Lawsuit against Dye dismissed

Landlords plan to appeal decision

A $75,000 suit filed earlier this year against President Nancy Dye and Oberlin College is still pending in Lorain County Court after being dismissed with prejudice earlier this summer. It was filed in early April by five Oberlin landlords: Betty Baxter, Carol Graham, Glenn Gall, Van Kirkendall and David Sonner.

A dismissal with prejudice means that the plaintiff cannot come back and simply reformulate their argument.

However, Graham said the ruling is being appealed. She could not comment further on the issue.

In the past three years, the city's fire codes have been considerably strengthened. Houses in the city must meet certain standards and are inspected regularly for their compliance with the standards.

On March 11 Dye issued a letter to the Oberlin community listing the names of landlords whose rooming houses did not comply with the city's fire codes. The landlords listed had either refused or failed city inspections.

All the landlords involved in the suit were named on the list. They are suing because they feel the that letter defamed them and interfered with their contractual relationships.

In a statement made in March, Sonner said, "We are not refusing inspections, we are refusing illegal inspections. Dye is aiding and abetting illegal behavior."

Dye disagrees, saying she is primarily concerned with safety. She said, "When the houses meet city standards, students can live in them." Currently, the College is not sure whether or not the houses meet city standards. Dye said they are waiting for a report from the city regarding the status of rooming houses. The city's annual inspections happened over the summer, and some of the properties which were not up to standards have now been approved.

The issue of rooming houses and fire codes is complicated by appeals filed by several landlords against the city regulations. "This has been a complicated system of charges and appeals," Dye said.