Practice
Civil litigation, employment, government and public-entity defense, § 1983 and civil rights matters, public records, open meetings, and appellate work.
About the writer
About Ami
Hi, I’m Ami Imbrogno. I’m an Ohio lawyer who spends a lot of time thinking about the line between what government can do, what it has to do, and what creates unnecessary risk when those lines get blurred.
My practice includes government tort liability, § 1983 and civil rights litigation, public records and open-meetings issues, employment law, and appellate work. I practice at Gallagher Sharp LLP in Cleveland, representing public entities, public officials, employers, private businesses, non-profits, and individuals in litigation and compliance matters.
I like both sides of the work: defending a public entity when the law supports what it did, and identifying the problem when the exposure is real.
Why I started Ohio Government, Actually
There are already plenty of government watchdogs out there. They have blogs, podcasts, Facebook pages and public-records requests, and sometimes they uncover things worth paying attention to. But some also manage to turn a rescheduled deposition, a typo in a filing, a strange email or a garden-variety bureaucratic screwup into a conspiracy theory or a gotcha moment.
That’s not me. Macchiato Jellybean is the only watchdog here (and only when he is watching food).
I’m more interested in what the law actually requires. I write about what a new law or decision changes and what it does not change, where a public entity may be creating avoidable exposure, and when criticism is or is not deserved. Sometimes the government violated the law. Sometimes the supposed scandal becomes much less salacious once you read the statute, rule or opinion.
This site is not a substitute for a law director, prosecuting attorney or other counsel. It is meant to help identify when counsel should be consulted before an issue becomes a problem and make the eventual conversation with counsel better informed.
Professional background
Magistrate
Part-time Magistrate, Willoughby Municipal Court, handling civil matters and criminal and traffic arraignments.
Ordained minister
Ordained minister registered with the State of Ohio.
Board certification
Board Certified in Civil Practice Advocacy by the National Board of Trial Advocacy since 2025. NBTA was the first attorney board-certifying agency accredited by the American Bar Association.
Government-law involvement
Steering Committee member of DRI’s Governmental Liability Committee and Co-Chair of its Partnering with Industry initiative.
Admissions
- Ohio
- U.S. District Court, N.D. Ohio
- U.S. District Court, S.D. Ohio
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
- Supreme Court of the United States
Professional development
Federal Bar Association Trial Academy 2026: Preliminary Injunctions
Participant · 2026
Selected experience
Representative matters
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
- Ward v. AdkissonFederal civil rights litigation; obtained summary judgment for county defendant.
- Koch v. Lorain County, OhioFederal civil rights litigation; obtained summary judgment for county defendant.
- McLemore v. County of MahoningFederal civil rights litigation; obtained summary judgment for all represented defendants.
- Rock House Fitness, Inc. v. ActonThe first challenge to Ohio’s COVID-19 shutdown orders under the Ohio Constitution, including preliminary injunction briefing.
- Shankle v. City of North Royalton Police DepartmentFederal civil rights litigation.
- Renz v. OhioFederal civil rights litigation.
- Cattlemans v. Ashland County Health DepartmentWidely covered challenge to COVID-19 mask mandates; prevailed at a bench trial.
- Sciria v. BillyHearing concerning whether a political subdivision had a duty to defend and indemnify under R.C. 2744.07; prevailed after the hearing.
- Ballantine v. CampopianoIntentional tort claim; obtained summary judgment for the school.
- Steigerwald v. BereaWrongful death case; obtained summary judgment for all represented defendants.
- Hallum v. Lake County Prosecutor’s OfficePublic records litigation; obtained a ruling in the client’s favor and dismissal of the case.
- Meade v. Lorain County, OhioDisability discrimination and FMLA litigation; obtained judgment on the pleadings.
- Parries v. Presidents’ CouncilEmployment litigation; obtained summary judgment in two separate cases.
- Hackett v. Marysville Exempted Village School DistrictFederal civil rights litigation; obtained judgment on the pleadings.
- Rice v. Bio-Med Science AcademyADA litigation; obtained judgment on the pleadings.
- Glendenning v. CAPLFederal civil rights litigation; obtained judgment on the pleadings on all claims except the Monell claim.
- Minaya v. NVRTort litigation; obtained judgment on the pleadings.
- Williams v. HungAppeal; successfully advocated for affirmance of the trial court’s order granting judgment on the pleadings.
- In re Application of Kingwood Solar I LLCAuthored an amicus brief advocating for affirmance of the PUCO’s decision denying an application to site a solar farm.
- Sharp v. Shaker HeightsTort litigation; obtained summary judgment for represented defendants and successfully advocated for affirmance on appeal.
- Anderson v. City of WestlakeTort litigation; successfully advocated for affirmance of the trial court’s order granting summary judgment.
- Bowman v. DownsTort litigation; obtained judgment on the pleadings for all represented defendants and successfully advocated for affirmance on appeal.