Morning Briefing | The fight against frivolous lawsuits

Upset by lawsuits they view as frivolous and the time they waste, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle seem ready to take action in Ohio.

Today in the Morning Briefing, we look at the status of a bill in the Ohio Statehouse that would stop and punish those who bring bad lawsuits, plus the reaction and latest news on the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.

If you have thoughts or feedback on this newsletter or other news tips, please let me know at Kyle.Nagel@coxinc.com.

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The newsletter should take about 3 minutes, 56 seconds to read.

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Ohio bill would allow courts to throw out frivolous SLAPP suits

Credit: Avery Kreemer

Ohio is closer to giving judges more power to dismiss frivolous lawsuits. Reporter Avery Kreemer has the details.

• Why it matters: These lawsuits waste time and money, and they are often filed only to cause inconvenience and frustration to the defendants, officials said.

• What the bill would do: The bill would create the ability to make a motion to dismiss a case due to frivolity. If that happens, the plaintiff to pay the defendant’s court fees.

• What comes next? Lawmakers are on summer recess and not scheduled to come back to Columbus until after the November election, which puts the legislation in a race against time, needing to be approved by the House before this general assembly concludes at the end of the year.

The Secret Service is investigating how a gunman who shot and injured Trump was able to get so close

Credit: NYT

The U.S. Secret Service is investigating how a gunman armed with an AR-style rifle was able to get close enough to shoot and injure former President Donald Trump at a rally Saturday in Pennsylvania, in a devastating failure of one of the agency’s core duties.

• What Trump said: In a post Sunday on his social media site, Trump said: “In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United, and show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win.”

• President Biden speaks from the Oval Office: Biden said he directed the U.S. Secret Service to review all security measures for the Republican National Convention, which begins Monday in Milwaukee. Audrey Gibson-Cicchino, the Secret Service’s coordinator for the convention, told reporters later the agency was satisfied with what she called its comprehensive planning for the Republican convention.

• The man killed: Corey Comperatore, the former fire chief who was killed Saturday, spent his final moments diving down in front of his family, protecting them from the gunfire.

• From U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton: “Along with Donald Trump, our democracy dodged a bullet (Saturday).”

• More reaction

- Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine posted on X: “Fran and I are praying for President Trump, his family, and our country.”

- U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, a potential Trump pick for the ticket as vice president, posted multiple times on X, including: “Today is not just some isolated incident. The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs. That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”

What to know today

• One big takeaway: Ohio’s first Buc-ee’s is getting even closer. The company is set to kick off the construction process with a groundbreaking ceremony at the Huber Heights site in a matter of weeks.

• Person to know today: Zed Key. The former fan favorite basketball player at Ohio State has transferred to the University of Dayton for his final season.

• Quote of the day: “I don’t know the laws. If the courts decide this is infringement, that’s fine. I’ll abide by whatever the courts say. But my perspective and stance is that parents have the right to know. " — Zachary Parrish, an Indiana man who is being sued by LifeWise, an Ohio nonprofit that provides Christian religious instruction to public school students, for copyright infringement.

• Things to do: “The Shawshank Redemption” anniversary celebration. The event will take place Aug. 8-11 in Mansfield, where the movie was filmed.

• Photo of the day: Auctioning chickens was just part of another Montgomery County Fair, which ended on Saturday. Click here for a photo gallery of great images from the fair.

Credit: Jim Noelker