Attorneys seek to pull out of jail inmate case

YOUNGSTOWN -- The Columbus attorneys who were hired in late 2003 to represent Mahoning County officials (commissioners and sheriff) in a jail inmates' class-action lawsuit filed a motion Tuesday in Akron federal court saying they want to withdraw from the case.
Mark Lanes and Daniel Downey said in their motion that Mahoning County Prosecutor Paul J. Gains and First Assistant Prosecutor Linette M. Stratford have remained counsel of record since the case was filed and have resumed advising the defendants on all aspects of the case. Landes and Downey said their representation of the defendants is complete.
The motion is pending with U.S. District Judge David D. Dowd Jr.
The inmates won the lawsuit in March, and Judge Dowd is overseeing the remedial phase, ensuring the once overcrowded and understaffed jail is made constitutionally sound.