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YOUNGSTOWN - A company that owns a vacant downtown building filed a lawsuit seeking at least $300,000 from the city and its deputy director of public works after it alleged a dumpster was improperly removed, resulting in improvement work stopping and the loss of potential tenants.
The federal lawsuit filed by Proffessor Enterprises LLC and, owned by Jantz Clinkscale of Cleveland, against Youngstown and Charles Shasho, deputy director of public works, lists five counts: due process violations, First Amendment retaliation, illegal economic taking in violation of the Fifth and 14th Amendments, a "Monell claim" for giving broad authority to Shasho without having formal policies, and equal protection violations.
This is the second federal lawsuit filed related to the building at 132 W. Federal St. The first was filed Oct. 1, 2025, by Clinkscale against the city, Shasho and three other city employees. A federal judge agreed with the city that Clinkscale didn't have legal standing to bring that lawsuit, which was dismissed April 22. That lawsuit, filed by Clinkscale without an attorney, sought $1.3 million from the city. Clinkscale hired attorney Jay Crook of Willoughby to represent him on March 19.
Crook is serving as Proffessor Enterprises' attorney in the latest lawsuit.
City Law Director Adam Buente said: "The lawsuit is frivolous and, as was the case with his first lawsuit, we expect a dismissal."
The lawsuit states Clinkscale's company started renovating the downtown building in late summer 2024 to develop a "holistic infant, maternal and family medical building with cafe, pharmacy and medical suites."
The city stopped the delivery of a dumpster on Aug. 30, 2024, because the company didn't submit the proper paperwork. That was quickly resolved and the dumpster placed in the loading bay area of the 132 W. Federal St. property, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit states Clinkscale was asked by the city to remove the dumpster on Oct. 17, 2024, for a city parade and permitted to return it four days later, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit states Clinkscale owns properties on Glenwood Avenue on the city's South Side and after paying a $500 fee to combine the lots for a potential group home, he later learned the fee wasn't necessary and asked for it to be refunded. The lawsuit contends that on Feb. 14, 2025, when Clinkscale sought to get the money returned, Shasho told him to leave city hall, which he did.
On March 3, 2025, Clinkscale's dumpster for 134 W. Federal St. was tagged by the city's code enforcement department and was told two days later by Shasho that it wasn't permitted to be there, according to the lawsuit.
The city then revoked Clinkscale's ability to have the dumpster at the property and had it removed March 12, 2025, according to the lawsuit. Three days later, all renovation work stopped because "without a dumpster, there was no way to dispose of the large volume of debris generated by the renovation project," the lawsuit states.
Prior to that, in December 2024, the lawsuit states Clinkscale had two letters of interest for leases for the building - from a dentist and an OB-GYN doctor - to start Sept. 1, 2025, each at $3,500 a month for five years. Also, the lawsuit states Clinkscale was subsequently contacted by IGA regarding a grocery store at the building, the lawsuit states.
Clinkscale filed the unsuccessful lawsuit on Oct. 1, 2025, that was dismissed April 22.
The latest lawsuit, filed Thursday, states the city issued $1,600 worth of code violations on Oct. 15 against the 132 W. Federal St. building, which the lawsuit states cannot be corrected because of the city's refusal to permit a dumpster there.
Also, the city issued a special assessment against Clinkscale for failing to properly cut grass on some of the four contiguous properties on Glenwood Avenue, which he disputes was proper, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges Shasho shouldn't be granted sole authority to determine if a dumpster can be located by a property in the city and that the city official "retaliated" against Clinkscale and Proffessor by ordering the code enforcement department to "specifically target" them.
"The actions of Shasho were willful, wanton, malicious and intentional," the lawsuit states.
Without interference from the city, the renovations to 132 W. Federal St. would have been finished, the lawsuit contends.