Lawyer leading Miami University negotiations with faculty union named in criminal indictment
The Ohio Investigative Unit and the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office have named a lawyer working for Miami University in an indictment related to illegal bars. The lawyer, who has been working on union negotiations, is accused of tampering with records.
One of the lawyers leading management-side negotiations for Miami University as it works out a first contract with the faculty bargaining unit has been named in a criminal indictment.
Jazmyn Barrow, identified as Jazmyn Barrow-Stover in the indictment, faces one count of tampering with records within a sprawling 45-count Criminal Enterprise indictment. The indictment was filed Nov. 25 by the Ohio Investigative Unit (OIU) and the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office and targets “a complex network of illegally operated bars across Cuyahoga County,” according to a press release from the OIU.
The press release alleges that nine people including Barrow were involved in a scheme to illegally purchase and operate bars since 2019, generating “$4 million in illegal proceeds that went almost wholly unreported.” The proceeds were then shared among members of the enterprise, according to the press release.
Barrow faces one count of tampering with records for conduct that the state alleges occurred in December 2022. The indictment states that Barrow falsified a liquor permit application for The Score, a sports bar and grill in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, “with the purpose to defraud or knowing she was facilitating a fraud on The State of Ohio.”
When the records tampered with are “kept by or belongs to a local, state, or federal government entity” as alleged by the indictment, the offense is a third degree felony based on state law. According to Patituce & Associates LLC, a conviction could carry a five-year maximum sentence.
Seven of the defendants were indicted on counts of conspiracy and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, though Barrow does not face those charges.
The Oxford Free Press reached out to Barrow via email and received an automated response stating that she is currently on a leave of absence. Barrow’s biography on Ogletree Deakins, the law firm she is a shareholder with, states that she is “an experienced management-side labor attorney” who earned a law degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 2009.
A representative for Ogletree Deakins wrote in a statement to the Free Press that the firm will continue to represent Miami throughout the university’s negotiations.
“We are aware of the indictment involving Jazmyn Barrow. Ms. Barrow denies the allegations and is on leave from the firm,” the representative wrote. “Our firm remains committed to providing quality representation to Miami University in connection with its ongoing negotiations through other highly experienced lawyers in our firm.”
According to the Ohio State Bar Association, attorneys must abide by the Rules of Professional Conduct, a “set of ethical regulations adopted and enforced by the Supreme Court of Ohio.” Those regulations prohibit lawyers from “engaging in conduct involving moral turpitude, fraud, deceit, dishonesty or misrepresentation.” Attorneys found to be in violation of the regulations could face public reprimands, suspensions from practice or loss of license for life.
The Faculty Alliance of Miami (FAM) was officially recognized as a faculty union in May 2023 after 65% of eligible faculty voted in favor of unionizing. FAM represents most faculty, though some non-tenure track faculty were excluded based on a university objection and ruling from the state. FAM separately represents a librarians’ union, as well.
Barrow and Cristina Correnti of Ogletree Deakins oversaw negotiations for the university as it began bargaining with the faculty unit, according to an October 2023 report by The Miami Student. In the 15 months since bargaining began on Aug. 31, the university and the faculty unit have reached tentative agreements on 18 items, while issues including compensation, benefits, faculty evaluations and more are still outstanding.
In a statement to the Free Press, a spokesperson for Miami wrote that Ogletree Deakins is a highly respected law firm with extensive experience in labor relations. The law firm notified the university the same day the indictment was issued, and Barrow denies the allegations, according to the university statement.
"She is on leave from the firm while she works through the situation," the university statement reads. "Nevertheless, to continue the university’s forward progress in these negotiations, Ogletree Deakins continues to represent the university. Jenn Betts, a shareholder of Ogletree’s office and a member of the firm’s steering committee for its labor group, will step in to serve as the University’s lead negotiator at the January sessions and Ogletree’s Brittany Brantley will continue to be part of the representation team."
A representative for FAM wrote in a statement to the Free Press that negotiations for a contract have continued for more than 460 days. "We hope that this latest change to the university's negotiating team will not cause even further delays," the representative wrote.
