Defense attorneys are struggling to sift through about 2 million documents and other pieces of evidence filed as part of a sprawling 10-month-old Ohio securities fraud case inching its way through Lucas County Common Pleas Court.
Several lawyers told Judge Gary Cook during a Tuesday hearing that they’re having a tough time finding documents that pertain to their clients so they can prepare to defend them. And they’re still running into issues even after the state paid $50,000 for temporary access to a special records management system — and provided training — to help the attorneys more easily parse the evidence collected by prosecutors.
The ongoing problems led Judge Cook on Tuesday to indefinitely delay a trial date for some or all of the eight defendants in the case, which prosecutors have described as a Ponzi scheme worth about $72 million. A trial had been scheduled to start Feb. 20, but the judge suggested now it won’t get under way for months, possibly not until 2025.
Meanwhile, state prosecutors said Tuesday they will push the evidence software vendor to fix several glitches, and designate a contact person where the attorneys can get help when they have issues.