• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

dannlaw.com

Foreclosure Defense | Ohio | Chicago | New Jersey | Oregon | New York

Cleveland Office
216-373-0539
Cincinnati Office
513-951-7124
Columbus Office
877-475-8100
NY/NJ Office
201-355-3440
  • Lender Accountability
  • Foreclosure Defense
    • OH Sheriff Sale
  • Other Practice Areas
    • Loan Modification
    • Bankruptcy
      • Bankruptcy FAQs
      • Chapter 7 Bankruptcy
      • Chapter 13 Bankruptcy
    • Consumer Protection
    • Student Loan Debt
  • Attorneys & Staff
    • Attorney Marc Dann
    • Managing Partners
    • DannLaw Staff
  • About
  • Law Blog
    • Attorney at Law Magazine
    • DannLaw in the News
  • Contact Us
  • CFPB Database
    • DannLaw Consumer Watch Database and Forum
    • Complaint Database
    • Hall of Shame
  • For Lawyers Only: Referral Partners
  • Forced Arbitration

Blog

When Law Firms Face Tyranny: A Call to Lawyers from Marc Dann

April 28, 2025 By Leo Jennings III

DannLaw founder Marc Dann
Attorney Marc Dann

The law firms targeted by President Donald Trump’s executive orders deserve our profession’s unwavering support as they defend the Constitution. Every lawyer and bar association across America should stand with them in this fight for judicial independence (the Cleveland Metro Bar was among the first to take a stand).

Yet, we must confront an uncomfortable truth: many of these same firms helped create the environment that made Trump’s rise possible.

Before becoming victims of Trump’s transparently corrupt attacks, these prestigious firms participated in the culture of behind-the-scenes influence peddling that eroded public trust in our institutions. Their lobbying practices and the revolving door between government service and private practice fostered a two-tier system of justice that alienated working-class Americans and drove them toward dangerous populist alternatives like Donald Trump. The massive donations from these firms to candidates and parties helped corrupt both Democrats and Republicans.

Most attorneys in America don’t earn their living through influence pedaling. While we must defend these targeted firms, we should recognize that they serve the wealthiest individuals and corporations in America, charging four-figure hourly rates that place them beyond the reach of ordinary citizens.

The brazen nature of President Trump’s executive orders against Paul Weiss, Perkins Coie, Covington and Burling, Jenner and Block, and Wilmer Hale was shocking. These orders prohibited these firms from representing the federal government, canceled contracts with their clients, revoked necessary security clearances and barred their personnel from federal buildings—a clear unconstitutional assault on the Sixth Amendment right to counsel.

Even more disturbing has been the capitulation we’ve witnessed. Paul Weiss’s surrender was followed by similar settlements from Skadden Arps and Wilkie Farr and Gallagher and five other firms.  These once-respected institutions abandoned their diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments and pledged millions of pro bono hours to Trump-endorsed causes. The rest of the top law firms in the country by revenue joined the hall of shame by refusing to sign a brief in support of Perkins Coie,

 

These lawyers have  chosen profit over principle when given the chance to defend our profession’s independence and the Constitution itself.

With these elite firms either fighting for survival, capitulating to presidential pressure or hiding under their desks, the rest of the bar must fill the void. Those of us who charge far less than $1,000 per hour must step forward to protect democracy and prevent authoritarian overreach.

Here in Ohio we can educate the public, represent immigrants facing deportation, defend wrongfully terminated federal employees, represent the defunded non profits and local governments that are literally  saving lives and providing vital services to our communities and bring constitutional challenges against authoritarian policies that usurp congressional authority.

Over my 38 years in practice I’ve  worked with great consumer, personal injury, domestic, bankruptcy, criminal, government and transactional lawyers representing working and middle class Americans and small businesses. These lawyer’s courtroom and analytic skills are every bit as strong as our tall building lawyer counterparts. Lawyers in every community need to organize and collaborate to make sure that every attack on individual liberty and constitutional protection is challenged as the administration continues to flood the zone with their efforts to break historic legal precedents to consolidate power and to enrich themselves and their friends at the expense of the rest of us.

As some of our profession’s most powerful institutions retreat from the field, the burden falls on us—the everyday lawyers of America—to champion individual rights and defend constitutional boundaries. The future of our republic may well depend on our willingness to answer this call.

Filed Under: Attorneys, In the News Tagged With: Justice, Marc Dann

Judge Holbrook issues stay in FPUC case

February 25, 2025 By Marc Dann

A quick update of the FPUC case. After a hearing on the afternoon of February 24, Judge Holbrook issued a stay  of his earlier decision in which he ordered the state to obtain the FPUC funds from the U.S. Department of Labor. You may read the order here. We will of course appeal this decision.

Separately, we have asked the Tenth District Court of Appeals for an order requiring the Governor to send a letter to the Federal Government requesting the money.  That motion will be fully briefed on Monday March 3, one week from today. We are hopeful that the Court of Appeals will see things differently than Judge Holbrook.

We have no idea why the Governor continues to refuse to ask for and at the very least secure the $900 Million in benefits owed to 330,000 Ohioans.  Nothing in Judge Holbrook’s stay prevents him from asking for the money right now.  The State’s right to appeal won’t be prejudiced and the state will be protected from the risk that if the federal dollars are reappropriated we would take action to obtain the money from the State of Ohio.

We hope the Governor reconsiders.  Please keep encouraging him to do so.

We expect the Court of Appeals to consider this matter on an expedited basis.

Filed Under: In the News

Plaintiffs ask Judge Holbrook to deny state’s motion for stay and enforce his February 12 ruling ordering Governor DeWine to rejoin FPUC program and secure $900,000,000 in federal benefits

February 24, 2025 By Marc Dann

Hearing is critical juncture in the battle to secure benefits owed to 300,000 Ohioans

In a hearing scheduled for 1:30 PM today in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, the attorneys who represent thousands of Ohioans unjustly denied nearly $1 billion in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) benefits by the state will ask Judge Michael Holbrook to deny the state’s motion to stay his February 12 ruling in favor of the plaintiffs and order Governor Mike DeWine to immediately take steps to reinstate Ohio’s participation in the FPUC program. The motion, filed by DannLaw and Zimmerman Law Offices may be viewed and downloaded here.

“It is difficult, if not impossible, to understand why the state continues to fight a battle it lost decisively in both the trial and appellate court,” Marc Dann said. “The governor’s stated reason for pulling out of the program, that the benefits would serve as a disincentive for people to rejoin the workforce, was specious when he asserted it in 2021 and no longer exists in 2025.”

“There is absolutely no legal or policy reason why nearly $1 billion in federal funds should be sitting dormant in an account in Washington, D.C. when they could and should be flowing into the hands of Ohio families and fueling this state’s economy,” Dann continued. “Our motion asks Judge Holbrook to end the state’s defiance of his order as well as the delaying tactics that put the funds at risk of being repurposed by Congress and the Trump administration.”

In the motion, the legal team asserts that state and federal law governing the unemployment system trump the state’s right to a stay under Ohio’s Civil Rules of procedure:

Ohioans’ right to those benefits are created, defined, and regulated by statute–both federal and state. And as set forth in R.C. 4141.28(I), part of that right is to receive payment of employment compensation benefits promptly after a court renders a determination of entitlement to those benefits.

In its Order And Entry, this Court stated: “There is no question that plaintiffs were eligible

for FPUC benefits at the time defendants terminated its FPUC termination [sic].” Order And Entry, p. 10. The Court went on to state “there is also no question of fact and that plaintiffs are entitled to a writ of mandamus restoring Ohio’s participation in the FPUC program and resulting benefits as a matter of law.” Id., p. 11. In other words, this Court’s Order and Entry constitutes a determination that Plaintiffs were entitled to receive the available FPUC benefits after the State withdrew from the program.

 Pursuant to R.C. 4141.28(I), the State is under an affirmative statutory duty to immediately

pay those benefits notwithstanding its appeal. The State cannot rely on a Civil Rule of Procedure to curtail Plaintiffs’ substantive statutory right to prompt payment.

According to Dann if Judge Holbrook grants the state’s motion for a stay of his February 12 order the plaintiffs will immediately appeal to the Tenth District. DannLaw and Zimmerman filed a motion in the same court last week asking them to order the Governor to rejoin FPUC and secure the funds by a date certain in order to preserve the validity of the appeal. That motion is pending.   “As we’ve said repeatedly, time is of the essence. It would be unconscionable for the state to allow the money owed to 300,000 of this state’s citizens to vanish into the black hole of the federal budget. We will continue to do everything in our power to ensure that does not happen,” Dann concluded.

Filed Under: In the News

Plaintiffs ask Tenth District Court of Appeals to order state to take all steps necessary to preserve FPUC unemployment benefits

February 20, 2025 By Marc Dann

DannLaw, Zimmerman Law Offices file motion after state appeals Common Pleas Court ruling ordering the state to secure and distribute $900,000,000 in federal FPUC funds

Reacting to the state of Ohio’s decision to appeal Judge Michael Holbrook’s ruling in favor of thousands of Ohioans unjustly denied nearly $1 billion in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) benefits, attorneys from DannLaw and Zimmerman Law Offices today asked the Tenth District Court of appeals to order Governor Mike DeWine and the Ohio Department of Jobs and Families Services (ODJFS) to take all action necessary to obtain the funds from the U.S. Department of Labor and deposit them with the Clerk of Franklin County Common Pleas Court. The motion is designed to ensure that the funds will continue to be available as the state’s appeal proceeds. You may read and download the motion here: Bowling Candy 2025 02 20 Motion for Injunction WITH EXHIBITS

“Once the funds are deposited with the Clerk of Courts, they will be available for distribution to Ohioans who need and deserve them when we ultimately prevail,” Marc Dann said. “If, for some reason, our victory is overturned, the money will simply be sent back to the federal government. Given the current status of the case, what we are proposing is the most equitable path forward.”

In the motion the plaintiff’s argue that “time is of the essence and there is a compelling need for this Court to grant injunctive relief to prevent manifest injustice because federal policymakers have publicly expressed their intent to use unspent pandemic emergency money for other causes.”

“Congress is already talking about using unspent COVID relief dollars as part of a deal to raise the debt ceiling and the DOGE crew is turning over rocks to find and repurpose unspent money,” Dann explained. “The governor can preserve the FPUC funds with the stroke of a pen by signing a letter to the Department of Labor requesting the money.”

“Of course, he could use the same pen to abide by the orders Judge Holbrook issued on February 12. Even though he and the Tenth District Court ruled that the Governor has a legal obligation to secure and distribute these funds to eligible Ohioans, he continues to fight against the people he was elected to serve,” Dann said. “Because he refuses to do the right thing voluntarily, we are forced to protect our clients by asking the Court of Appeals to order him to do so.”

The motion notes that the Appellate Court has “…the power to issue an ‘affirmative injunction’ as necessary to “prevent manifest and extreme injustice where all or some part of those rights [obtained by the trial court’s judgment] will otherwise be irrevocably lost to appellee, and the appellant has little or nothing to lose.”

“That certainly applies in this case. Our clients could lose $900,000,000 while the state has no real interest in the FPUC funds and are merely the conduit that passes the money from the federal government to Ohioans,” Dann said. “The state’s continued defiance of court orders and refusal to abide by their legal obligation to secure these funds makes injunctive relief appropriate and absolutely necessary.”

In their motion the plaintiffs ask for an order that directs the Defendants to:

(1) take all action necessary to reinstate Ohio’s participation in the FPUC program from June 26, 2021 through its expiration;

(2) to take all action necessary to obtain Ohio’s share of FPUC program benefits from the U.S. Department of Labor;

(3) deposit the FPUC program benefits with the Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas, Franklin County Ohio, pending resolution of this appeal; and

(4) for all other relief this Court may deem just and proper.

For additional information please contact Marc Dann at 330-651-3131

Filed Under: In the News

In landmark decision, Judge Holbrook rules state must obtain and distribute $900,000,000 in federal FPUC funds

February 12, 2025 By Marc Dann

Franklin County Judge rules Governor DeWine violated Ohio law when he rejected fully federally funded Federl Pandemic Unemployment Compensation payments

In a landmark and long-awaited decision, Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Holbrook today ordered Governor Mike DeWine and the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services (ODJFS) to immediately reinstate Ohio’s participation in the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) program and take all action necessary to obtain Ohio’s share of FPUC program benefits  from the United States Department of Labor (DOL). A copy of the decision is available here.

Former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann, whose law firm, DannLaw, originally filed suit in July of 2021 on behalf of thousands of Ohioans who were denied $300 in weekly supplemental unemployment benefit payments due to Governor DeWine’s unwarranted decision to end the state’s participation in the fully-federally funded program on June 26, 2021, hailed the ruling as a major victory for his clients and the state of Ohio.

“Today, Judge Holbrook validated our contention that Governor DeWine and ODJFS were required by Ohio law to accept and distribute the FUPC payments to Ohioans devastated by COVID-19,” Dann said. “The Governor’s decision to deny federal aid to families in crisis was arbitrary and unconscionable, and illegal. It is our sincere hope that he will now honor his obligation to obey the law without delay.”

According to Dann, eligible Ohioans will receive an estimated $900,000,000 in FUPC benefits as a result of Judge Holbrook’s ruling. “The payments will both enable people still reeling from the effects of the pandemic to rebuild their lives and significantly boost the state’s economy,” he said. “We’ve never understood why the Governor would leave nearly a billion dollars sitting in an account in Washington, D.C. rather than allowing that money to flow into Ohio’s 88 cities, townships, and villages where it will fuel sales for local businesses and generate tax revenue. Aside from being cruel, refusing funds made no sense from an economic standpoint.”

“We’ve been assured the money is there, it’s far past time for the state to ask for it on behalf of citizens who desperately need it,” Dann continued.

Judge Holbrook’s Judgement Entry reads as follows:

1, Pursuant to  State  ex  rel Candy Bowling  v. Mike DeWine,  2021-Ohio-2902, FPUC is one of the “available advantages” described in R.C. 4141.43(I) that the General Assemble requires Defendants “secure” to the citizens of the State of Ohio.

2. Defendants acted  in  violation  of  R.C.  4343.41(I) when  they  terminated participation in the FPUC program prior to its expiration.

3. Defendants are hereby ORDERED pursuant to R.C. 4343.41(I) to take all action necessary to reinstate Ohio’s participation in the FPUC program from June 26, 2021 through its expiration; and

4. Defendants are hereby ORDERED pursuant to R.C. 4343.41(I) to take all action necessary to obtain Ohio’s share of FPUC program benefits  from the United States Department of Labor.

Dann acknowledged that decision could be appealed, but noted the 10th District Court of Appeals had already ruled against the state. “The law, Judge Holbrook’s ruling, and the opinion from the 10th District Court of Appeals are crystal clear: the state is required to obtain and distribute these funds. But, as we’ve now proven multiple times, if the Governor refuses to abide by the law, we will fight and we will win,”

Filed Under: In the News

DannLaw redoubles commitment to fight for consumers in wake of attacks on CFPB

February 4, 2025 By Leo Jennings III

CFPB Complaint DatabaseOver the Weekend President Trump fired Rohit Chopra the Director of the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB) and today replaced him with Treasury Secretary (and hedge fund oligarch)  Scott Bessent.

Within hours Bessent directed the Agency to halt all work on pending regulations and enforcement actions.

While many of our clients, friends, family and neighbors voted for President Trump, I’m pretty sure that their primary objective in supporting him was not to allow debt collectors, payday lenders, credit card companies, banks and mortgage companies to be given license to cheat them.

This is sad to watch because the CFPB has established itself as a strong independent regulator of financial services companies, mortgage companies, small business lenders, banks and non-bank lenders.

This is particularly important right now because most of the contracts offered by many of these financially predatory companies force their customers to private arbitration and prohibit participation in class action lawsuits against them.  This means that if companies choose to cheat a little bit from a lot of people it’s even more difficult for private lawyers like those at DannLaw  to hold them accountable in a meaningful way.  If the CFPB is gone as a line of defense companies will have more license to cheat.

The consumers protected by the CFPB include all of us, even the CEOs and shareholders of the bad acting financial institutions.   But it is critical to remember that the lack of accountability for bad actors in the financial services world also punishes ethical businesses who are trying to compete with the businesses that  are cheating their customers.  It’s often more expensive and less profitable to follow the law than to find ways to avoid doing so.

Actions to scale back the CFPB’s enforcement and rulemaking efforts are going to cost millions of consumers billions of dollars over the next four years and limit the remedies available to consumers who are wronged. This is not a political opinion. This is a fact.

Fortunately for homeowners and many of our clients, federal law still prohibits arbitration provisions in mortgage contracts.  And for those who are subject to arbitration agreements we have been a leader among lawyers in using the arbitration process to protect our clients.

In light of this week’s news our Lawyers, Paralegals and support staff are committed to doubling down our efforts to use the courts and the law to hold financial predators accountable and seek justice for consumers who they victimize. Our job in protecting consumers is more important than ever and I know we are up to the challenge.

DannLaw provides representation to consumers in the following fields:

Foreclosure Defense

Mortgage Servicing Litigation

Consumer Protection Claims

Consumer Class Actions

Student Loan Litigation

Data Breach Class Actions

Lender Liability

Bankruptcy Litigation

Consumer Arbitration

Business Litigation

Lawyer Referrals are Welcome

Filed Under: In the News

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 18
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Contact DannLaw

Call or contact our Law Firm for a Free Case Evaluation today.
Phones are open 24/7

Cleveland #216-373-0539

Columbus #877-475-8100

Cincinnati #513-951-7124

New Jersey/New York
#201-355-3440

Toll-free for all offices: 877-475-8100

Nosotros hablamos español. Para contactarnos, por favor llame al 877-515-5583 o haga clic aquí para enviarnos un email.

Schedule Free Consultation

Recent Posts

  • When Law Firms Face Tyranny: A Call to Lawyers from Marc Dann
  • Judge Holbrook issues stay in FPUC case
  • Plaintiffs ask Judge Holbrook to deny state’s motion for stay and enforce his February 12 ruling ordering Governor DeWine to rejoin FPUC program and secure $900,000,000 in federal benefits
  • Plaintiffs ask Tenth District Court of Appeals to order state to take all steps necessary to preserve FPUC unemployment benefits
  • In landmark decision, Judge Holbrook rules state must obtain and distribute $900,000,000 in federal FPUC funds

Categories

  • Attorneys
  • Bankruptcy
  • CFPB
  • Class Action Lawsuit
  • consumer arbitration
  • Consumer Fraud
  • Covid-19
  • cryptocurrency
  • Data Breach
  • Disability Rights
  • Evcitions
  • Foreclosure
  • Founding Partner
  • Identity Theft
  • In the News
  • Managing Partner
  • Mortgage Fraud
  • Of Counsel
  • Ohio BMV
  • Payroll Protection Program
  • private student loans
  • Property seizure
  • PUA case
  • RESPA
  • SCOTUS
  • Sheriff Sale
  • Staff Member
  • student loan debt
  • Supplemental unemployment benefits
  • The Con
  • VA home loans

Nosotros hablamos español.

Para contactarnos, por favor llame al 877-515-5583 o haga clic aquí para enviarnos un email.

Footer

Connect With Dann Law

DannLaw Cleveland OH

15000 Madison Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44107
Phone: 216-373-0539 or toll-free 877-475-8100

Click here for driving directions

DannLaw Columbus OH

25 North Street
Dublin, Ohio 43017
Phone: Toll-free 877-475-8100

Click here for driving directions

DannLaw Cincinnati OH

220 Mill Street
Milford, Ohio 45150
Office hours by appointment in Hyde Park & Mason
Phone: 513-951-7124 or toll-free 877-475-8100

Click here for driving directions

DannLaw New York/New Jersey

825 Georges Road, Second Floor
North Brunswick, New Jersey 08902
201-355-3440 or toll-free 877-475-8100

Click here for driving directions

 

DannLaw is a Debt Relief Agency. We help people file for relief under the Bankruptcy Code.

This site is an advertisement: Legal Disclaimer. The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. We invite you to contact us and welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established.

Privacy Policy
Web Design Agency - JSMT Media