Hagan drops lawsuit accusing Taft, GOP leaders of corruption

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/113541700918620.xml&coll=2

Saturday, December 24, 2005

Just as his case seemed to gain momentum with a legal victory in September, Democrat Tim Hagan has decided to withdraw his lawsuit accusing Ohio Gov. Bob Taft and other top-ranking Republicans of trading unbid contracts for campaign contributions.

Hagan was unavailable for comment Friday. His lawyer, Ken Seminatore, said Hagan did not offer an explanation when he asked him to file a motion to dismiss the case.

"I only spoke with him briefly," Seminatore said. "But I can assure you his decision had nothing to do with either his or my lack of confidence in the merits of this case."

The lawsuit, filed in August 2004, contends that Ohio's GOP-controlled government awarded billions of dollars in unbid state contracts to vendors who artificially inflated their prices to cover contributions they kicked back to Republican campaign funds. In addition to Taft, others named in the suit include Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro, state Auditor Betty Montgomery, former House Speaker Larry Householder and former state Treasurer Joe Deters...




Hagan told to drop suit over contracts, or else

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1133256917178001.xml&coll=2

Sandy Theis
Plain Dealer Bureau
Columbus

-- Ohio's attorney general sent a not-so-subtle message to Democrat Tim Hagan: Drop your corruption case against Ohio Republicans or we'll come after you.

Hagan, the Democrats' unsuccessful 2002 candidate for governor, offered a counterproposal: He'll withdraw the lawsuit -- if Republicans pass a law banning the use of no-bid state contracts.

Although a complete ban is unlikely, some reforms are under review, said House Republican spokeswoman Karen Tabor.

"With or without the lawsuit, procurement reform is something we're looking into," she said...



Posted on Tue, Dec. 20, 2005

Attorney says Petro fundraiser solicited donation for state work

http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/13450892.htm

ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS
Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Attorney General Jim Petro's chief fundraiser told a lawyer that legal work for the state was available for a $25,000 donation, the lawyer said in a statement for a lawsuit charging corruption in the way Ohio awards contracts to private companies.

Amy Gravengaard, Petro's campaign finance director, told Columbus attorney Kevin O'Brien of the alleged arrangement over the summer, according to the affidavit filed Monday in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.

Petro's campaign challenged the account, saying the allegation was false.

In the document, O'Brien said Gravengaard told him a contribution would be needed if he wanted legal work from the state...



Posted on Wed, Dec. 07, 2005

Democrat sets up legal defense fund in lawsuit against GOP

http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/news/state/13346482.htm
Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio - State Sen. Marc Dann has created a legal defense fund on behalf of a fellow Democrat's lawsuit accusing state Republican officeholders of trading non-bid contracts in return for campaign contributions.

Dann, a Youngstown Democrat who's running for attorney general next year, set up the fund to raise money for Cuyahoga County Commissioner Tim Hagan.

Hagan said legal services could top $1 million. His lawsuit, filed in 2004, accuses Gov. Bob Taft, Attorney General Jim Petro and other GOP officeholders of awarding billions of dollars in unbid contracts to vendors who inflated prices. Proceeds were then "kicked back" as political contributions, the lawsuit said.

Petro spokeswoman Kim Norris and Ohio GOP spokesman John McLelland dismissed the litigation and Dann's legal fund as party politics...


http://www.ohiodems.org/ht/display/ArticleDetails/i/662289

(Cleveland Plain Dealer)Hagan suit to stand; Republicans must open calendars, campaign data Saturday, October 01, 2005

-Democrat Tim Hagan lost the 2002 governor's race but won the right Friday to begin forcing top-ranking Republicans to open their calendars and campaign coffers to unprecedented scrutiny...

"I believe discovery will show that these defendants have used no-bid contracts to loot the state of Ohio of hundreds of millions of dollars, making the Bureau of Workers' Compensation fiasco look like small change."...

"Money is corrupting the process. There is no question about it," Hagan said. "If you want to run, you have to go out and prostitute yourself to raise money. You are consumed by it, and you cannot be heard in this state unless you have a minimum of $5 million."

Hagan's campaign for governor raised $1.2 million; Taft's campaign raised $12 million...


Tim Hagans Lawsuit Against The State Of Ohio

http://www.erievoices.com/blog/static.php?page=static050128-102626

Friday, January 28, 2005, 10:29 AM

IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS

CUYAHOGA COUNTY, OHIO...

Is there no federal court that will take this case?

Remember...The GOP is nothing more than a criminal gang of theives posing as a political party.

To keep the Democrats, uh, er, I mean terrorists, from hurting our party - I mean country.


BTW - spying makes it so easy to force people to fall in line. Why didn't we do this before?

it was a well known fact that the city was controled by major crime! I'm trying to remember the name of the Big one and for the life of me all I can recall is that his last name began with D and ended in an O. I'd be quite surprised if things have changed very much since then.

If so, that could very well be the reason the suit was retracted. They weren't niice people at all, and nothing stopped them from getting what they wanted.

Lonardo?Licavoli?

http://www.network54.com/Forum/402609/thread/1113825545/last-1113826839/Danny+Greene

http://www.eboards4all.com/432511/

You know when I first read this I though it said: "Hagan drops lawsuit accusing Taft, GOP leaders of compassion"