Michael Callahan Removed

Michael Callahan, a former Summit County prosecutor and Common Pleas Court judge who later worked as a criminal defense attorney, surrendered his law license after the Ohio Supreme Court's Board of Professional Conduct filed a complaint alleging he coerced a client into sexual acts in exchange for legal representation. The complaint centers on a 57-year-old Berea woman with disabilities, including bipolar disorder and PTSD, who needed representation in an eviction case. According to the complaint, Callahan asked to meet at her home to discuss the case, immediately asked to see her bedroom, and the woman alleges she ultimately had sex with him and performed a sex act on him because she believed she would become homeless without his help.

The woman reported the incidents to police in early 2024, but was told criminal charges would not be filed due to the "he-said, she-said" nature of the allegations. The Board of Professional Conduct filed its complaint in December 2024. Callahan denied the allegations, including denying he paid the woman's friend for sexual favors, but submitted his application to retire from the practice of law in 2025, agreeing that his resignation would be recorded as "with discipline pending" rather than contesting the complaint. The Ohio Supreme Court accepted his resignation.