{"url":"https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-10-28/shawnee-township-fire-chief-open-meetings-suit","markdown_url":"https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-10-28/shawnee-township-fire-chief-open-meetings-suit.md","title":"Shawnee Township Fire Chief Miller's Open Meetings Suit Heard","headline":"Shawnee Township Trustees Testify in Fire Chief Austin Miller's Open Meetings Lawsuit","description":"Testimony in Austin Miller's Open Meetings Act suit against Shawnee Township trustees wrapped up, with a ruling expected in November and $500 sought per violation.","section":"Legal & Disputes","published_at":"2026-10-28T23:56:53+00:00","modified_at":"2026-10-28T23:56:53+00:00","author":"News Desk","key_takeaways":["Shawnee Township trustees Paul Neff, Joe Recker and Kenny Gross testified in Allen County Common Pleas Court in Fire Chief Austin Miller's Open Meetings Act lawsuit.","Miller seeks a civil forfeiture of $500 for each alleged violation of Ohio's Open Meetings Act, plus attorney fees.","Judge Jeffery Reed will rule on the case in November after written closing arguments.","Trustees voted October 13 to dismiss three administrative charges against Miller, and he returned to work the next day."],"companies":[{"name":"Shawnee Township Fire Department","is_primary":true,"profile_url":null,"website":"https://shawneetownship.com/fire-department"},{"name":"Clemans Nelson & Associates","is_primary":false,"profile_url":"https://akta.pro/company-profiles/000pnqi/clemans-nelson-associates","website":"https://www.clemansnelson.com"}],"source":{"publisher":"Yahoo","title":"Testimony heard in case of Shawnee Twp. executive sessions","url":"https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/testimony-heard-case-shawnee-twp-233200995.html"},"other_sources":[{"publisher":"FinancialContent Business Page","url":"https://www.financialcontent.com/article/bizwire-2026-10-28-hagens-berman-secures-2125-million-settlement-in-zillow-investor-class-action"},{"publisher":"Yahoo","url":"https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/6-things-know-indystars-cook-171751180.html"},{"publisher":"Yahoo","url":"https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/oklahoma-tribal-leadership-fight-puts-170309767.html"},{"publisher":"The National Law Review","url":"https://natlawreview.com/article/one-call-all-it-takes-fulton-bank-suffers-tough-loss-tcpa-class-action-and-there"}],"tags":["Legal & Disputes","Shawnee Township Fire Department","Clemans Nelson & Associates"],"body_markdown":"Shawnee Township Fire Chief Austin Miller's civil lawsuit alleging Open Meetings Act violations went to testimony in Allen County Common Pleas Court, with his attorney seeking a $500 civil forfeiture for each alleged violation plus attorney fees. [Yahoo](https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/testimony-heard-case-shawnee-twp-233200995.html) reported that Judge Jeffery Reed will rule in November.\n\n## Trustees Testify on Closed-Door Sessions\n\nThree sitting trustees, Paul Neff, Joe Recker and Kenny Gross, testified on October 28 before Judge Reed in the suit Miller filed August 5. Miller's attorney, Dalton Smith, called four witnesses during the three-hour hearing, including Fred Lord, an accounts manager at the human resources consulting firm [Clemans Nelson & Associates](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/000pnqi/clemans-nelson-associates).\n\nSmith argued that closed-door meetings were called for reasons including \"to discuss allegations against a public employee\" and other vague descriptions that he said do not meet the law's requirements. Ohio's Open Meetings Act bars executive sessions to consider discipline of an elected official for conduct tied to official duties or that person's removal, and gives public employees who are the subject of such talks the right to attend.\n\nLord testified that Neff contacted him about \"concerns raised in the course of Miller's employment\" and that they discussed \"a performance improvement plan and possible discipline for Chief Miller.\" Lord said he sat in on between three and five executive sessions where Miller's conduct was discussed, and that he prepared a letter announcing the township's decision on May 5, before Miller was placed on paid administrative leave on May 11.\n\nNeff confirmed most or all of the board's executive sessions concerned Miller and denied a vote was taken behind closed doors to suspend him, while acknowledging he wrote the announcement in advance \"just in case we went that route.\" Recker said trustees were \"very careful to dot every 'i' and cross every 't'\" on May 11 and that Miller was never formally notified the session pertained to him.\n\n## Charges Dropped Before the Hearing\n\nOn October 13, the trustees voted to dismiss three administrative charges against Miller, and he returned to work the next day after being on paid leave for all but 15 days since May 11, [Yahoo](https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/6-things-know-indystars-cook-171751180.html) reported. The trustees had dropped a fourth charge, involving unauthorized software on his work computer, on October 8.\n\nA civil hearing in the case was postponed on October 24 because witnesses were unavailable and rescheduled for October 28, [Yahoo](https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/oklahoma-tribal-leadership-fight-puts-170309767.html) reported.\n\n## Other Disputes in Court\n\nLegal disputes elsewhere produced settlements and rulings on October 28. [Hagens Berman announced a $212.5 million settlement](https://www.financialcontent.com/article/bizwire-2026-10-28-hagens-berman-secures-2125-million-settlement-in-zillow-investor-class-action) with Zillow in a securities class action and will seek preliminary court approval. [A court denied Fulton Bank's motion to compel arbitration](https://natlawreview.com/article/one-call-all-it-takes-fulton-bank-suffers-tough-loss-tcpa-class-action-and-there) in a TCPA class action, finding the clause did not cover a marketing call.\n\n## Name-Clearing Hearing Requested\n\nSmith asked the trustees to hold a name-clearing hearing so information about Miller could be aired, and as of October 28 the trustees had not scheduled one, Smith said. Judge Reed will accept written closing arguments and rule in November.\n","publisher":{"name":"News for Agent","url":"https://newsforagent.com"}}