The Ohio Bureau of Workers? Compensation is investigating a potential new scandal within the beleaguered agency: whether political influence played a role when premium rates for certain employers were lowered without proper justification.

A draft internal audit released yesterday shows that, in 75 percent of the 153 largest reductions, agency rules weren?t followed or there was no record authorizing or explaining the changes to determine whether they were legitimate.

When bureau workers who processed the changes asked for justification for transactions, “they were instructed that such documentation was not required,” according to the audit.

AG [...]]]> http://www.plunderbund.com/2006/11/02/more-corruption-at-the-bwc/feed/ 0 http://www.plunderbund.com/2006/11/01/montgomery-even-petro-doesnt-like-her-tactics/ http://www.plunderbund.com/2006/11/01/montgomery-even-petro-doesnt-like-her-tactics/#disqus_thread Wed, 01 Nov 2006 22:11:39 +0000 Brian http://www.plunderbund.com/?p=1192 Eric has the scoop – and the audio – over at ProgressOhio.

Questioner: What do you think of the Bar Association coming out and basically blasting away on people who talk about lawyers and judges and their decisions.

Petro: I think the Bar Association properly points out that lawyers don’t always get to choose their client. I mean, there are times in my career- 33 years now as of…but there are times when the courts basically said to me ‘look, we want you to defend this guy. He’s a bad guy, but somebody needs to defend him’. What a [...]]]> http://www.plunderbund.com/2006/11/01/montgomery-even-petro-doesnt-like-her-tactics/feed/ 1 http://www.plunderbund.com/2006/10/24/progressohios-take-on-the-dispatchs-take-on-the-noe-tape/ http://www.plunderbund.com/2006/10/24/progressohios-take-on-the-dispatchs-take-on-the-noe-tape/#disqus_thread Tue, 24 Oct 2006 15:02:13 +0000 Brian http://www.plunderbund.com/?p=1137 Confused yet?

Eric takes a swing at the Dispatch for failing to mention public officials by name who are currently running for office who are seen “chumming it up” with Noe in the now-infamous birthday roast tape. Specifically, the official running for Attorney General. You know, the state’s lawyer and top law enforcement official? The current state auditor?

(We’re talking about Betty Montgomery. We even gave you more clues than the Dispatch did.)

“When a party approves as to ‘form’ only, that party is stipulating to the ‘composition and organization of the particular legal document?’ In the instant case, the Settlement Agreement was signed only as to form. Therefore, the Ohio Attorney General did not approve the terms of the Settlement Agreement as required by O.R.C. 117.33.”

Some quotes from the person who brought the case before the court:

The case was brought by Dayton tax attorney Lance Gildner and it seeks to recover the wasted money. Gildner, a Republican, told the [...]]]> http://www.plunderbund.com/2006/10/20/im-a-dreammaker-im-a-lawbreaker/feed/ 0 http://www.plunderbund.com/2006/06/14/dann-wins-ohio-supreme-court-to-review-taft%e2%80%99s-executive-privileged-documents/ http://www.plunderbund.com/2006/06/14/dann-wins-ohio-supreme-court-to-review-taft%e2%80%99s-executive-privileged-documents/#disqus_thread Wed, 14 Jun 2006 07:00:46 +0000 Eric http://www.plunderbund.com/?p=744 via email: (Columbus)- State Senator Marc Dann (D-Liberty Twp.) was handed a victory today when Ohio Supreme Court Justices ruled they would have to examine records and other documents that Senator Dann is seeking from Governor Bob Taft in relation to the current state scandals involving Coingate and the Ohio Bureau of Workers? Compensation.

Supreme Court Justices will now have to reevaluate if these documents fall under the sweeping executive privilege the Court earlier ruled Taft maintains as governor.

?This case, unlike the public’s right to gain access to public documents, is still very much alive!” Senator Dann said.