CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Ohio Supreme Court on Wednesday sanctioned prominent Cleveland divorce attorney Joseph Stafford and two other lawyers at his firm after finding they “repeatedly engaged in frivolous conduct” that substantially delayed cases, an opinion said.
The court’s justices unanimously declared Stafford, Nicole Cruz and Kelley Tauring, all of the Stafford Law Co., to be vexatious litigators. The label now requires them to seek the justices’ approval before they can appeal anything other than a final judgment with the court.
The high court also ordered them to pay attorney fees to the opposing side’s counsel in the underlying divorce case.
Chief Justice Sharon Kennedy wrote in the court’s opinion that Stafford and attorneys working on his behalf had filed unsuccessful appeals in several cases after a judge denied his request to postpone a scheduled hearing. The court has held several times that the order is not appealable, but
