Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Holbrook ruled today that a class action lawsuit filed by DannLaw on behalf of Ohioans impacted by Governor Mike DeWine’s decision to terminate fully federally-funded Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) off payments in May of 2021 may continue. In a 16-page order Judge Holbrook denied Attorney General Dave Yost’s motion to dismiss the suit and said the plaintiffs had “…sufficiently plead claims for declaratory judgment, injunctive relief, and petitions for writs of mandamus. He also scheduled a status conference for Tuesday, April 9, 2024, at 1:30 PM. Judge Holbrook’s order may be viewed here: Bowling 2024 03 11 Order Denying Motion To Dismiss and Granted Amended Complaint
“We are pleased that Judge Holbrook agreed with us on a number of critical legal issues, and we are eager to continue to pursue justice on behalf of the thousands of individuals and families who were needlessly harmed when Governor DeWine cutoff these desperately needed benefits in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic,” former Ohio Attorney General and DannLaw founder Marc Dann said after reviewing the decision.
Originally filed in July of 2021 by attorneys Marc Dann, Brian Flick, and Andrew Engel, the suit asks the Court to order Governor DeWine to reverse his decision and notify the U.S. Secretary of Labor that the state would accept and distribute $300 in weekly supplemental benefits made available under the CARES Act to eligible Ohioans. According to Dann, those affected may be owed as much as $900 million.
“As I said when we originally brought the suit, in addition to jeopardizing the personal and financial well-being of Ohioans who were and are struggling to recover from the pandemic, DeWine’s callous, politically-motivated decision to terminate the federal benefits represents a willful and blatant violation of Ohio law,” Brian Flick said. “We look forward to having the opportunity to prove our case in Court.”