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Lawsuit: Ohio Ban on “Non-Essential Business” Unconstitutional

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 16, 2020

Legal Center:  Ohio Ban on “Non-Essential Business” Unconstitutional

Without hearings where the State justifies its decisions, the ban violates Due Process

Columbus, OH – The 1851 Center for Constitutional Law today moved to enjoin the Ohio Department of Health from continuing to enforce its criminalization of “non-essential business,” as implemented through the Director’s April 2, 2020 Stay at Home Order.

The April 2 Order fails to provide owners of “non-essential businesses” any opportunity for a hearing where the State must demonstrate that such businesses are indeed “non-essential” and incapable of safe operation, even as many other businesses and operations not essential to survival have been exempted.

The legal action is brought on behalf of an otherwise-successful Columbus bridal shop and its proprietor Tanya Rutner Hartman, who, due to the Director’s ban, are forced to choose between financial ruin or prosecution.

The 1851 Center’s Complaint and Motion for Temporary Restraining Order asserts that in depriving “non-essential” Ohioans of their livelihood without the requisite opportunity for a hearing, the Director’s Order violates Ohioans’ procedural due process rights, safeguarded by the Fourteenth Amendment:

  • While the State is entitled to latitude when confronting a pandemic, that latitude does not permit trampling of basic constitutional rights, particularly when policies endure over an extended period of time without legislative action or administrative rulemaking.
  • When depriving a citizen of his or her livelihood, even temporarily, both the Constitution and binding precedent require an immediate hearing where the state is required to justify its deprivation.
  • Even in emergencies, the Due Process Clause requires immediate hearings, so that citizens are neither erroneously shut down nor erroneously punished.

“The requirement of an immediate hearing where the state must prove its case is more than a technicality:  because the state cannot justify its arbitrary closures, many Ohio businesses will be free to immediately re-open, even if simply on a limited basis,” explained 1851 Center Executive Director Maurice Thompson. “Basic rights like this are overlooked when health administrators are empowered to serve unchecked as the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government all at once.”

Read the 1851 Center’s Complaint HERE.

The 1851 Center for Constitutional Law is a non-profit, non-partisan legal center dedicated to protecting the constitutional rights of Ohioans from government abuse. The 1851 Center litigates constitutional issues related to property rights, regulation, taxation, and search and seizures.

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1851 to Supreme Court: Forced Funding of Unions Violates Free Speech

1851 Center Amicus Brief argues that government employees who aren’t union members can’t be forced to pay hundreds of dollars per year to unions

Columbus, OH – The 1851 Center for Constitutional Law petitioned the United States Supreme Court to rule in favor of the Petitioner in a case challenging the constitutionality of public sector unions’ power to force public employees to pay union “agency fees.”

In Janus v. AFSCME, the Petitioner argues that government employees who opt not to be union members cannot be forced to pay fees in lieu of membership dues, to the union. Petitioner Mark Janus argues that nonmember employees cannot be forced to pay such fees because unions use the fees to fund their collective bargaining advocacy, union collective bargaining advocacy is inherently political, and the First Amendment prohibits enactments forcing American to subsidize the private political speech of others.

This case is of particular importance in Ohio, where 1,062 separate public employers maintain collective bargaining agreements requiring public employees who are not union members to pay agency fees to unions or be fired. These agreements affect 312,506 Ohio public employees who are forced to pay fees that average $700 per year.

The 1851 Center Brief explains and argues as follows:

  • Just as the First Amendment prevents government from prohibiting speech, it prevents government from compelling individuals to express certain views or pay subsidies for speech to which they object.
  • Forcing public employees to subsidize unions’ collective bargaining advocacy is no different than forcing such employees to fund the lobbying of public officials, since unions advocate for highly ideological outcomes through collective bargaining that raise taxes and spending while protecting poor performance and blocking reforms.
  • Collective bargaining advocacy can often be injurious to nonmembers’ self interests whether through raising their taxes, ensuring their own layoffs, or supporting political views they oppose.
  • The exception to the freedom from forced political speech the Supreme Court previously created for unions overlooked the highly political, ideological, and controversial nature of the policies public sector unions advocate for through collective bargaining.

“Just as no public employee may be forced to fund a political party, no public employee should be forced to fund objectionable union advocacy that has an even greater impact on our everyday lives,” explained 1851 Center Executive Director Maurice Thompson. “A complete victory in Janus will protect dissenting employees’ freedom of speech. Equally important, it will end forced funding of government unions in Ohio and restore to its proper place the artificially-inflated political power unions have used to raise government spending and taxes while blocking important reforms.”

“Government unions’ legal fight to deny employees the right to choose displays that their acknowledgment that they offer too little value at too high of a price,” continued Thompson, “Other non-profit organizations operate on voluntary contributions, and so should unions.”

Janus v. AFSCME only affects the rights of public sector workers as against public sector unions. It does not address private sector agency fees, which would remain intact. Nor would a victory in Janus prevent labor unions from collecting voluntary contributions.

The 1851 Center’s amicus brief in Janus v. AFSCME was coauthored by labor policy analysis Jason A. Hart.

Read the 1851 Center’s Amicus Brief HERE

Read the 1851 Center’s Columbus Dispatch editorial supporting Right to Work HERE

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Court: $100 Per Day Fines for Yard Signs Unconstitutional

Ohio city’s ban on political yard signs except directly before and after elections violates free speech, property rights

August 30, 2017: Toledo, OH – A federal court prohibited an Ohio city from fining citizens who display political yard signs for longer than 67 days.

The ruling, made by Judge Jeffrey J. Helmick of the Northern District of Ohio, forbids the City from enforcing local zoning ordinances to stifle free speech. The Court’s Order stops the City from determining which signs are “political,” limiting the display of “political” yard signs on private property to periods of time just before or after an election, or imposing fines on citizens who display such signs.

The ruling comes in response to a First Amendment lawsuit filed by the 1851 Center for Constitutional Law on August 15, 2017 on behalf of independent Perrysburg City Council candidate Charles “Chip” Pfleghaar and other Perrysburg citizens seeking to display their discontent with Perrysburg’s elected officials.

The 1851 Center’s lawsuit asserts that prohibiting signs on private property – or limiting the display of such signs to just two months of the year – simply because the signs reference politicians, government, or public policy issues, violates the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and Section 11, Article I of the Ohio Constitution.

In late July the City’s zoning inspector ordered Mr. Pleghaar to remove two relatively-modest signs advocating for his own election to city council or face fines of up to $100 per day for each day he displayed the signs in his yard.

The City cited its own local ordinance prohibiting signs with political messages except directly before and after elections, which it had previously cited to order citizens to remove Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton signs, as well as signs advocating for lower property taxes. In support of the ordinance, the City claims it prohibits political signs “to enhance the physical appearance of the City . . . to create an appearance that is attractive . . . and to improve traffic safety.”

“Ohioans should remain free to use their private property however they would like, so long as they abstain from inflicting harm on others. This of course includes displaying yard signs criticizing incumbent politicians, advocating for lower taxes, or advertising a business. When Ohio cities attempt to regulate signs on private property, they both abridge our free speech and violate our property rights at the same time,” explains Maurice Thompson, Executive Director of the 1851 Center.

“Yard signs are an efficient way for a homeowner to criticize public officials and identify where he or she stands on an issue. These signs are particularly important to political outsiders with lower name identification and less-established donor and political networks, and likely the ultimate example of outsider-driven grass-roots politics, as the average homeowner lacks access to media outlets or the capacity to make large donations to candidates or issues.”

Read the Homeowners’ Complaint HERE

Read the Homeowners’ Motion for Preliminary Injunction HERE

Read the Court’s Order HERE

Lower Your Local Tax Bill This Summer

1851 Center teaches citizens how to use local initiatives to place tax cut proposals on the ballot

Are you tired of do-nothing politicians but still looking to make a difference in government?

Have you recently opened an envelope with an unacceptably-large property tax bill? Or just paid an unreasonable amount of local income taxes?

Unbeknownst to many, Ohio law invites civic-minded Ohioans to initiate relatively simple petition drives to place tax cut proposals on the ballot.

In A Citizen’s Guide to Reducing Your Local Tax Burden, the 1851 Center for Constitutional Law provides citizens with detailed, practical, and clear advice on how to lower their school district property or income taxes, as well as city, village, and township taxes, through a little known state statute.

By collecting just a few hundred valid signatures, over-taxed Ohioans can certify ballot issues to cut or repeal sky-rocketing local property or income taxes.

And there has never been a better time for such efforts:

  • Ohioans have never been more entitled to tax relief. Local property and income taxes in Ohio have sharply increased during the Kasich Administration. Some estimate that Ohioans local tax burdens have increased by an average of 40 percent since Kasich took office.
  • Ohioans are now subject to the ninth highest combined state and local tax burden in the nation, and the highest amongst all Midwestern states.
  • There’s no indication that state or local politicians will do anything to curb this continuous cycle of levy elections and tax hikes. But local initiatives are a means by which citizens can circumvent unhelpful public officials and take matters into their own hands.

The 1851 Center provides free legal assistance to those interested in placing a tax relief proposal on their local ballot this fall.

You may not be able to influence what goes on in Washington D.C., or even Columbus. But through a local petition drive, you can directly influence your tax rate. And you don’t need to be a lobbyist or donate to a political campaign to do it.

You have a right to keep more of the money you’ve earned. And by passing a local tax cut, more of your hard-earned dollars can be diverted away from waste and devoted to you and your family’s health, education, safety, and general well-being.

Read A Citizen’s Guide to Reducing Your Local Tax Burden HERE.

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Court: Ohio Mayor and His Lawyer Must Pay Sanctions to Family They Sued to Silence

Mayor’s lawsuit “frivolously” violated local bloggers’ right to free speech

Cleveland, OH – An Ohio Court ordered Maple Heights, Ohio Mayor Jeffery Lansky and his attorney to pay $9,395 in attorney’s fees and costs to internet critics they sued to silence.

In 2014, Lansky and his attorney, Brent English, filed a lawsuit for defamation and infliction of emotional distress, demanding “an amount in excess of $25,000” from Bill and Lynde Brownlee, husband and wife, after they questioned Lansky’s job performance on their blog, Maple Heights News

The 1851 Center took up the case and the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas ruled for the family in late 2015. The court explained that “a primary purpose of the First Amendment is to encourage self-government by permitting comment and criticism of those charged with its leadership.”

The Court finalized the case, ordering the sanctions pursuant to two Ohio statues prohibiting “frivolous conduct” in litigation, Ohio Revised Code Section 2323.51 and Civil Rule 11.

“Those who would use the courts to silence their political opponents should take this ruling seriously,” explained Maurice Thompson, Executive Director of the 1851 Center.

“When criticizing public officials, Ohioans should not be bullied into silence for fear of an expensive lawsuit. Often, the possibility of an economic penalty such as this is the only means of persuading Ohio governments and local officials to respect constitutional rights.”

The Brownlees had written a short web article in the summer of 2014 questioning whether the Mayor had kept all of his campaign promises, and further questioning his tax and spending policies. The article strictly addressed the Mayor’s policies, and did not use insulting or harsh language. One prominent undercurrent to the case concerned whether political comments on citizen websites would be entitled to the same level of protection as mainstream news commentary.

Lansky v. Brownlee was litigated by the 1851 Center in cooperation with attorneys David Tryon and Brodie Butland of the law firm of Porter Wright in Cleveland, Ohio.

Read the Court’s Order HERE

Read the Court’s Original Order Protecting Free Speech HERE

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Ohio Court: Eminent Domain for Private Pipelines Unconstitutional

Private ethane pipeline to Canada is not a “public use” or “public necessity,” as required by Ohio Constitution

Ruling will protect property rights of Ohio farmers and other rural property owners

Bowling Green, OH – An Ohio court ruled that private pipeline companies cannot use eminent domain to forcibly seize Ohioans’ private property for purely private pipeline projects.

The ruling protects the property rights of dozens of Ohioans represented by the 1851 Center for Constitutional Law and others along the pipeline route. However, given the escalation in private pipeline construction throughout Ohio and the nation, the decision is anticipated to have impact well beyond just the immediate parties or the Utopia Pipeline.

In April 2016, Texas pipeline corporation Kinder Morgan, using an arcane Ohio statute, sued the farmers in an attempt to forcibly take their land for the benefit of its private ethane pipeline to Canada. In moving to dismiss the case, the 1851 Center argued that the Utopia Pipeline is not a “public use,” as required by the Ohio Constitution. The 1851 Center explained that the pipeline is, for the sole benefit of one private Canadian corporation, shipping ethane (a by-product of fracking) underground throughout Ohio directly to that corporation’s Canadian factory, where the ethane will be used to manufacture plastic products such as water bottles.

The 1851 Center further argued that taking Ohioans’ land was not a “public necessity,” since the pipeline’s route was not set it stone by government, giving Kinder Morgan the freedom (unlike natural gas pipelines) to build its pipeline around objecting landowners.

In a decision extolling private property rights under the Ohio Constitution, Judge Robert Pollex of the Wood County Court of Common Pleas agreed. The Court explained why such attempted land-grabs by large private corporations, particularly those that are not public utilities or otherwise directly providing services to Ohioans, cannot be sustained:

  • “The fundamental principles in the Bill of Rights in our Constitution declare the inviolability of private property, and Ohio has always considered the right of property to be a fundamental right.”
  • “‘Economic development’ alone is not sufficient to satisfy public use requirements.”
  • “In this case Kinder Morgan is taking the private property for the purpose of transporting by pipeline petroleum products for the use of one private manufacturer. The manufacturer is not even a Unites States business, but rather, a Canadian business . . . there is no anticipated circumstances that would show a benefit to the citizens of Ohio or even for that matter, the United States.”
  • “This project and appropriation is not necessary nor a public use. To the extent that the Ohio statutes authorize a common carrier of Kinder Morgan’s type, the legislation is an unconstitutional infringement upon the property rights of the Defendants.”

“The Court’s ruling is a substantial victory for private property rights across Ohio, but above all else, this outcome safeguards the dignity and respect to which every Ohioan is entitled,” explained Maurice Thompson, Executive Director of the 1851 Center.

“While we fully support the continued development of oil and gas reserves in eastern Ohio, profit margins related to private efforts should not be inflated at the expense of Ohioans’ rights. Just like churches, gas stations, supermarkets, and other important private endeavors, pipeline construction can and must move forward without using the governmental power of eminent domain to redistribute land from average Ohioans to wealthy politically-connected cronies and elites.”

The Court’s ruling draws a distinction between takings for pipelines facilitating home heating or energy independence and pipelines for purely private commercial interests. While public utilities may exercise eminent domain to provide service to Ohioans’ homes, and certain oil and gas pipelines may even possess eminent domain authority, the Utopia Pipeline remains submerged through the entire state, and provides no service to Ohioans. The ruling will not prevent governments or public utilities from acquiring land for legitimately public pipelines.

The ruling is also an important reminder that Ohioans enjoy greater property rights than those protected by the federal constitution, due to a stringent state constitution.

The 1851 Center’s position was supported by an amicus brief from the Ohio Farm Bureau, as well as the efforts of the northwest Ohio law firm of Mayle, Ray & Mayle, LLC.

Read the Court’s Order upholding property rights HERE.

Read the 1851 Center’s full Motion to Dismiss HERE.

Taking of Ohioans’ Land for Private Pipeline Unconstitutional

15 families unite and move to dismiss corporation’s case attempting to take their land through eminent domain.

Columbus, OH – The 1851 Center for Constitutional Law moved to dismiss 16 separate eminent domain cases filed in Bowling Green, Ohio by Texas pipeline company Kinder Morgan, explaining that purely private pipeline corporations’ taking of land for their own gain violates the Ohio Constitution’s strict protection of private property rights.

The action is filed on behalf of 15 families in eastern Wood County who have owned and farmed the disputed land for generations, and oppose turning it over for the Utopia Pipeline, a private ethane pipeline running underground to a Canadian plastics factory.

Kinder Morgan, a Texas-based corporation amongst the world’s largest pipeline companies, has used the threat of eminent domain as leverage to force Ohioans to sell it desirable land to construct the Utopia across northern Ohio. It claims that it — by itself and without government approval — can take Ohioans’ homes and land pursuant to an arcane Ohio statute now experiencing a revival due to energy development in eastern Ohio.

However, in its Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings, the 1851 Center explains that taking private property from Ohioans and giving to private businesses simply to enhance their profit margins, whether initiated by the state or the private party itself, violates the Ohio Constitution:

  • The Due Process Clause forbids a state from delegating, without any limits whatsoever (as here), the power of eminent domain to a purely private individual or business.
  • The taking of land through eminent domain must be for “public use,” and economic benefits to private interests are not public uses. Here, the public will not own, control, or use the Utopia Pipeline as it journeys underground through Ohio to Canada.
  • The taking of land must be a “public necessity.” But here, ethane, a waste product created by the fracking process, can be shipped by railroad, tanker truck, and barge. Further, the Utopia Pipeline’s route is not set in stone by any regulator, and Kinder Morgan remains free to create a different route by acquiring land from voluntary sellers.
  • Ohio’s constitutional protection of private property rights is significantly greater than that of the federal constitution, requiring that all doubts be strictly construed against those seeking to seize Ohioans’ properties.

“This is redistribution of wealth of the worst sort: taking property from regular Ohioans and giving it to a billion-dollar Texas corporation for its own benefit, under the false pretense of progress,” explained 1851 Center Executive Director Maurice Thompson. “The abuse along the Utopia Pipeline is a prime example of what can happen when legislators attempt to auction off Ohioans’ property rights to the highest bidder. Ultimately, the Ohio Constitution prevents this abuse, and we will prevail in court. But statutes inviting this sort of behavior should be amended or repealed.”

“And while we fully support the continued development of oil and gas reserves in eastern Ohio,” continued Thompson, “the very thing that makes private enterprise possible is respect for private property rights – – the Ohio Constitution does not enable private parties to take Ohioans homes and land, simply to improve their own profit margins.”

The 1851 Center draws a distinction between takings for pipelines facilitating home heating or energy independence and pipelines for purely private commercial interests. While public utilities may exercise eminent domain to provide service to Ohioans homes, and certain oil and gas pipelines may even possess eminent domain authority, the Utopia Pipeline remains submerged through the entire state, and provides no service to Ohioans.

“At minimum, Kinder Morgan is using the false threat of eminent domain to intimidate Ohio property owners into accepting below-market settlements for their land,” added Thompson. “Ohioans should be aware of this ploy.”

Read the 1851 Center’s full Motion to Dismiss HERE.

Federal Court: State Cannot Inspect Ohio Businesses Without a Warrant

Fourth Amendment prohibits state mandate to make business records, property, and inventory available to state agents “at all times” and “upon demand”

Columbus, OH – A federal court ruled that State Agencies violate the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable searches when they, without a warrant or any evidence of wrongdoing, investigate Ohio businesses by simply demanding private business records, property, and inventory.

The ruling, made by Judge Watson of the Columbus division of the Southern District of Ohio, addressed regulations governing those purchasing gold, silver, and other precious metals under the Precious Metals Dealers Act (“PMDA”).

However, its impact is likely to far exceed just the PMDA. Many Ohio businesses, particularly those requiring government licensing, face materially identical mandates. Accordingly, the ruling paves the way for Ohio businesses, even if heavily licensed and regulated, to refuse government demands to search private records, property, and inventory, especially when such demands are made on-the-spot and without a warrant.

The 1851 Center for Constitutional Law took up the case in 2012 on behalf of Liberty Coins, a coin dealer of Delaware, Ohio, and Worthington Jewelers, a retail jeweler in Worthington, Ohio. Each balked at the prospect of, without any evidence of wrongdoing, losing their business licenses and being fined and prosecuted for refusing to turn over cell phones, laptops, paper records, and even inventory such as jewelry and rare coins simply “upon demand” of state enforcement agents.

In his 35 page decision, Judge Watson, enjoined four state requirements:

  • A statute declaring that “all books, forms, and records, and all other sources of information with regard to the business shall at all times be available for inspection.”
  • A statute demanding “free access to the books and papers and other sources of information with regard to the business.”
  • A requirement that private business records be “open to the inspection of the police upon demand.
  • A mandate that businesses, at the end of each business day, fax descriptions of every item purchased that day to local police.

The Court explained as follows: “The Inspection Provisions give the government and law enforcement the right to inspect a licensee’s records without any opportunity for the licensee to seek neutral, precompliance review. The PMDA specifically provides that failure to comply with a search request is a crime. . . . The PMDA’s Inspection Provisions violate the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable searches and seizures.”

“Acts like this treat Ohio entrepreneurs as public utilities at best, and criminals at worst, irrespective of whether they have done harm. No entrepreneur deserves to be arrested for questioning the authority of a state agent to show up at his business unannounced, without any evidence of wrongdoing, and confiscate or filter through his papers, computers, cell phones, and even his business’s inventory.” said Maurice Thompson, Executive Director of the 1851 Center.

Thompson added “we brought this case to invalidate the constant invasions confronting not just precious metal dealers, but all of the other businesses that face similar inspection requirements. Our expectation is that this precedent will invalidate these kinds of searches in all industries. Ohio businesses are free to decline invasive and costly government searches – – they cannot lose their business licenses or be prosecuted, fined, or disciplined simply for saying ‘no’.”

The Supreme Court has continuously reaffirmed that the Fourth Amendment applies to businesses and business property just as it does to individuals and private homes.

Read the Court’s Order Granting the Motion for Summary Judgment of Liberty Coins and Worthington Jewelers HERE.

Read the Plaintiffs’ Motion for Summary Judgment HERE.

Ohio Cities’ Pre-Sale Home Inspections Unconstitutional

Legal Center moves to protect Ohioans’ property rights from unlawful searches and fees statewide

Columbus, OH – The 1851 Center for Constitutional Law moved in federal court to immediately enjoin Ohio cities, and the Cities of Bedford and Oakwood in particular, from enforcing “point of sale” and “presale” programs that require citizens to endure and pass arbitrary and warrantless government inspections before they can sell their homes to even the most informed and willing buyers.

Such municipal ordinances, in addition to restricting Ohioans’ property rights, subject homeowners to open-ended warrantless searches of every interior and exterior space of a home, violating the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution and Section 14, Article I of the Ohio Constitution.

The legal action against Bedford is filed on behalf of area landlord Ken Pund, who is forbidden from selling to his daughter a home that he owns and she already resides in, and John Diezic, who was prohibited from selling his Bedford home due to minor cracks in the asphalt of his driveway. In Oakwood, Plaintiff Jason Thompson was forced to pay for and undergo an inspection simply after making an alteration to the title of his property.

In each case, the City threatened to criminally prosecute and even imprison these homeowners if they sold their homes without first submitting to and passing city inspections.

Both the United States and Ohio Supreme Court have invalidated warrantless inspections of houses, absent consent or an emergency. Nevertheless, Ohio cities have vigorously sought to collect inspection fees and impose fines, and the point of sale inspection requirements are the lynchpin to this revenue stream – – homeowners, irrespective of whether they want or need the inspection, pay a $100 fee to fund the inspections, and then additional fees for “follow-up” inspections.

The lawsuit seeks to restore both Ohio homeowners’ and small business owners’ freedom from warrantless searches without probable cause. In doing so, the 1851 Center’s Complaint explains the following:

  • Government inspection of homes, even when for sale, requires a warrant, and these expansive warrantless searches, as “unreasonable searches” of “houses,” violate Ohioans’ Fourth Amendment rights.
  • The Warrant Requirement is a significant protection for property owners, because a warrant can only be issued in light of serious and credible complaints about the property.
  • Fees that are charged to fund these unconstitutional inspections are also unconstitutional; cities cannot require their payment, and must return past payments.
  • In a prior 1851 Center victory, Baker v. Portsmouth, federal courts declared warrantless inspections of rental homes unconstitutional. The Fourth Amendment’s protections should extend to inspections triggered by the marketing or sale of a home, just as they apply to inspections triggered by renting a home.

“Local government agents do not have unlimited authority to force entry into Ohioans’ homes or businesses. To the contrary ‘houses’ are one of the types of property specifically mentioned by the Fourth Amendment; and Ohioans have a moral and constitutional right to exclude others, even government agents, from their property. Entry requires either a warrant or an emergency, and neither is present with respect to these suspicionless inspections,” said Maurice Thompson, Executive Director of the 1851 Center.

“The right to own property in Ohio has little value if local governments can continuously chip away at one’s right to actually make use of that property, requiring government permission slips for basic arrangements such as the sale of one’s home to a willing buyer.”

In Bedford, the City maintains the power to block sales on account of “architectural style and detail,” “color,” and lack of “orderly appearance.” In Oakwood, the City concedes “the inspection will seldom, if ever, reveal latent defects or violations of the Property Maintenance Code which are not readily apparent. Neither should owners nor prospective owners or occupants rely entirely upon our inspection regarding the house or accessory structures or fixtures.”

Read the Property Owners’ Complaint HERE

Read the Property Owners’ Motion for Preliminary Injunction HERE

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This lawsuit is brought in partnership with the Ohio Real Estate Investors Association (“OREIA”), the Finney Law Firm in Cincinnati, and the law firm of Berns, Ockner & Greenberger in Cleveland.

Top 10 Reasons to Donate to the 1851 Center . . . this Year!

This holiday season, as you’re besieged by end of the year fundraising emails, don’t overlook Ohio’s only charity that consistently defends your constitutional rights and limits government.

Here are a few reasons to make room in your budget to contribute to liberty in Ohio before the end of the year:

Donate to 1851

  1. With our help, you really can fight city hall, at no cost. Our clients pay nothing, due to the generous support of people like you. The cost of having to pay a lawyer is the very reason many unjust government actions are never challenged, while many victims of government abuse simply cannot afford to fight back.
  1. We defend Ohio taxpayers from government. This year, we forced one Ohio school district to return $5.5 million in illegal property taxes to its taxpayers.
  1. We defend your property rights. This year, we stopped Ohio cities from using a form of eminent domain abuse called “quick-take” to immediately seize Ohioans’ land without a trial or even a hearing. We also stopped private pipeline corporations from doing the exact same thing.
  1. We defend your parental rights. This year, we stopped judges and government medical “experts” from overruling fit parent’s health care decisions for their children.
  1. We defend your freedom to criticize politicians. This year, we protected the rights of a Maple Heights husband and wife to criticize the failed policies of their mayor on their blog, after the Mayor sued them demanding “an amount in excess of $25,000” for “defamation” and “emotional distress.” And now we’re taking that Mayor and his lawyer to court to make them pay for their frivolous litigation.
  1. We defend your right to do business. This year, we stopped Ohio cities from intruding into rental properties without a warrant, while levying extortionate fees and fines on Ohio’s landlords.
  1. We defend you from career politicians. This year, after Ohio legislators hatched a plan to use an under-the-radar commission to get rid of their own term limits, we stopped them. And we’ll stop them next year too.
  1. When public officials violate your constitutional rights, we make them pay. This year, we won a ruling forcing Ohio’s Secretary of State personally compensate Cincinnati pension reformers after he unconstitutionally forbid them from contracting with out-of-staters to collect signatures for their ballot issue.
  1. We have big plans for 2016. We have big plans to better protect you from local tax increases and union abuses. We’re going to continue using the Fourth Amendment to protect your property, business, and contract rights. And we’ll continue to stop eminent domain abuse.
  1. Your contributions actually make a difference. In 2015, support from people like you made all of our work possible. As opposed to a huge national or global non-profit, we focus intensely on Ohio, and do it on a shoestring budget. So every dollar matters. Donations directly fund our cases and actions, not endless chatter, swanky offices, or bloated salaries. As little as $1,000 sometimes covers the expenses for an entire case.

And precisely because we are supported by individuals like you, we can’t be bought by special interests, big corporations, labor unions or politicians. Our work will never deviate from our mission: achieving your freedom from government force. We are the only “special interest group” representing Ohioans who oppose special interests.

With your help, we are a force for long-lasting change, rather than a tactic to win the next election.

If you’ve already donated this year, thank you for making our work possible.

If not, help us continue to serve you with your support 

If your donation is dated before December 31, you’ll be able to take a tax deduction on this year’s taxes. Otherwise, please consider funding freedom a first priority of the New Year.

Together, we can preserve and restore your liberties, and make Ohio more free.

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Checks (made payable to the 1851 Center for Constitutional Law) can be mailed to:
208 E. State St. Columbus, OH 43215