Colerain Township Settles Another Lawsuit after Targeting a Nonprofit

Colerain Township signed off on yet another legal settlement for wrongdoing against residents' in late March. The plaintiff received a check for $17,500 as compensation. The township has been repeatedly called out for their offenses against residents. This time, the township had targeted a nonprofit that has operated in the township for over 20 years amassing benefits to the public in the tens of millions of dollars over the course of their tenure.

The Colerain Council of Neighborhoods newsletter that was confiscated by Colerain Police Chief Ed Cordie at the direction of law director.Photo byLaw and Crime, March 2024

Colerain Council of Neighborhoods is a new spinoff from the parent nonprofit, Child Advocacy for Rights & Equity, Inc. as it undertakes a new initiative to assist small groups of volunteers to organize and formalize their Good Works into legitimate 501(C) 3s (tax-exempt nonprofits) that can qualify for grants and funding to accomplish their goals. The Colerain Council of Neighborhoods launched their nonprofit in mid-January by issuing the first of a series of newsletters bearing their new logo and organization name. The newsletter discussed the upcoming trustee meeting agenda, announced appointments to commissions, discussed another firing of a department head, and introduced the nonprofit to the residents of Colerain.

Colerain Township trustees didn't like it.

Per the police chief, Ed Cordie, the township law director, Scott Sollman, directed him to confiscate and retain the stack of newsletters intended for the public, despite repeated requests for the return of property. Cordie suggested the distribution of the newsletter was, somehow, an illegal activity. This made the plaintiff fearful of arrest. (The township has arrested the director of Child Advocacy for Rights & Equity, Inc. 4 other times and every charge was dismissed.)

Colerain Law Director Scott Sollman, of Schroeder, Maundrell, Barbiere, & Powers, "has walked the township" into many losing legal battles.Photo bySMBP Law, retrieved April 2024

Scott Sollman, the Colerain Township law director, with Schroeder, Maundrell, Barbiere, & Powers, prohibited the new nonprofit from using the name "Colerain" or its "likeness" despite the trustees and staff knowingly allowing others to use the name and imagery.

The Colerain Republican Club has been permitted to use the name "Colerain" and their identical logo without complaint.Photo byLaw and Crime, March 2024

Trustees Wahlert, Unger, Ulrich, and Baker, belong to the Republican Club and use the logo for political purposesPhoto byLaw and Crime, March 2024

Since the township refused to return the property timely, the director of the Colerain Council of Neighborhoods, was forced to file suit for violations of her First and 14th Amendment rights for unlawful seizure and violation of her rights to free speech.

Colerain trustees and law director Scott Sollman issued a "cease and desist" notice prohibiting use of the name (Colerain) or image.Photo byLaw and Crime, March 2024

With the lawsuit finalized, the Colerain Council of Neighborhoods can resume its program, operate under its original name, and use the rotunda imagery without being threatened with possible arrest or legal harassment. The organization has participated in 2 community-building events since launching. Their first solo event was providing amenities, free of charge, at their Total Eclipse of the Park at Heritage Park on April 8th. The township refused to issue them a permit to hold the event and prohibited the nonprofit from distributing free eclipse glasses to the 200+ crowd.

When the township was asked, "Why?" the township replied, "We haven't approved them." The plaintiff responded:

I don't need your permission, the glasses are approved by NASA and the iOS."

The nonprofit's director said they will be using the settlement funds, after paying legal counsel,

As "seed money" for the nonprofit's future events - or lawsuits - if the township wants to continue to harass and intimidate residents for speaking truth to power"