August 21, 2019

A cashier’s check is better than an ordinary personal check, right?  You can rely on it and turn around the cash quickly, right? Well, no. Not only is a bad or fraudulent cashier’s check no better than a bad personal check, there is raging fraud involving cashier’s checks on the internet: Craigslist, Facebook marketplace, etc. … Continue reading Consumer fraud: This article addresses the problem of fraudulent cashier’s checks →

August 19, 2019

It is common practice for employers who are considering a new hire to conduct reference checks on prospective candidates for the position. Obtaining information from a candidate’s former employer obviously can be a useful tool in making a good hiring decision. So why is it often so hard to get references from previous employers? Many … Continue reading Ohio Employment Law: It is it Illegal for an employer to give a bad reference on a former employee? →

August 19, 2019

In a recent case, we defended a couple who were being sued by the buyers of their former home; alleging that my clients had engaged in fraud in completing the residential disclosure form. As has been discussed in previous blog posts here and here, Ohio law requires that the seller of residential property complete a … Continue reading Ohio Commercial Litigation: Using text messages to defeat a “home defects” case →

August 19, 2019

We’ve heard it said a million times (and said it ourselves a million more), “the recent sale price of a piece of real estate is the best evidence of its value.” And the concept of sales price as value is so ingrained in our minds that we sometimes forget that this is just shorthand, that … Continue reading Ohio Property Tax Valuation Reduction – Online auctions of bank owned property →

August 19, 2019

In June 2019, Cincinnati City Solicitor Paula Boggs Muething filed suit against the state of Ohio, arguing that a state law provision prohibiting cities from enacting their own firearms regulations violates the Ohio Constitution. Unfortunately, it seems, she went off “half-cocked.”  We say this because, while the suit was brought in the name of the … Continue reading Ohio Public Interest Law: Finney Law Firm files suit to enjoin unauthorized lawsuit →

August 16, 2019

The Ohio standard for “marketable title” The standard for real estate title is, without putting too fine a point on it, pristine.  This is true not only in Ohio, but but in every state. Indeed, one really could put a fine point on it.  Nearly any title defect can be a “cloud” on title that … Continue reading Ohio Real Estate Law: Avoid creating “clouds” on title to your own real estate →

August 14, 2019

Here are links to the media articles on today’s Finney Law Firm win against the Village of Bratenahl on an important Open Meetings decision under Ohio statute. AP: Court: Secret ballots for public business violate state law Cleveland.Com: Bratenahl village council’s secret ballot vote was illegal, Ohio Supreme Court rules Fox 19: Ohio Supreme Court: Secret ballot … Continue reading Media wrap-up on Ohio Supreme Court decision on Village of Bratenahl Open Meetings case →

August 14, 2019

Today a unanimous Ohio Supreme Court declared that secret ballot voting violates Ohio’s Open Meetings Act in a win for Finney Law Firm and its client, Pat Meade.  The decision was authored by Justice R. Patrick DeWine and can be read here and below. The issue: Do votes of public bodies have to be made … Continue reading Ohio Public Interest Law: A win at the Ohio Supreme Court on open meetings →

August 12, 2019

While discussing pay may foment worker dissatisfaction and be considered rude in polite circles, an employer may not prohibit the discussions from taking place or punish an employee for discussing pay or benefits with their coworkers. These discussions are protected by the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”). Among other things, the NLRA protects the right … Continue reading Ohio Employment Law: May an employer fire or discipline an employee for discussing his or her pay with Co-workers? →

August 12, 2019

We’ve seen to over and over again, individual lenders “conned” by a borrower into making a supposedly secured loan, but in fact the same borrower has “pledged” the same collateral to multiple lenders for duplicate loans.  That means, of course, when it comes time to pay the money back, there is not enough cash to … Continue reading Ohio Commercial Law: A pitfall of private lending — a borrower committing fraud →