Cooper Elliott

10/16/2026

Recently Dateline NBC featured the story of our client, Dana Beatty.

In 1989, Dana was s*xually assaulted in her Cincinnati home. For 35 years, it remained a cold case until advances in DNA technology eventually matched evidence from the crime scene to a former physician, Frederick Tanzer.

Because Ohio's statute of limitations had expired, Tanzer could not be charged with r**e and was instead sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for lying to investigators.

Dana has shown incredible courage by sharing her story on a national stage to push for real changes to these statute of limitation laws.

The criminal case may be finished, but true accountability is not. Cooper Elliott is proud to represent Dana in her ongoing civil lawsuit against Tanzer to ensure he is fully held to account for the harm he caused.

https://bit.ly/4BrbUsT

A Cincinnati woman's 35-year quest for justice takes center stage on Dateline NBC as new interviews reveal how DNA solved her 1989 assault case

10/14/2026

Before joining our team as an attorney, Spencer Hattemer spent years as a union organizer meeting with nurses, techs, and hospital workers.

Many of those vital conversations happened late at night in hospital cafeterias just like this one. Those workers taught Spencer exactly how hospitals operate from the inside out, especially when dealing with intense workplace pressures and severe staffing shortages.

Today, Spencer uses that unique, firsthand experience to represent patients and families in complex medical malpractice cases. It allows him to look beyond individual mistakes to uncover the deeper institutional breakdowns that place patients in danger.

10/12/2026

The Cooper Elliott team recently attended Perspectives from the Bench at the Ohio Statehouse Atrium.

The program offered general updates on the state of the federal judiciary, and all proceeds from the event benefited the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation.

Providing equal access to legal help for all Ohioans is a cause we are incredibly proud to support.

10/08/2026

In 2024, a cyberattack against Columbus leaked the private information of half a million people to the dark web. Last year, a judge dismissed the resulting class action lawsuit after the city argued it was immune from liability.

The 10th District Court of Appeals unanimously reversed that decision, ruling the lawsuit should not have been dismissed and must move forward.

The people of Columbus need to be able to trust the government with their information. It's protection worth fighting for.

Read the full story on NBC4: https://bit.ly/4AVENNe

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — More than two years after the city of Columbus was hit with a massive ransomware attack, there is a win for the victims. The 2024 cyberattack against Columbus resulted…

10/07/2026

We are proud to share that attorney Spencer Meador has officially been sworn in as President-Elect of the Columbus Bar Foundation.

True to form, our colleague kept this news low key, but we couldn’t resist celebrating her.

Please join us in congratulating her on this wonderful achievement.

10/05/2026

On Friday night, Dana Beatty's story aired on Dateline. Telling it took incredible courage.

For more than 30 years, Dana carried what her attacker did to her. Many survivors stay silent for fear they won't be believed. Dana spoke anyway, and she and her family never stopped fighting for answers.

We were in the Dayton courtroom when the man Dana and Dateline called "the monster" was sentenced to prison. But not for ra**ng Dana. Ohio's statute of limitations had run out, so the only charge left was lying to federal investigators.

That's why Dana is pushing to end the statute of limitations for r**e in Ohio, and we stand with her. Justice shouldn't have a deadline. Cooper Elliott represents Dana in her civil case, and we're with her for what comes next.

Dana, thank you for being brave in public so other survivors know they can be brave too.

Please take a moment to watch Dana's remarkable story.

Blayne Alexander reports Friday, October 2, at 9/8c on NBC. Watch...

10/05/2026

Helping someone doesn't always involve taking a case. Sometimes it just means showing up when they need support.

Managing Partner Kaela King recently heard from a woman who had a personal injury case with another attorney. Before she signed a release agreement, she wanted a second set of eyes on it for reassurance. So, Kaela took a look to make sure she was protected.

A few days later, she sent Kaela a kind email, and a beautiful bouquet showed up at our front desk.

Not every win happens in a courtroom. Sometimes it's an hour of attention so someone can sign with confidence.

10/02/2026

Attorney Sara Schiavone has practiced law in Columbus for almost a decade. In that time, she's watched the legal community here change.

She's found it's become more collegial. The job hasn't gotten any easier. Caseloads are heavy and the courts are busy. But more attorneys seem to understand that fighting over every little thing doesn't help their clients.

That matters if you're the one with the case. When the lawyers on both sides can pick up the phone and work things out, there's less back-and-forth and less waiting, and that means less stress for you.

Sara thinks a lot of it comes down to relationships. You're more likely to work things out with someone you know and respect, especially someone who's been dealing with you straight for years.

10/01/2026

We don't stop.

When an 11-week-old baby left his Huber Heights daycare needing emergency brain surgery, his family trusted us to find the truth. We filed suit in 2024 and kept digging.

What we learned changed the case. We recently filed an updated complaint against Early Beginnings Child Care & Learning. It alleges the daycare knew about abuse by its employees and hid it from parents.

For us, advocating for a client doesn't end once a lawsuit is filed. It means following the evidence wherever it leads and holding every responsible party accountable. Doing that protects more than one family. It pushes the businesses we trust with our children to be honest and keep them safe.

Thank you to WHIO for telling this family's story.

The family filed a complaint against Early Beginnings in July 2024, after their 11-week-old was rushed into emergency brain surgery.

09/23/2026

If your family has been touched by hazing, you probably have a lot of questions - and most people don't know where to start.

A few we hear often:

Does it count as hazing if they "agreed" to it? No. Consent generally isn't a legal defense. Peer pressure and fear of exclusion aren't the same as choosing freely.

Who can actually be held responsible? Often more than one party: individual members, a chapter's executive board, the national organization, the university, even a housing corporation.

How much time do we have? In Ohio, it's generally two years from the injury, or two years from death in a wrongful death case — with special rules if the victim was under 18.

We've put together a full FAQ page answering these and more, from what legally counts as hazing to how our team investigates when memories are unclear. Cooper Elliott secured the largest hazing settlement in Ohio history and represents families nationwide, on contingency — you pay nothing unless we win.

Read the full FAQ: https://bit.ly/4yb6Eap