Ohio High Court Ends Pandemic Unemployment Case

More than 300,000 Ohio residents will not receive the estimated $900 million in pandemic-era unemployment benefits they claimed in court. The Ohio Supreme Court issued a final ruling on Tuesday, rejecting a motion to reconsider the case for the third time.

The dispute centers on the federal program that provided weekly checks of $300 to unemployed workers. Governor Mike DeWine ended the program in Ohio in May 2021. That action occurred four months before the federal government concluded its own version of the benefit. The state’s early termination created a gap in payments for those still eligible under federal rules.

Former Attorney General Marc Dann filed the lawsuit on behalf of the affected workers. He argued the funds were already appropriated and remained available. Dann stated that the money is sitting there and that the court had the necessary evidence in front of them. He noted that a future governor could simply rescind DeWine's 2021 decision to terminate the program.

Dann estimated that the 300,000 individuals in the suit would spend the funds immediately. He claimed this action would inject nearly a billion dollars into the Ohio economy. The former attorney general described the litigation as a political science experiment, noting that legal aid groups and working-class supporters stood on one side while business organizations opposed the claim.

All six Republican justices on the court denied the motion to reconsider. Justice Jennifer Brunner, the sole Democrat on the bench, dissented from the decision. The court previously dismissed the case as moot twice before issuing this final rejection.

The ruling leaves the financial claim in the hands of the executive branch. No further judicial action is scheduled regarding this specific lawsuit.