding his class, the boy’s mother claims in court. Sierra Burley sued Harvard Academy Community School and its parent company, Performance Academies LLC, on Monday, claiming the K-8 charter school’s gym teacher, William Norris, kicked her son during a gym class on March 11, 2016.
DirecTV Accused of Going After Noncustomer
CHICAGO (CN) – An Illinois woman who has never had an account with DirecTV claims the satellite provider falsely reported she had an outstanding balance and then refused to discuss the matter because she wasn’t the person whose name was on the delinquent account. Mary Arnold says DirecTV refused to investigate her disputes or even discuss the account with her after she explained that she was not the owner.
Ohio Delays Eight Executions Amid Legal Fight
COLUMBUS, Ohio (CN) – Ohio Gov. John Kasich postponed the upcoming executions of eight death-row inmates as a court battle over the constitutionality of the state’s lethal injection protocol moves to the Sixth Circuit. Ronald Phillips, who was sentenced to death in 1993 for the rape and murder of his girlfriend’s 3-year-old daughter, was scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on Wednesday but Kasich’s office said Friday that Phillips’ execution has been rescheduled for May 10.
Ohio Cops Sued Over Stunning of Pregnant Woman
TOLEDO, Ohio (CN) – Police officers in Lima, Ohio, shocked a black woman in the stomach with a stun gun after she repeatedly told them she was pregnant and then arrested her to cover up the incident, she claims in a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday. Brittany Osberry was forcefully arrested by Lima police officers on Aug. 10, 2016, while trying to pick up her friend’s children from a house that was under police surveillance, according to her complaint filed in Toledo federal court.
NAACP Seeks Grand Jury Transcripts in Tamir Rice Case
CLEVELAND (CN) – The NAACP’s Cleveland branch asked the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas to release all grand jury transcripts in the investigation into the police shooting death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, arguing the process may have been tainted by a former prosecutor. The civil rights organization and three of its members – the Rev. Kyle Earley, the Rev.
Ohio Plant Agrees to Cut Manganese Emissions
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (CN) – Heading off a lawsuit, the owner of a plant that processes ore and minerals on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border agreed Wednesday to reduce its hazardous emissions of manganese. The United States filed the consent decree and complaint simultaneously against S.H. Bell Co., alleging violations of the Clean Air Act in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.
Teachers Say They Were Cheated Out of Grant Money
AKRON, Ohio (CN) – Two teachers filed a class-action lawsuit accusing the student-aid organization that services their federal grants of converting the grants into interest-bearing loans based on a technicality. According to the complaint filed Friday in Akron federal court, Ashley Ford and David West were awarded thousands of dollars in federal grants through a student-aid program known as Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education, or TEACH.
Ohio Banks Settle Claims of Racial Lending Bias
CINCINNATI (CN) – The federal government and two Cincinnati-area banks settled claims that the financial institutions avoided neighborhoods where more than half of the population is black, a discriminatory practice known as redlining. According to a complaint filed Wednesday in Cincinnati federal court, Union Savings Bank and Guardian Savings Bank FSB redlined the majority-black areas of Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus and Indianapolis from at least 2010 through 2014.
Protests Aplenty as GOP Nominates Trump
CLEVELAND (CN) — Temperatures climbed Tuesday as Republicans confirmed Donald Trump as their nominee for president and on the streets of Cleveland tensions between factions of demonstrators surrounding the Quicken Loans Arena also heated up.
Protests Aplenty, but No Disorder, as Republicans Nominate Trump
Protests Aplenty, but No Disorder, as Republicans Nominate Trump CLEVELAND (CN) — Temperatures climbed Tuesday as Republicans confirmed Donald Trump as their nominee for president and on the streets of Cleveland tensions between factions of demonstrators surrounding the Quicken Loans Arena also heated up.
Trumps, Safety, Immigration Dominate Day One of Convention
CLEVELAND (CN) — Violence against police, the 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi and the crimes of illegal aliens were central topics on day one of the Republican National Convention, where Donald Trump made his first, brief appearance to introduce his wife Melania. Day one of the convention, whose slogan is "Make America safe again," featured an odd lineup of speakers that included soap opera star Antonia Sabato Jr. and former teen idol Scott Baio.
Staff Blamed for Country Fan's Trash-Chute Death
CLEVELAND (CN) — A country music fan plummeted to his death after falling down a five-story trash chute during a Jason Aldean concert because stadium staff left the door to the chute unlocked, his family claims in court.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Brian
Contact Brian, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack