CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The clerks of Geauga and Lake County courts are facing a lawsuit accusing them of dragging their feet in publishing public records.

Courthouse News Service filed a lawsuit Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Cleveland against the Geauga County Clerk of Courts Sheila Bevington and Lake County Clerk of Courts Carl DiFranco.

The California-based legal news publication accuses the clerks of violating the First and Fourteenth Amendments by waiting several days to provide access to civil lawsuits.

The news site argues both courts used to offer same-day access to cases that were filed but have implemented additional red tape that delays release.

Because the counties do not publish civil filings until they are “processed,” all civil filings are effectively “sealed” for about o

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