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EAST LIVERPOOL -- The lawsuit filed by Christopher Green against the City of East Liverpool has moved to mediation.
Green, a former East Liverpool police officer, filed the civil rights suit in federal court against the City of East Liverpool, the city's administration and multiple police officers on March 6, 2023. In the suit, Green alleges he was wrongfully discharged from his position as a form of retaliation for his reporting of alleged misconduct by fellow officers to the FBI, which he also believes violated his First Amendment right.
Attorneys for the city and Green have been back in forth in court with multiple motions over the past year.
The suit was initially filed in the U.S. District Court Northern District of Ohio (Youngstown) and assigned to U.S. Judge John R. Adams with a demand for a jury trial.
On March 4 all parties involved, with the exception of police officer Robert Ramsey who was unwilling to participate, filed a motion that the case be referred to mediation and the case schedule for trial be suspended.
The request was denied by the court.
Judge John R. Adams denied the motion, saying because of the parties lack of unanimity and unsuccessful attempts at their prior mediations, the court was not inclined to refer the matter without additional information that would indicate a likelihood of resolution, according to court records.
All parties, except Ramsey, filed an appeal and a motion that the court reconsider the request for mediation.
On March 14, Adams ruled in favor of an alternative dispute resolution -- Early Neutral Evaluation and Mediation, with the mediation process to be completed by May 3.
If the mediation should prove unsuccessful, attorneys for Green and the City of East Liverpool will have seven days to file a motion to move the case forward in court.
During the mediation, attorneys and all parties will have to be present, and all parties will have to agree that the meditation process is confidential, and they cannot disclose any information regarding the mediation including the settlement terms without agreement from all parties involved.