Jennifer J. Ciccone, fired by embattled Mahoning County Clerk of Courts Michael P. Ciccone in October as his chief deputy and chief of staff after a falling out, is asking a court magistrate to order her former boss to repay $4,250 in a breach-of-contract case he’s ignored.

Magistrate Donald DeSanto scheduled a May 1 hearing in Mahoning County Court in Austintown on Jennifer J. Ciccone’s motion for summary judgment as her former boss hasn’t responded to the civil complaint, filed Oct. 24.

In the March 26 filing, Jennifer J. Ciccone wrote “that the pleadings and evidentiary materials filed with the complaint clearly shows that there is no genuine issue of material fact and plaintiff is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Defendant has failed to respond and has presented no evidence to create a dispute of material fact.”

She filed a civil complaint contending breach of contract because she let Michael P. Ciccone borrow money — $2,750 in December 2023, which he hasn’t paid back, and $3,500 in September 2024, for which he made payments of $2,000 on, but still owes her $1,500. She sued for $4,250 plus interest.

Jennifer J. Ciccone wrote in the complaint that Michael P. Ciccone needed the $3,500 to “avoid being found culpable in the grievance proceedings” involving a former client who accused him of “gross neglect and misconduct.”

Both Ciccones, who aren’t related, are attorneys.

Michael P. Ciccone never responded to the complaint.

A summons was sent Oct. 27, three days after the complaint was filed, by certified mail to Michael P. Ciccone through the clerk of courts’ office. The court docket shows the certified mail sent to his home by his office went unclaimed. Jennifer J. Ciccone then asked the summons be issued Dec. 4 by regular mail to him.

Service of process issues have been an ongoing problem since Michael P. Ciccone took over in January 2025 as clerk of courts.

A notice of the hearing was sent March 30 to both parties.

On Oct. 17, hours after she was fired, Jennifer J. Ciccone posted several incriminating and embarrassing text messages from and photos of her former boss and once close friend on Facebook. That included the use of a racial epithet several times and slurs about elected officials. She later removed nearly all of them, but screenshots are on other Facebook pages.

REMOVAL EFFORT

The chairmen of the Mahoning County Republican and Democratic parties have called for Ciccone, a Republican, to resign, which he refuses to do.

The two political parties announced Dec. 19 they would seek to remove Ciccone through legal action that started in January.

The parties need at least 13,029 valid signatures from county residents on petitions to force a court hearing on Ciccone’s removal.

Tom McCabe, chairman of the county Republican Party’s executive committee, said Monday that both parties are collecting signatures, but “we’re a ways off. It’s going to take a while.”

McCabe talked of collecting signatures during the Canfield Fair, which is Sept. 2-7.

Ciccone wrote in an Oct. 19 statement that he would not resign. He hasn’t made any other public comments since then.

The political parties accuse Ciccone of repeatedly abusing the authority of his office, using “discriminatory and degrading language,” and failing to “perform core statutory duties and administered the clerk’s office in a manner that undermined fiscal integrity, employee safety and public confidence in the judicial system.”

The complaint lists counts of malfeasance, misfeasance, nonfeasance, neglect of duty and negligence in office. It accuses Ciccone of mismanaging the title office, overhiring and overpaying personnel, engaging in favoritism, improperly waiving filing fees, failing to properly supervise employees and “failing to perform essential statutory duties.”

Also, the Ohio Clerk of Courts Association censured Ciccone in November, and then removed him from all committees and asked him to resign from the organization a month later. Ciccone has refused to resign.

In an unprecedented move, the Mahoning County commissioners suspended Ciccone’s access privileges in December to the courthouse entrances, except the main one, for what they said were violations of security rules and protocols. His office is on the second floor of the building.

Elected county officials who work in the courthouse usually use side doors or the back door to gain entrance to the building, bypassing security.

In a Dec. 23 letter to Ciccone, signed by the three commissioners, they wrote, “This email serves as formal notification that the courthouse security has suspended your access to the courthouse through the back door / emergency exit, effective immediately.”

It continues, “This action was taken based upon information received that you have violated security rules and protocols for entering the courthouse, including improper after-hours access and improper entrance into the courthouse without going through the security station. This action was taken based upon the recommendation of the courthouse security and with the approval of the presiding judge of the Mahoning County Court of Common Pleas,” who is R. Scott Krichbaum.

Ciccone, who owed $5,896.50 in delinquent taxes on four properties as recently as February, had made most of those payments, though the county auditor’s website lists $1,385.53 delinquent as of Monday for his house at 18 S. Edgehill Ave. in Austintown, which is co-owned with Patrick W. Ciccone.

Ciccone also failed to pay $547.54 for the first half of the taxes owed – which were due last month – on a Springfield property he owns at 6402 E. Garfield Road, though the auditor’s office doesn’t list it as delinquent.