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Summit County may have to pay about $2 million to seven laid-off workers who have won the latest stage in an eight-year court battle to regain their jobs.
The 9th District Court of Appeals, in a ruling released last week, sided with the former Department of Human Services workers and ordered them reinstated with back pay. It was the fourth time the case was reviewed by the appellate court.
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Nancy Grim, a Kent attorney representing the seven workers, said the layoffs were contrived and political and the county was never able to show a financial or efficiency need to take the workers off the payroll, as required by civil service policy.
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Shortly after the layoffs, Keenan pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of bribery, conspiracy and tax evasion for mishandling county money. Hartung served nearly three years in prison for bribery, mail fraud and ethics violations.
``If the county was short on money as they said, we can suspect why,'' Grim said.
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