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COLUMBUS -- The civil lawsuit created by a rift between members of the Ohio Republican Party was dismissed on Tuesday in Franklin County Common Pleas Court.
The lawsuit had included allegations against Columbiana County Republican Chairman Dave Johnson in his capacity as the Ohio Republican Party Treasurer. With the dismissal of the lawsuit, Johnson released a statement on Wednesday.
"There is not, nor has there ever been, money missing from the Ohio Republican Party," Johnson said. "With the court's recent decision, the ORP and I are completely vindicated. The lies and political attacks behind this lawsuit have no place in the Ohio GOP, and it is my hope that this matter has been put to rest for good. I look forward to continuing to serve Republicans across Ohio in my capacity as Treasurer."
Not only had the lawsuit made accusations against Johnson, but also the Ohio Republican Party Chairman Bob Paduchik, who in the same release reinforced his support for Johnson as Treasurer of the Ohio Republican Party.
"For decades, Dave Johnson has been a tireless advocate and volunteer for this party," Paduchik wrote. "While the politically motivated attacks against him during this process were abhorrent, Dave remained a true professional who displayed the highest integrity and character. I look forward to continuing to work with him in the service of Republicans across Ohio."
In a 17-page ruling filed with the court on Tuesday, Judge Jaiza Page, agranting of the motion to dismiss the case, which was filed by attorneys for Paduchik and Johnson.
In part, the entry questioned the allegations in the lawsuit and noted differences in whether a court can rule in relation to violations of an organizations bylaws. Some of the allegations were about the party's support of certain candidates, while others about Johnson as treasurer not providing them with the ability to inspect the books of the Ohio Republican Party. The lawsuit had alleged Republican party funds were missing without adequate explanation of where the funds were spent.
According to the ruling, the regulation requiring the audit and the transparency sought by the plaintiff's applies only to political candidates and not to political parties. The claims were therefore found not to have merit.
The lawsuit was filed on Nov. 29, 2021 by members of the Ohio Republican Central Committee -- Laura Rosenberger, JoAnn Campbell, Mark Bainbridge, Joe Miller and Denise Verdi. The five had claimed that when they requested the audit and questioned spending, they were unfairly removed from committees they had served on. On Feb. 9, the plaintiffs attempted to file an amendment to the complaint, which was denied by the court due to issues with the timeliness of the filing.
From the beginning, Johnson and Paduchik denied any claims of wrong doing and in a released statement on Wednesday, Paduchik called the lawsuit a frivolous political attack against the Ohio Republican Party, the State Central Committee and the candidates the party serves. Additionally, it was stated that the five Republicans "disgraced themselves by placing their personal political agendas above the party's mission to elect Republican's to office."
djohnson@mojonews.com