The Cleveland Plain Dealer
CLEVELAND — A state appeals court on dismissed a case filed by the Cleveland police union and an officer fired from the department for violating the city’s residency law.
Three judges in the 8th District Court of Appeals unanimously ruled last week to uphold an earlier decision that the city had the right to fire William Miller.
Cleveland has required city employees, including police and firefighters, to live within city limits since 1982. State lawmakers passed a law in 2006 forbidding residency requirements, and the issue has been tied up in multiple courts since then. The state Supreme Court is expected to eventually resolve the issue.
Mayor Frank Jackson said last year that he would fire any city worker who moves out of Cleveland. So far he has fired eight people, including Miller.
The appeals court ruled that it would not hear Miller’s appeal because the legal status of the residency requirement remains unclear.
Copyright 2008 The Cleveland Plain Dealer