Cleveland attorneys Gregory J. O’Brien, Thomas J. Lee and Jennifer B. Orr and paralegal Sara Mishic were successful in their representation of the city of Independence in The City of Independence, Appellee, v. Office of the Cuyahoga County Executive, Appellant, et al. in the Ohio Supreme Court.

The appeal to Ohio’s highest court centered on determining the responsible party for replacing a bridge located in Cuyahoga County on the border between the city of Independence and the village of Valley View, but on a road that is neither a county road nor a state highway. The cost to replace the bridge is estimated to be in excess of $6 million. The court affirmed the 8th District Court of Appeals of Ohio ruling that the preponderance of substantial, reliable and probative evidence supported the decision that Ohio law places the responsibility of replacement of the bridge solely on the county.

O’Brien serves as law director for the city of Independence, in addition to his responsibilities as a member of Taft’s Litigation and Business and Finance groups.