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Understanding Ohio Shoplifting Law

12 Jul 2019

Although the term “shoplifting” is widely used to describe the theft of goods from a retail store, Ohio doesn’t have a separate shoplifting law. Rather, retail theft falls under the state’s general theft statute. That’s important, as many people have...

USERRA -The Uniformed Services Employment and Re-Employment Rights Act of 1994

USERRA – Understanding Job Rights for Service Members

03 Jul 2019

By Kristen M Kraus – Partner As we prepare to celebrate our nation’s Independence Day, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss USERRA – the employment protections afforded to service members. An Overview of USERRA The Uniformed Services Employment...

Rule 37 Sanctions: Sufficient if Evidence is Concealed, but not Destroyed

01 Jul 2019

Rule 37 Sanctions is the Appropriate Remedy for Interference with or Concealment of Evidence, not Spoliation Claim By Jo A Tatarko The Ohio Supreme Court recently ruled that Civil Procedure Rule 37 provides the remedy against attorneys that interfere with...

Criminal History - Housing Discrimination

Using Criminal History to Screen Prospective Tenants

26 Jun 2019

By Grant Keating and Josh Strickland Originally Published in NOAA’s Suites Magazine June 2019 On April 4, 2016, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued new guidelines on the use of criminal records in evaluating a prospective tenant...

Credit Report Monitoring after Bankruptcy

24 Jun 2019

There are very good reasons for credit report monitoring whether or not you have ever filed for bankruptcy protection. If you watch or read the news, you undoubtedly know that identity theft is on the rise, affecting about 16 million...

Understanding Ohio’s Line Fence Law

21 Jun 2019

Keeping Rural Neighbors and Animals Out By Erik L Walter – Partner On September 30, 2008, the Ohio legislature passed changes to the existing laws relating to line fences in unincorporated areas which created new rules for fences constructed on...

Why Choose Chapter 13 Bankruptcy?

19 Jun 2019

Many people considering filing for bankruptcy protection assume that Chapter 7 is the better option. In fact, many people question why anyone would choose Chapter 13 bankruptcy at all. After all, Chapter 7 bankruptcy wipes out a lot of unsecured...

Who is Eligible for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy?

17 Jun 2019

Chapter 7 bankruptcy can be a powerful tool for those who are overwhelmed by unsecured debt. But, not everyone seeking relief from debt is eligible for Chapter 7, and not everyone who meets Chapter 7 eligibility requirements will benefit from...

The Stepparent Adoption Process in Ohio

14 Jun 2019

Step-parent adoption can be a wonderful way of affirming a relationship, providing a child with a sense of security, and ensuring continuity of a relationship the child may have come to rely on. It is also a legal matter, involving...

4 Workers’ Compensation Mistakes That Can Destroy Your Claim

12 Jun 2019

The Ohio workers’ compensation system was designed to ensure that injured workers had access to necessities such as medical care associated with the injury and replacement income in the wake of an on the job injury or occupational illness. However,...

Ensuring Credit for Ohio Child Support Payments

10 Jun 2019

Most people realize that child support and other domestic support orders such as spouse maintenance awards are legal obligations. Failure to make court-ordered child support payments or maintenance payments can have significant consequences—even jail time. What some may not know...

Ohio’s New Self-Defense Law Explored

07 Jun 2019

In late May, a man approached police officers on the street in Cleveland and told them his passenger had been shot. Though police are still investigating, it appears that the driver—who sought out and self-reported to the police—shot the passenger...

Employment Law: Age Discrimination in Ohio

31 May 2019

Ohio employers and employees alike often struggle to understand the concept of “age discrimination.” They wonder whether it means an employer can never take someone’s age into account in making a hiring decision, or whether you can never consider a...

The Danger of False Confessions

27 May 2019

False confessions have been getting a lot of attention lately, from news outlets, activists, and even Netflix. Hundreds of people have been cleared of crimes they confessed to, often through DNA evidence. And yet, many people have great difficulty believing...

Cleveland Immigration Office Gets Top Marks

22 May 2019

Navigating the road to citizenship is never simple, but the difficulty of the process varies for many reasons—including where the immigrant seeking citizenship lives and works through the process. Although the process should theoretically be the same in any immigration...

Wrongful Discharge in Federal and Ohio Employment Law

20 May 2019

By Richard N. Selby II Partner A significant number of my employment-related calls from prospective clients begin the same way: “I have been discharged, what can I do about it?” Unfortunately, the answer is rarely as simple and straight forward...

Age Discrimination in Federal and Ohio Employment Law

17 May 2019

By Kristen M. Kraus Partner According to a recent article in the New York Times, older employees, even those of retirement age, are staying in the workforce longer. Some are working longer out of necessity while others remain simply because...

What is an Occupational Disease?

15 May 2019

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupational injuries accounted for the vast majority (96%) of all occupational injury and illness cases reported by private employers in Ohio in 2017 (the most recent year for which data is available). Only...

Workers’ Compensation for Repetitive Stress Injuries

13 May 2019

Repetitive stress (or repetitive strain) injuries differ from many other workplace injuries in that there is no clear moment of injury—no fall, cut, collision with an object or machinery that causes obvious and immediate harm. For that reason, although repetitive...

Workplace sexual assault & workers' comp

Workers’ Comp and Workplace Sexual Assault

10 May 2019

Under Ohio law, workers injured on the job must resort to workers’ compensation insurance to pay for medical expenses and lost wages. In most cases, workers’ comp is the only way to recover money from an employer for a workplace...

Medical Marijuana Law and Ohio Workers’ Comp

08 May 2019

Ohio’s medical marijuana statute and its accompanying regulations are now in effect. Employers and employees alike have begun to grapple with their implications, including the intersection of the new law and workers’ compensation benefits. Below, we review the issues medical...

Choosing a Doctor for Your Workplace Injury

06 May 2019

There is a popular misconception about workers’ comp that you can’t see your own doctor if you get hurt at work. While that may be the case in some states, in Ohio the rules are different. In this blog post,...

Workers’ Comp: What Isn’t Covered in Ohio

03 May 2019

Most Ohio workers and employers generally understand that Workers’ Compensation insurance covers medical costs and other expenses related to injuries an employee sustains on the job. Workers’ comp covers a wide range of injuries and incidents at work, from burns...

Healthcare Workers at Increased Risk of Workplace Violence

01 May 2019

Workplace violence is a growing problem around the country and in Ohio. The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) reports that there are about two million incidents of workplace violence nationwide each year, but the actual number may be even...

Light Duty and Other Return-to-Work Options in Ohio

29 Apr 2019

When you’ve been injured at work, your ability to perform your job duties may be limited. The Ohio workers’ compensation system provides benefits—Temporary Total Disability payments (TTD)—for injured workers who are unable to return to work at all. However, the...

AG Alleges $16M Overcharge to BWC via Spread Pricing

26 Apr 2019

News came earlier this year in February, that Ohio’s Attorney General, Dave Yost, recently took the first step toward arbitration with the former Pharmacy Benefits Manager (PBM) for the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC), alleging the PBM, OptumRx, had overcharged...

Workers’ Compensation Fraud Carries Serious Penalties

24 Apr 2019

Workers’ compensation fraud isn’t a high-profile crime. Many people have only a vague awareness that it’s a crime, and may not even know exactly what constitutes workers’ comp fraud. But, as a handful of recent news stories illustrate, understanding and...

Workers’ Comp Fraud In the News

22 Apr 2019

Ohio’s workers’ compensation system provides a wide range of benefits to workers injured on the job. Some of those benefits provide money to workers whose injuries prevent them from returning to work. These disability benefits represent a critically important feature...

Estate Planning to Avoid Family Discord

18 Apr 2019

The death of a loved one can disrupt even the most peaceful families with healthy dynamics. For many, preserving family relationships after they’re gone remains as important as preserving their wealth for future generations. Whether you’ve already put a plan...

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