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A clip from a video published on the South Euclid Oversight website that shows resident Robert Frey questioning Law Director Michael Lograsso's ability to do his job at a South Euclid City Council meeting.

(Courtesy of South Euclid Oversight)

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SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio — South Euclid Law Director Michael Lograsso is suing three people for defamation, one for publicly attempting to tie Lograsso to several businesses that were delinquent on taxes and two others for publicizing those claims.

Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Judge Cassandra Collier-Williams ruled in favor of the defendants in July, and Lograsso has appealed. He originally filed the suit against South Euclid resident Robert Frey and Fairview Park residents David Furry and Emilie DiFranco in December 2012.

Lograsso accuses the defendants of defamation and publicity placing a person in false light and has asked for more than $25,000 in punitive damages, as well as a public apology to correct all of the statements.

An oral argument is scheduled for April 10 in the Ohio 8th District Court of Appeals.

"With the right to freedom of speech under the first amendment comes responsibility," Lograsso's attorney Joe Medici told Northeast Ohio Media Group. "If someone stands up at a public meeting and lies with the purpose of hurting a public official and preventing him from being reappointed, that is blatantly wrong, and it's fair to file a civil suit to hold a person like that accountable."

The dispute began in October 2012, according to Lograsso's original complaint, when DiFranco filed a grievance with the Disciplinary Counsel of the Supreme Court of Ohio requesting review of Lograsso's ability to serve as law director.

DiFranco, who in February won a separate legal battle with the city over its failure to fulfill a December 2011 records request, stated that Lograsso was involved in fraud and failure to file both income tax returns and necessary corporate franchise tax reports.

Lograsso alleged her claims were based on nine businesses listed on the Ohio secretary of state's website that were canceled due to non-payment of taxes. Lograsso was listed as the incorporator, agent or registrant in those businesses.

Those corporations were businesses Lograsso created for law clients, according to the lawsuit. At no time, the suits says, did he have any ownership interest in the companies.

At a South Euclid City Council meeting (see video below) on Oct. 22, 2012, Frey supported recently passed legislation requiring that council approve the mayor's appointment for law director. He said the rule was necessary considering Lograsso's financial history and referenced the same cases noted in DiFranco's grievance.

DiFranco and Furry videotaped the comments and posted them on their blog, South Euclid Oversight.

Lograsso, who has been law director since 2004, was seeking reappointment from Mayor Georgine Welo at the time.

"There are many, many companies that have been opened by Mr. Lograsso," Frey said in the meeting. "On most of these businesses, Mr. Lograsso is also the incorporator, which means he's the owner of the business."

Frey insinuated Lograsso only became law director because of "political cronyism," the lawsuit states. Lograsso served eight years as city prosecutor and 14 as a South Euclid police officer before he became law director.

During his comments, a recording of the meeting shows, Frey also spoke of several foreclosure and judgement lien cases against Lograsso, which are not mentioned in Lograsso's suit.

Frey offered a bit of perspective before condemning Lograsso at the meeting: "Before I go any further I would also like to note my personal belief that any one of these happening on their own is entirely possible. They are things that happen in day-to-day life," Frey said, holding a stack of papers he appeared to be reading from. "But the monumental amount of things I have in my hand show a pattern of constant and continued abuse."

In 1995, the State of Ohio Student Aid Commission made a complaint against Lograsso for $21,861. According to the court of common pleas, Lograsso paid back the entire amount.

In 1999, Lograsso was the debtor in a case filed by Hillcrest Hospital. That case was also settled.

In 2000, Charter One Bank filed a foreclosure case against Lograsso that was dismissed. And in 2012, Citimortage Inc. filed a foreclosure against Lograsso that also was dismissed.

In October 2009 and May 2010, the State of Ohio Department of Taxation filed judgment liens against Lograsso for delinquent taxes. He paid the judgement liens and the cases were satisfied, the clerk's office said.

"I don't understand how somebody with an obvious credit rating that would be refused employment as a greeter at Walmart could be the law director of the city of South Euclid," Frey said.

Lograsso's attorney Medici said those issues were private matters and did not affect his duties as law director.

Welo can be seen sitting next to Lograsso in the video, looking down at her electronic tablet for the majority of Frey's comments. Lograsso was not so distracted, however.

"I have been waiting with bated breath to see what lowdown scumbag piece of garbage would try and bring this up, who has no idea of the underlying facts and circumstances," Lograsso said when Frey finished. "Maybe you should go to law school. None of those companies are mine. I have no financial interest in a single one of those businesses.

"Can you even get into law school? I doubt it. I have a very good credit rating, a lot better than yours I'm sure," he continued before Councilman David Miller stifled him.

At the next meeting on Nov. 12, 2012, Frey stood before council again as DiFranco and Furry again recorded his monologue (see below).

"Waiting with bated breath means to wait in so much suspense one can hardly breath," Frey said. "In my opinion no one seeking public employment should be waiting with bated breath about anything."

Lograsso did not reply to Frey's comments at the second meeting. He filed the lawsuit less than two months later, claiming he suffered "significant mental anguish, stress, humiliation and duress due to the malicious and intentional actions of the defendants."

Welo claims she had no knowledge of the ongoing dispute.

"All I knew is when Bob [Frey] came here about a year ago, but Michael has never discussed it since," she said. "If Mr. Frey went out to intentionally defame Mr. Lograsso to say things that were not true to bring down his character, I don't know who would stand for that."

When Northeast Ohio Media Group asked Welo for her thoughts on the claims against Lograsso, Welo said she thinks his issue with his student loans is

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"common."

"On the LLCs, you just file the paperwork, you don't own those companies," she said about the canceled businesses. "My husband owns a company. We have a zillion lawyers that file stuff."

In regards to Lograsso calling Frey a scumbag, she said: "With him throwing the papers and yelling at Mr. Lograsso, he was very irrational, so I really don't know, and I'll be honest with you, I really can't remember, because it was two years ago."