A blind Elyria attorney has lost his lawsuit against the state agency he said recommended an assistant who eventually stole $22,478 from him.

Carl Rose contended that the Ohio Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation should have performed a background check on Nancy Haylor before a case worker suggested her to him as a potential assistant.

But Ohio Court of Claims Judge Joseph Clark rejected the argument, writing in his decision that there is nothing that would have required the bureau and its parent agency, the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission, to perform a background check on Haylor.

Rose hired Haylor in May 2005 without performing a background check on his own. Among her duties while working for Rose were to keep his books and to write checks.

Rose fired Haylor in 2006 after she refused to turn over tax documents to him. He then reviewed his finances and checked out Haylor, discovering that she had a theft conviction for stealing from a previous employer, the Elyria Holiday Inn.

Haylor pleaded guilty to theft and had agreed to pay Rose back, but never did so. Lorain County Common Pleas Judge Raymond Ewers ultimately sent her to jail for six months.

Eileen Corson, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission, said the only way the agency would have done a background check on someone would be if they were trying to place a potential employee with a criminal record who had concerns about getting a job.

Rose said he is considering appealing the decision.

Contact Brad Dicken at 329-7147 or bdicken@chroniclet.com.

In order to comment, you must agree to our user agreement and discussion guidelines.
You must be registered and logged in to post a comment. If you aren't already registered, click here.
If you are registered, click here to log in.
Need help? Email Us.