Lawyers for Bobby George, the Cleveland-area businessman currently facing several felony charges in Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, have sent Cleveland an evidence preservation letter, indicating plans for a possible lawsuit against the city.
Bobby and his father Tony own several business ventures in Northeast Ohio and in Columbus, including TownHall in the Short North.
On Aug. 8, 2024, an officer in Cleveland Division of Police spoke to an unnamed woman who accused Bobby George of assault, kidnapping, rape and attempted murder during several incidents starting in November 2023 and ending in late July 2024.
According to an arrest warrant issued the next day, George allegedly followed the victim to her car, held a gun to the window and demanded she exit the vehicle. Then he allegedly led her back inside the residence she was trying to leave with the gun pressed against her stomach. In another incident, he allegedly said to her “You think God is going to help you?” while she was praying in a closet that she would not die.
George appeared in Cleveland Municipal Court on Aug. 13, where no plea was entered on nine separate counts. George posted $20,000 bond and was released. He has denied the accusations via his attorney.
The Aug. 19 letter from his attorneys demands the city preserve any information created “since the investigation of Mr. George was initiated that relate to the City’s investigation of Mr. George, all communications relating to Mr. George, including but not limited to any and all communications that the City believes to be covered by attorney-client privilege or the attorney-work product doctrine, and the criminal complaint filed against Mr. George.”
The city routinely receives preservation letters and abides by them, a city spokesperson said Wednesday.
"We will do the same here as this is no different than others," spokesperson Tyler Sinclair wrote in an email.
George’s attorneys are focused on records held by Cleveland Prosecutor Aqueelah Jordan or others in her office, Law Director Mark Griffin and officers from the Cleveland Division of Police involved in the case.
Attached to the letter to the city was a Dec. 2, 2023 letter from several Democratic groups, including Cleveland Stonewall Democrats, Cuyahoga Democratic Women’s Caucus and Young Democrats of Cuyahoga County, among others.
Jordan is a member of the Cleveland Stonewall Democrats’ executive board.
The letter, apparently to local Democratic party candidates, encouraged them to avoid holding events at George family-owned properties including TownHall, the restaurant owned by Bobby George on West 25th Street in Cleveland.
“We are writing to draw attention to a serious lapse of judgment and incongruent values some candidates manifest when they redirect campaign contributions to fundraising venues owned by people with views antithetical to those professed by the candidates,” the letter read.
It cited Tony George’s opposition to a 2018 Cuyahoga County ordinance banning discrimination by businesses based on sexual orientation and gender identity and his alleged links to the First Energy bribery scandal.
Near the bottom of the letter, Bobby George’s attempt to have charges brought against protestors outside his restaurant were also cited as a reason to boycott TownHall and other businesses owned by the George family.
Cleveland officials did not provide a response to the letter from George’s attorney. His criminal case is currently in Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas.
