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Council authorizes additional legal spending; staff says court denied class certification and matter is on appeal
Summary
Council approved emergency funding for outside counsel in a class-action matter; staff told the council the trial court denied class certification and the plaintiffs have appealed, and council was told class counsel has billed about $170,000 to date.
Lorain City Council unanimously approved an emergency ordinance authorizing additional funds for outside counsel handling a class-action matter involving the city. Council members suspended the three-reading rule to allow immediate passage.
Council member Miss Carter asked how much had been spent on legal services to date. A staff member deferred to the auditor for an "absolute number" but said preparatory work indicated class counsel had billed the city approximately $170,000 through the date of the meeting.
A city attorney or staff member described the procedural posture: the local court (Judge Melissa Kobasher) had previously denied class certification, a ruling favorable to the city, and the plaintiffs had appealed that decision. The staff explanation said briefs have been filed and argument is expected soon; the additional appropriation was intended to support appellate preparation.
Council asked for additional detail about what the legal spending covered; the staff response said discussing merits would not be appropriate in open session but that closed-session briefings had occurred with counsel about class-certification issues. Council directed law and finance staff to provide an itemized snapshot of the legal services and to continue briefings as the appeal progresses.
Ending: The emergency ordinance passed unanimously; the council asked for routine billing updates and for staff to provide a clearer snapshot of services covered by the additional appropriation at a future meeting.
