Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine recently announced two lawsuits that his office filed in the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas – one on behalf of the Ohio Development Services Agency (DSA) and the other on behalf of the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority (OAQDA) – in an effort to recover "more than $10 million in state development loans," plus interest, from the Perrysburg-based Willard & Kelsey Solar Group, The Columbus Dispatch and Cincinnati Enquirer report. The lawsuits allege that the company breached its state economic development award agreements by failing to create the required 450 jobs. The lawsuits also allege the company engaged in improper business practices, including that it "failed to maintain distinct checking accounts separate from the shareholders and failed to obtain the necessary certifications to legally sell its products," The Dispatch reports. The lawsuits mark the most significant public effort in recent years to enforce the terms of state economic development award agreements. For more, read the full Columbus Dispatch and Cincinnati Enquirer stories, and the complaint.
Ohio attorney general announces groundbreaking lawsuits aiming to recover more than $10 million in state aid from economic development award recipient
