Cuyahoga Settles Lawsuit Against Judge Leslie Celebrezze for $400,000

In April 2023, Georgeanna Semary did one thing she’d carried out for 14 years as a prime aide to Cuyahoga County Home Relations Decide Leslie Ann Celebrezze: She fulfilled a reporter’s request for public information.

This time was totally different. Releasing the court docket information led to Semary being demoted and shedding 1000’s of {dollars} in pay, she mentioned.

A lawsuit in opposition to Celebrezze and different court docket officers quickly adopted.

Semary alleged that the demotion amounted to retaliation and witness intimidation for offering The Marshall Venture – Cleveland with billing invoices involving Mark Dottore, Celebrezze’s longtime good friend whom she’d repeatedly appointed as receiver to supervise profitable divorce circumstances.

This week, the Cuyahoga County Council unanimously authorised a $400,000 settlement with Semary. That’s on prime of $250,000 the county paid in 2024 to cowl outdoors authorized charges.

Subodh Chandra, Semary’s legal professional, mentioned in a press release that the cash is not going to undo the hurt that Semary skilled. The settlement, nonetheless, vindicates the devoted public servant for doing her job by offering a journalist with entry to public information, he mentioned.

The information requested by The Marshall Venture – Cleveland had been invoices that helped doc the practically $500,000 in charges Dottore and his firm earned via appointments from Celebrezze.

“This end result — paid by the taxpayers due to a decide’s abuse of energy — sends a transparent message: No official is above the regulation, and retaliation and intimidation in opposition to public servants doing their jobs is not going to be tolerated,” Chandra wrote in his assertion.

Celebrezze didn’t reply to a request for remark.

Andrew Geronimo, director of Case Western Reserve College’s First Modification Clinic, mentioned Semary’s settlement speaks to the core of press freedom. Public information belong to the folks and journalists depend on them to carry establishments accountable, he mentioned.

“Adversarial employment motion in opposition to somebody for facilitating public entry to public information violates not solely the general public worker’s rights, it sends a chilling impact that might deprive the group of the knowledge it wants for significant participation in, and oversight of, its authorities,” Geronimo wrote in a press release.

Semary was employed by Celebrezze in 2008, when the decide first received election, and their friendship advanced through the years. The ladies typically socialized collectively, in keeping with court docket information.

Days after Sermary offered the information to the information outlet, Court docket Administrator James Zak accused her of violating worker moral codes by releasing the file with out his or Celebrezze’s permission, in keeping with her lawsuit. Semary was later reassigned to a scheduler place, information present. She resigned two months later.

Zak didn’t reply Tuesday to a request for remark.

Celebrezze is at the moment ready to learn the way the Ohio Supreme Court docket will self-discipline her for funneling work to Dottore. A state board in August known as her actions an in depth sample of misconduct and advisable a two-year suspension.

One yr of the suspension might be eradicated if Celebrezze commits no additional misconduct and pays the prices of the proceedings in opposition to her, the advice acknowledged. Celebrezze’s time period ends in January 2027.

The report by the Ohio Board of Skilled Conduct states Celebrezze made false statements to fellow judges and state investigators whereas steering work to Dottore.

She and Dottore have additionally been the targets of an FBI investigation.