An attorney representing Trumbull County and Recorder Dawn Zinni-Hanni asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Tod Latell, the former county recorder, alleging civil conspiracy, defamation and abuse of political authority or influence.

Jillian Eckart of the Cleveland law firm of Mazanec, Raskin & Ryder Co., who is representing the county and Zinni-Hanni, responded Tuesday to Latell’s April 23 lawsuit.

Among the series of defenses listed by Eckart is qualified immunity, a common defense used by governments in Ohio that gives them immunity from liability as a defense in many court cases in which governmental functions are being done.

In addition, Eckart listed Latell failed to “state a private cause of action,” the lawsuit is “barred by the applicable statute of limitations” and “barred by the truth of the matter asserted.”

Eckart asked that the case be heard by a jury.

Latell also sued 7th District Court of Appeals Judge Mark A. Hanni, Zinni-Hanni’s husband, in the April 23 legal action.

Hanni has until June 29 to respond. Hanni is being represented by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office in this case. The attorney general’s office represents the state, its officers and employees in litigation before state and federal courts, Julie M. Pfeiffer of the AG’s Constitutional Offices Section wrote in a May 29 filing.

Latell’s lawsuit states the “claims arise from the intentional, illegal, unlawful, willful, wanton, malicious, outrageous, oppressive, recklessly indifferent and/or negligent conduct of the defendants, individually and collectively, who all acted at least in part under color of state law to deprive plaintiff of his civil and constitutional rights and as part of a conspiracy to destroy plaintiff’s personal and business names and reputations and to cause him to suffer as much economic damage and other harm as they could and eliminate him as a potential political opponent to defendant, Dawn Zinni-Hanni in the next election.”

The lawsuit contends Zinni-Hanni and Hanni, both Republicans, violated laws “relating to abuse of political authority or influence” and their conduct “demands that they immediately be removed from their respective offices.”

The lawsuit states that Latell, a Democrat, suffers and continues to suffer “severe, serious and potentially permanent injuries, damages, losses and harm,” including “anxiety, depression, embarrassment, humiliation, emotional distress, mental anguish, psychological trauma, inconvenience and a loss of life’s pleasures,” as well as a violation of his constitutional rights, an invasion of privacy and “a substantial loss of income.”

Zinni-Hanni sent a statement to the media on Jan. 8 along with a letter requesting the state auditor conduct an investigation into the alleged misconduct of Latell and Document Technology Systems, which provides and supports the recorder’s office’s software system.

Latell, who served eight years as county recorder, went to work for DTS after losing the November 2024 election to Zinni-Hanni.

State Auditor Keith Faber’s office reviewed the claims and determined it didn’t meet the criteria for an investigation.

DTS hired Latell on Feb. 1, 2025, as an outside sales representative and project manager with no business-related contact with any Trumbull County officials except for one very limited call, according to the lawsuit.

In Zinni-Hanni’s letter to Faber, she wrote that by selecting DTS for records software at the recorder’s office, Latell violated state law prohibiting former public officials from profiting from or representing interests tied to contracts they approved or influenced.

Zinni-Hanni and Hanni strongly deny Latell’s allegations in the lawsuit.

Zinni-Hanni contends after beating Latell that he demanded to be hired for a union-protected $100,000 annually salary job in exchange for agreeing not to run against him. She called it an attempt to “bully and pressure me into hiring him.”

The allegations by Latell in the lawsuit include abuse of political authority or influence against Hanni and Zinni-Hanni, civil conspiracy by the two, intentional infliction of emotional distress by the two, defamation by the two and Trumbull County, false-light invasion of privacy by all three, tortious interference with employment relationship by all three, and vicarious liability by the county.

Latell requested in excess $75,000 in compensatory damages for each of the nine counts as well as punitive damages, attorneys’ fees, costs and other relief deemed appropriate by the court.