Columbus, OH – The Buckeye Institute won another legal victory. This time, the city of Cleveland paid The Buckeye Institute the maximum allowed under Ohio law to cover its damages after Buckeye took the city to court for refusing to turn over public records in accordance with Ohio law.  

“The public has a clear right to public records, and Cleveland could have avoided this payout by simply complying with The Buckeye Institute’s lawful request,” said David C. Tryon, director of litigation at The Buckeye Institute. “Hopefully, the next time, Cleveland will respect Ohio’s public records laws. If not, The Buckeye Institute stands ready to once again defend the public’s access to these records in court.” 

On April 30, 2025, The Buckeye Institute requested public records from the city of Cleveland to investigate whether the city was operating race or gender-based set-aside programs in violation of federal law. Buckeye received no response to its request, nor an acknowledgement that the city received the request. On May 27, 2025, Buckeye followed up on the request, which the city finally acknowledged receiving, but did not indicate if or when the city would comply with Ohio law. In July 2025, after more than a month of silence from the city of Cleveland, The Buckeye Institute filed a lawsuit with Ohio’s Eighth District Court of Appeals to force the city to comply with Ohio law. After court order mediation, the city of Cleveland turned over the public records to The Buckeye Institute and cut Buckeye a check for the maximum damages allowed under Ohio law, after which The Buckeye Institute agreed to dismiss its case against Cleveland.

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