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Kennedy Kent Files Suit Against Own Caucus

WCBE 90.5FM | By Ohio Public Radio

Published December 17, 2020 at 7:15 PM EST

A state representative from Columbus who hasn’t been to the Statehouse is more than a year and a half is suing her fellow House Democrats as well as the current and former minority leaders. Ohio Public Radio's Karen Kasler reports.

Democratic Representative Bernadine Kennedy Kent claims she was kicked out of the House Democratic Caucus in retaliation for a floor speech blasting Columbus Police for their handling of Black crime victim cases. Her lawyer Nick Owens says Kent has PTSD and anxiety and feared further retaliation so she didn’t run for re-election. But he says she’s still a Democrat, though she publicly endorsed President Trump.

“Even if she voted for Donald Trump, the law is clear. All members of the state legislature elected under the affiliation of their party are then respective members of their caucuses.”

A spokesperson for the Ohio House Democratic Caucus had no comment on the lawsuit. Kennedy Kent hasn’t been to the Statehouse since she was blocked from coming into a caucus meeting in May 2019.

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