COLUMBUS, Ohio — Attorneys are asking for a timeout — arguing in federal court Monday that the public's money shouldn't be given to the Cleveland Browns, especially without telling Ohioans.

From a few dollars to nearly $300,000 for a Northeast Ohio animal shelter , unclaimed funds contain money left behind .

It's money that attorney Jeff Crossman says belongs to its rightful owners — the people of Ohio and other

"Taking someone's property and giving it to somebody else, a private owner, for some other private use is unconstitutional," Crossman said in an interview. "It's a handout to the Cleveland Browns."

This summer, the state lawmakers decided to give the Browns a $600 million performance grant for their new Brook Park stadium using unclaimed funds. Ohio's Division of Unclaimed

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