NIKI FRENCHKO v. PAUL MONROE; TRUMBULL COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT; HAROLD WIX; ROBERT ROSS; MAURO CANTALAMESSA; TRUMBULL COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS; TRUMBULL COUNTY, OHIO; FRANK FUDA - Articles

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NIKI FRENCHKO v. PAUL MONROE; TRUMBULL COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT; HAROLD WIX; ROBERT ROSS; MAURO CANTALAMESSA; TRUMBULL COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS; TRUMBULL COUNTY, OHIO; FRANK FUDA

Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Nov 26, 2025

Attorneys 1: ARGUED: Daniel T. Downey, FISHEL DOWNEY ALBRECHT & RIEPENHOFF LLC, New Albany, Ohio, for Appellants Paul Monroe, Mauro Cantalamessa, Frank Fuda, and Trumball County. Andrew N. Yosowitz, TEETOR WESTFALL, LLC, Columbus, Ohio, for Appellants Robert Ross and Harold Wix. Matt Miller-Novak, BARRON, PECK, BENNIE & SCHLEMMER, Cincinnati, Ohio, for Appellee.

Attorneys 2: ON BRIEF: Daniel T. Downey, Helen K. Sudhoff, FISHEL DOWNEY ALBRECHT & RIEPENHOFF LLC, New Albany, Ohio, Andrew N. Yosowitz, TEETOR WESTFALL, LLC, Columbus, Ohio, for Appellants. Matt Miller- Novak, BARRON, PECK, BENNIE & SCHLEMMER, Cincinnati, Ohio, David J. Betras, BETRAS, KOPP & MARKOTA, Canfield, Ohio, for Appellee.

Judge(s): CLAY, NALBANDIAN, and DAVIS, Circuit Judges

Court Appealed: United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio at Youngstown

DAVIS, Circuit Judge. Niki Frenchko filed this civil-rights action after she was arrested at a Trumbull County Board of Commissioners meeting while serving as one of three elected commissioners. After running on a campaign platform to expose corruption and inefficiencies purportedly committed by her fellow commissioners, Frenchko sought to deliver on that promise. At a June 2022 meeting, Frenchko accused the Trumbull County Jail and Trumbull County Sheriff’s Department of ignoring concerns of inmate mistreatment. Her accusations angered her fellow commissioners and the County Sheriff, Paul Monroe. During a meeting later that summer, Commission Chair Frank Fuda asked the county clerk to read into the record a letter prepared by Monroe denying Frenchko’s claims of inmate mistreatment. Frenchko’s actions during the reading of the letter led two Sheriff’s Department officials to arrest her for disrupting a lawful meeting in violation of Ohio Revised Code § 2917.12(A)(1). Frenchko asserted civil- rights violations relating to her arrest against her fellow commissioners; three Trumbull County Sheriff’s Department officials; and Trumbull County, its Sheriff’s Department, and its Board of Commissioners. She moved for partial summary judgment; the defendants raised various immunity defenses and moved for summary judgment on all counts. The district court granted in part and denied in part both Frenchko’s motion for partial summary judgment and the defendants’ joint motion for summary judgment. The defendants appeal. For the following reasons, we AFFIRM in part, REVERSE in part, and REMAND.

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