Here we go again

OAK HARBOR — A disbarred attorney claims she was working as a paralegal when she assisted a local podcaster who faces a criminal trial later this year for allegedly attempting to extort public officials. Baumgartner FB "Ashli Ford sought my help in February 2023 in understanding the legal system and the risks of publication and public activism/advocacy related to the Amanda Dean case," Elsebeth Baumgartner wrote on her Facebook page Tuesday. "I am not now, nor did I ever, provide her with legal advice." Baumgartner, 69, of Oak Harbor, was convicted 18 years ago in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court of three counts of intimidation and two counts of retaliation. She was disbarred from practicing law and sentenced to eight years in prison. She served seven years and was paroled in 2013. She accused local public officials of numerous criminal acts and conspiracies, which led to her arrest. None of the allegations Baumgartner made were substantiated and did not result in any state or federal charges against any public officials. The charges Baumgartner was convicted of are similar to what Ashli Ford, 39, of Milan, is facing now in Erie County and in Norwalk. Ford was arrested earlier this year and is facing 19 felony and misdemeanor charges in Erie County Common Pleas Court and two misdemeanor falsification charges in Norwalk Municipal Court after accusing numerous public officials and others of nefarious acts. Baumgartner, in 2004, also was ruled to be a vexatious litigator, a legal classification that barred her from filing any court action in Ohio. She was one of just 44 individuals in Ohio to carry the designation at the time. The Ohio Supreme Court also voted unanimously in 2003 to disbar Baumgartner, according to a Nov. 17, 2006, news story in the Toledo Blade, saying she "made innumerable false allegations of wrongdoing" against public officials in Northwest Ohio. Like Baumgarter, Ford has failed to substantiate her allegations, according to officials and court records. Ford's husband, Ezekial Ford Sr., said the couple paid Baumgartner money to write court motions in her legal cases. "She charged my wife a thousand dollars to write three useless motions that were dismissed," Ezekial wrote in a comment on social media. Baumgartner denied their allegations and alleged a local attorney submitted a grievance against her for practicing law, despite being disbarred, and used Ford's social media as evidence against her. "(Baumgartner's post) relates to issues undertaken in my role as bar counsel for the Erie-Huron-Ottawa Counties Joint Grievance Committee," Joe Galea said. Galea would not confirm or deny whether a grievance was actually filed against Baumgartner, as they are confidential unless a formal complaint is filed. He also said that a person with a grievance against them will know about the complaint, unless there isn't a plausible violation. Baumgartner said the grievance was filed against her to the Ohio Supreme Court's Office of Disciplinary Counsel in March, the same day Ford was indicted. The disciplinary counsel is an affiliated office of the Ohio Supreme Court that educates, investigates and prosecutes attorneys and judicial officers who are accused of ethical misconduct. "I am not aware of any formal complaint, so I cannot confirm or deny if any grievance was filed," Disciplinary Counsel Joe Caligiuri told the Register and the Reflector. The American Bar Association defines paralegal as an individual qualified by education, training or work experience, who is employed or retained by a lawyer, law office, corporation, governmental agency or other entity.