Lawyers from DannLaw and Advocate Attorneys LLP will continue the legal battle to force Governor Mike DeWine to accept federally funded supplemental unemployment insurance benefits today in the Tenth District Court of Appeals. The hearing in the case, Bowling et al v. DeWine et al will begin at 1:00 PM and may be viewed here: (3) Ohio Tenth District Court of Appeals – YouTube.
The DannLaw/Advocate Attorneys legal team filed the lawsuit in Franklin County Common Pleas Court shortly after the governor and Matt Damschroeder, Director of the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services, announced that the state would terminate Ohio’s participation in the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC), Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) programs on June 26, 2021. The plaintiffs argue that Ohio Revised Code Section ORC 4141.43(I) requires the state to accept the benefits and that DeWine and Damschroeder lacked the legal authority to cut them off.
On July 29 Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Holbrook denied the plaintiff’s request for a writ of mandamus that would force the state to restore the $300 a week supplemental benefits through September 6, the sunset date set by the Biden Administration. The plaintiffs are asking the Tenth District Court to reverse the trial court’s decision and order the state to immediately restore the federally funded benefits. The brief may be viewed here: Bowling Candy 2021 07 30 Appellate Brief
Former Ohio Attorney General and DannLaw founder Marc Dann was set to argue the case, but he is now in quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19 despite having been vaccinated earlier this year. “My situation illustrates the fact that COVID-19 remains a serious threat to the health and financial well-being of Ohioans,” Dann said. “While I am fortunate enough to be able to work from home, many Ohioans, including our clients in this case, simply cannot. That is why we are fighting to force the governor to rescind his callous and politically motivated decision to terminate benefits people need to survive during the ongoing crisis.”
Andrew Engel, who will present the plaintiff’s case, noted that although the policy considerations and practical impact of DeWine’s decision are important, the Bowling case raises two purely legal issues: May the State refuse to participate in the FPUC for its entire term and did the Governor possess the authority, by himself, to terminate Ohio’s participation in the FPUC program? “If the answer to either of these questions is ‘no,’ then we believe the Court must reverse the trial court and order the state to restore the benefits,” Engel concluded.
For more information please contact Marc Dann at 216-373-0539 or mdann@dannlaw.com