Oakhill judge rejects Yavorcik filing

CLEVELAND

The Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court judge overseeing the Oakhill Renaissance Place criminal corruption case rejected a filing from the attorney of Martin Yavorcik, one of the three defendants, for violating court rules.

In a three-sentence journal entry Wednesday, Judge Janet R. Burnside said the court brief “is stricken from [the] docket” because Mark Lavelle, Yavorcik’s attorney, failed to receive permission from her before filing it.

The filing specifically violates the court’s Rule 11-D, which states: “Reply or additional briefs upon motions and submissions may be filed with leave of the court” [meaning with the judge’s permission] “only upon a showing of good cause.”

Lavelle’s filing on Monday was a follow-up to a request to permit defense attorneys in the case to share certain evidence with others.

Prosecutors object to that request to protect the safety of confidential informants — including one who prosecutors say was threatened — and because “the recordings provided in discovery contained unfounded allegations regarding several public officials in Mahoning County.”

Read more about the ruling in Friday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.