Ohio lakefront owners want state to pay $600K

CLEVELAND (AP) — Thousands of property owners along Ohio’s Lake Erie shore say the state should cover their legal fees from a long court fight over beach access.

The Ohio Supreme Court ruled in the group’s favor last month, saying property owners’ rights extend to the point where the shore and water typically meet. The state had argued unsuccessfully that beach that was “sometimes wet, sometimes dry” belonged to the public.

A group representing 7,000 lakefront landowners says they spent nearly $600,000 to defend their legal rights during a seven-year battle. A motion filed in Lake County Common Pleas Court asks that the Ohio Department of Natural Resources pick up that tab.

A department spokeswoman tells The Plain Dealer that the motion is being reviewed by the Ohio attorney general’s office.