Summit County Common Pleas Judge Elinore Marsh Stormer must pay attorney fees to Judge Alison McCarty after a judicial conduct panel found Stormer violated campaign finance laws.
The decision by the Ohio Supreme Court’s Board of Commissioners on Grievances and Discipline announced its decision Monday, one day before McCarty and Stormer face of in their race for probate judge.
McCarty filed the grievance last week, alleging Stormer and county Democrats held two fundraisers in which contributions were categorized by amounts. The Ohio Supreme Court banned such tiered contribution levels in 1995.
McCarty said the events raised about $47,500, all of which was turned over to Stormer’s campaign. In one fundraiser, donor were assigned gold medal status for $500, silver medal status for $250 and bronze for $150. A second event asked for higher sums.
Stormer has said Democrats have hosted such tiered donation events — for “saluting” or holding “meet and greets” with judges — for several years without complaint.
The grievance panel declined to discipline or sanction Stormer. Instead, it ordered her to pay McCarty $2,000 in legal fees.
