A power struggle in Cuyahoga County government has reached a boiling point after the county’s law department issued contradictory legal opinions that Prosecutor Mike O’Malley is using as definitive proof that his office, not the county law department, should handle all civil legal work.

The controversy centers on two diametrically opposed legal opinions issued by the same law department. In 2022, under the previous administration, the county law department issued an opinion stating that the sheriff had broad independence under the county charter, particularly regarding internal operations like human resources. Fast forward to today, and the same department has released a new opinion arguing the exact opposite position.

“He’s using that contradiction to argue that the law department is b

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