SIAP: Meyer broke the law in deleting text messages

Submitted by M-GO-Beek on

"Fred Gittes, a veteran open records lawyer in Columbus, said any elimination of texts on Meyer’s university-issued phone related to his coaching responsibility would break Ohio’s open records law."

The article also goes on to say that if the NCAA ever needs to evaluate a recruiting issue, he is likely to be in trouble with them as well. NOT that I am holding my breath that either someone in the state of Ohio or the NCAA will ever make this an issue for him or OSU.

https://apnews.com/82b40d7d1ab44cf09c2f84eefbbbeeb1

trueblueintexas

August 26th, 2018 at 11:10 PM ^

Why would it take the media to figure this out? Wouldn’t you think a law firm, say the one who did the investigation and wrote the report, would have looked into something like...the law!

I would also think the board of trustees and president would have consulted the schools legal department over the course of say...10 hours of deliberation. 

And maybe, maybe that institution has professors who teach things like law on staff. Maybe they would have been aware of such a thing.

Just sayin.

Section 1.8

August 26th, 2018 at 11:28 PM ^

Come on; if you guys were serious about this discussion, you might want to know who Fred Gittes is.

He runs a small boutique employment and civil rights law firm in downtown Columbus.  He's making a living in part by suing Ohio State.

Like in this recent case.

So it is literally Fred Gittes' job; taking positions like this.  I've had some contact with Gittes' firm.  He's a serious guy, and a referral attorney for these kinds of cases and he really has had a lot of experience with the Ohio Public Records Law.  I was told that in the recent settlement this summer, Gittes found "smoking gun"-type emails that proved his case.  I expect that Fred may hove gotten them through a public records request, or he may have gotten them through regular discovery when in litigation.  The settlement was modest because they mostly all are when OSU is the defendant.  Damages are limited.

What would the damages be in a civil action over Meyer's phone?  What are Courtney Smith's damages?

About 90% of the posts I see here are trashtalking jokes; aren't there any Michigan-grad Ohio lawyers who can speak to this?

 

wildbackdunesman

August 26th, 2018 at 7:39 PM ^

The state of Ohio government officials are too busy changing Zach Smith's files to show that he was no longer arrested to care about Meyer breaking other laws.  Additionally, the NCAA doesn't like to hurt the super-elites.

Meyer is safe.  He could openly break more laws, flaunt it, and be fine.

Besides, all he has to do is say that he didn't intentionally delete the texts and OSU would buy it.

michgoblue

August 26th, 2018 at 11:59 PM ^

Why do so many people feel the need to inject political commentary on this blog?

(For those who don't know, the quote is a paraphrase of something our current president said during his campaign; something along the lines of "I could shoot someone in the middle of 5th avenue and my supporters would still support me.")

 The poster that I am responding to is comparing the blind loyalty that the state of Ohio has to Urban to that of Trump's supporters to the president.  Whether or not you support the current president, THIS IS NOT THE PLACE to make these comments.  TAKE THOSE JOKES TO FOXNEWS, MSNBC, politico, Drudge Report, CNN or one of the countless other political web page comment sections that like to discuss this crap. Please leave mgoblog politics free. 

1VaBlue1

August 26th, 2018 at 9:49 PM ^

I think both.  There's not a shred of doubt in my mind that he deleted the texts that proved he knew all about Smith's shit, and then some.  I also believe there was probably some other non-ZS stuff on it that would have looked bad.  He's a shitty person that is shitty.  He has shit stuck all over him.

gustave ferbert

August 26th, 2018 at 7:45 PM ^

It's an Ohio law.  They legal processes are malleable when it comes to OSU footballl.  It is more likely for a vehicle with Michigan plates to get an unfair speeding ticket in ohio than an Ohio State Football employee to break Ohio law.