Julie L. Jordan, et al. v. Ohio Department of Public Safety, 2012-05932

A mother and son’s lawsuit against several state agencies will be heard by the Ohio Court of Claims next week.

Julie Jordan and Jeremy Tomlinson, both of Delaware, claim they were assaulted by Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) officers after a concert at Columbus Crew Stadium during the Ohio State Fair on Aug. 5, 2011. They are asking the court to rule on the troopers’ immunity and to award them more than $25,000 in damages. Named in the complaint are the OSHP, Sgt. Randall Skaggs, and troopers Ryan Stanley, Daniel Edelbrock, and Dwayne Shephard; the Ohio Department of Public Safety; and the state of Ohio.

According to Jordan and Tomlinson, the chain of events started when an empty fast food bag flew out of their vehicle when Tomlinson opened the door after the concert. The bag hit a woman as she and a man were walking by, and a verbal altercation turned violent when the man punched Jordan in the face. They claim the troopers responded to the scene but made no attempt to find the man who hit Jordan.  While they walked back to their vehicle, mom and son claim the troopers attacked them for no reason. Tomlinson was allegedly hit with a taser twice and pinned to the ground, and Jordan stated she was thrown to the ground and touched inappropriately while unconscious.

The allegations include assault and battery, false arrest, and invasion of privacy. The trial will start on Monday, March 30 and is scheduled for five days.

The case will be streamed live on The Ohio Channel.

The Court of Claims is given original jurisdiction to hear and determine all civil actions filed against the state of Ohio and its agencies.

To access information on other cases, visit the Court of Claims website.