DannLaw

09/02/2026

🎉 Democracy Wins Again in Ohio!

The Ohio Supreme Court has delivered a 7-0 victory for Trenton voters, ordering the Trenton City Council to certify a charter amendment petition that would allow residents to vote on whether to prohibit data center construction in their community.

Five Trenton residents collected 336 valid signatures, more than double the 128 signatures required. Despite this, the City Council refused to put the measure on the ballot.

The Supreme Court rejected the Council’s position and reaffirmed that Ohio citizens have a constitutional right to use the initiative process and have their voices heard.

DannLaw and Data Center Resistance, who supported the Trenton residents in the case, applauded the decision as an important victory for democratic participation.

The people of Trenton will now have the opportunity to decide.

This ruling follows the Ohio Supreme Court’s recent decision involving a data center referendum in Ashville, reinforcing the importance of citizens’ rights to participate in decisions that could reshape their communities for generations.

Send a message to learn more

08/31/2026

UPDATE: We're Fighting Back — Motion for Reconsideration Filed in Bowling v. DeWineToday, August 31, 2026, the legal team in Bowling v. DeWine (Ohio Supreme Court Case No. 2025-1055) filed a Motion for Reconsideration, asking the Ohio Supreme Court to take another look at this critically important case. Here's what happened: On August 21, 2026, the Ohio Supreme Court dismissed the State's appeal without any explanation. No opinion. No reasoning. Just a sudden dismissal. That's not how justice is supposed to work — especially when the Ohio Constitution itself requires the Court to explain its decisions. This case is about Ohio's early termination of the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) program during the COVID-19 pandemic. What's at stake? Up to $900 million in federal benefits for more than 300,000 eligible Ohioans who were denied the assistance they were entitled to. The U.S. Department of Labor has confirmed that those federal funds are still available — Ohio just has to act. Here's the key point the motion drives home: both the trial court and the Court of Appeals already ruled that this case is NOT moot and that a remedy is still available. Governor DeWine argued that recovery of the funds was unlikely, but the courts found that unlikely is not the same as impossible — and under Ohio law, as long as relief is possible, the case must go forward. No event has occurred since the Court of Appeals decision that would change that conclusion. The motion asks the Court to do the right thing: reconsider its dismissal and issue a full decision on the merits, with the reasoning the public deserves. This case involves debatable constitutional questions, the separation of powers, and nearly a billion dollars of federal aid — it is, without question, a matter of great public interest. The families affected by this decision have been watching this case move through the courts for over four years. They deserve answers. They deserve their day in court.Please share this post to help spread the word. Stay informed, stay engaged, and let's make sure this fight continues. Over 300,000 Ohioans are counting on it.

08/24/2026

https://www.cleveland.com/news/2026/08/ohio-supreme-court-rules-dewine-administration-doesnt-need-to-seek-900m-in-covid-benefits.html

A 5-2 decision by the Ohio Supreme Court overturned two lower-court rulings ordering the governor to pursue the COVID-era federal unemployment benefits and distribute them to Ohioans.

08/24/2026

https://www.wvxu.org/2026-08-24/ohio-supreme-court-again-rejects-900m-covid-checks-case-but-attorney-says-its-not-over-yet

The Ohio Supreme Court agreed with the state, which argued the case is moot because the federal unemployment assistance program ended in 2021, but the attorney who filed the suit says the case is not over yet.

08/24/2026

The Ohio Supreme Court let 300,000 Ohioans down today.

In a 5-2 decision, the Court refused to rule on the merits of our case — leaving unanswered the question of whether Governor DeWine had the right to strip away fully federally funded pandemic unemployment benefits that people desperately needed.

We're filing for reconsideration. The fight isn't over.

But make no mistake: Governor DeWine made this choice. He cut these benefits. The money is still there. He could reverse course today — and we are calling on him to do exactly that.

To every candidate running for governor: commit to securing these funds on day one. Show Ohioans you'll actually fight for them.

08/23/2026

https://abc6onyourside.com/news/local/ohio-court-approves-settlement-refunding-bmv-fees-to-disabled-veterans-specialty-military-license-plates-bureau-of-motor-vehicles-taxes-eligible-class-members

A proposed class-action settlement could soon put money back in the pockets of Ohio’s most severely disabled veterans who were improperly charged for Specialty

08/23/2026

https://actionnetwork.org/forms/stop-abuse-keep-cfpb-consumer-complaints-public?nowrapper=true&referrer=&source=

Trump’s Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is stripping critical consumer experiences from public view. On August 14, the CFPB announced that it would stop publishing the narratives people submit when asking the agency for help, as well as the visualizations that allow consumers, journalists, la...

08/21/2026

****FEDERAL PANDEMIC UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION UPDATE*****

Friends:

We received disappointing news from the Ohio Supreme Court today. They decided in a 5-2 decision that the order requiring the governor to rescind this revocation of Ohio’s participation in the Federal Pandemic Unemployment is moot, refused to decide the pending appeal and instructed the lower court to dismiss the case. A copy of the opinion and judgment is attached to this post.

We know this is disappointing to you and it is disappointing to us.

We are deeply disappointed that the Ohio Supreme Court has once again refused to decide this case on its merits. We believe the Court should issue a comprehensive, well-reasoned decision based on the arguments made by the parties and firmly grounded in precedent and the law. The people of Ohio deserve no less. That is why we will quickly file a motion for reconsideration.

Its been a long road and there are still a few more miles on it. At least two of the Justices agree with us that this should be decided on the merits.

That said, we would be remiss if we did not point out that the real culprit—some might say villain—is Governor Mike DeWine. He and only he deprived 300,000 Ohioans of the fully federally funded supplemental unemployment benefits they desperately needed and absolutely deserved. Time and time again he refused to reconsider his decision despite the fact the funds are still available and are in fact, available today.

That is why we are once again imploring Governor DeWine to reverse course and do the right thing. The right thing for the 300,000 people he has wronged and the right thing for Ohio businesses that will benefit from an infusion of hundreds of millions of dollars into the state’s economy.

Because we have little if any faith that the current governor will do what morals, ethics, and the law demand, we call on the candidates who are running for governor to vow to seek and secure the FPUC funds on the day they are sworn in. Doing so will send a loud and clear message that the new governor, unlike the one who now occupies the office, is dedicated to serving the people of this state.

Sincerely,
Marc Dann

08/20/2026

https://www.cleveland.com/news/2026/08/ohio-bmv-agrees-to-refund-millions-to-disabled-veterans-over-license-plate-fees.html Proud to be part of the team of lawyers who recovered as much as $3 million in overpayments for Disabled Ohio Veterans.

More than 23,000 Ohio disabled veterans may soon be eligible for refunds of taxes and fees they paid for specialty military license plates, under a tentative class-action settlement.

08/20/2026

🇺🇸 VICTORY FOR OHIO'S DISABLED VETERANS 🇺🇸

Settlement Preliminarily Approved in Kacin v. Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles

We are proud to announce that today, August 19, 2026, the Ohio Court of Claims granted preliminary approval of a class action settlement in Kacin v. Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Case No. 2023-00204JD, that will deliver full refunds to 100% disabled veterans who were improperly charged registration fees and taxes for Specialty Military License Plates.

When the Ohio General Assembly passed House Bill 194 in 2018, it created specialty license plates to honor the service of Ohio's military veterans. Under Ohio law, 100% disabled veterans were entitled to receive these plates with registration taxes and fees waived — but the BMV continued to charge those veterans the full amount at Deputy Registrar offices across the state. This lawsuit was filed in March 2023 on behalf of all 100% disabled veterans who paid registration fees and/or taxes on or after October 17, 2019 to a Deputy Registrar for Specialty Military License Plates that should have been provided free of charge.

The road to this settlement was hard-fought. After the Court of Claims initially denied class certification, the Tenth District Court of Appeals reversed that decision on December 30, 2025, holding that the BMV's retention of registration taxes and fees from eligible disabled veterans was unjust as a matter of law. Following remand, the parties engaged in arm's-length settlement negotiations and reached this proposed settlement providing meaningful monetary relief to the class.

Under the terms of the settlement, the BMV has agreed to provide a full refund of all registration taxes and fees paid by eligible class members who submit timely and valid documentation. The BMV will also separately pay all attorneys' fees, costs, and settlement administration expenses — meaning these costs will not reduce the refunds paid to veterans.

This case was brought by DannLaw and Zimmerman Law Offices, P.C. on behalf of Ohio's disabled veterans.

Marc Dann, Managing Partner of DannLaw and former Ohio Attorney General, stated: "This settlement delivers exactly what these veterans deserve — every dollar they were wrongly charged returned to them. The State made a promise to our disabled veterans, and today we are holding it to that promise."

Tom Zimmerman of Zimmerman Law Offices added: "After more than three years of hard-fought litigation, we are proud to have secured a full recovery for class members."

Jeff Crossman of DannLaw, a former Ohio state representative, said: "As a former state legislator, I understand the intent behind the laws we pass — this settlement ensures that promise to Ohio's disabled veterans is finally fulfilled."

The Court found that the settlement is fair, reasonable, and adequate, and that it promotes public policy by providing 100% disabled veterans with full refunds of amounts they were improperly charged.

Please share this post to help us reach every veteran who may be eligible. They earned this. 🎖️