Published: Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Outside lawyer OK'd for auditor
YOUNGSTOWN — Judge Maureen A. Cronin of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court has authorized appointment of a county-paid outside lawyer to defend county Auditor Michael V. Sciortino in the Ohio Supreme Court, where he is being sued by the county commissioners.
Last month, the commissioners filed a request for a writ of mandamus with the state Supreme Court to compel Sciortino to write a check for $75,000 to pay for the county's purchase of Oakhill Renaissance Place, or explain why he shouldn't do so.
Linette M. Stratford, chief of the civil division of the county prosecutor's office, which represents the commissioners, asked the judge to authorize the lawyer for Sciortino based upon a commissioners' resolution to do so.
Judge Sweeney, the common pleas court's presiding judge, authorized retention of Atty. John B. Juhasz to represent Sciortino at $125 per hour, not to exceed $10,000 without a further court order.
Judge Sweeney, however, overruled a motion by Sciortino, county Treasurer John Reardon, and Commissioner John McNally IV to allow them to retain the law firm of Taft, Stettinius and Hollister as their legal counsel in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, where they opposed the county's purchase of Oakhill.
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Kay Woods ruled the three officeholders lacked standing to challenge the county's purchase of Oakhill, which commissioners approved by a 2-1 vote, with McNally dissenting.
In July, Judge Woods approved the county's purchase of the building, which commissioners plan to convert to a county office complex.
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