Civil Rights

The Civil Rights Section in the Office of the Ohio Attorney General represents the Ohio Civil Rights Commission in its mission of protecting equal opportunity and eliminating unlawful discrimination in employment, places of public accommodations, housing, credit and institutions of higher education. Unlawful discrimination under the Ohio Revised Code includes discrimination based on certain protected classes, such as race, color, national origin, religion, disability, age, familial status and military status.

The Ohio Civil Rights Section of the Attorney General’s Office litigates discrimination cases on behalf of the Commission. The Attorney General’s Office does not provide legal representation to the person making the allegation of discrimination. Discrimination claims are initiated and investigated by the Ohio Civil Rights Commission.

For more information regarding unlawful discriminatory practices, protected classes and the Commission’s jurisdiction, go to www.crc.ohio.gov.

Free educational workshops on discrimination in housing and employment are conducted on a regular basis by attorneys and other staff members of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.

Who We Are

Following is a list of the attorneys currently employed in the Civil Rights Section. Click on an attorney's name to learn more about him or her.

Lori A. Anthony

Section Chief
Columbus: 614-466-7900
Cincinnati: 513-852-3497
Email: Lori.Anthony@OhioAGO.gov

Lori joined the Ohio Attorney General’s Office in 2001. As the Chief of the Civil Rights Section, Lori is the primary link between the Attorney General’s Office and the Ohio Civil Rights Commission (OCRC). In addition to providing legal advice to the OCRC, she supervises all the statewide litigation and outreach of the section. Lori is a member of the Attorney General’s Ethics Committee, Diversity Committee, and Chair of the LGBT Employee Network Group. Lori also coached a Mock Trial team. Lori worked in the Workers’ Compensation Section and was Co-Managing Attorney of the Cincinnati Regional Office. She is a member of the Cincinnati Bar Association and serves on the Unauthorized Practice of Law committee, Diversity and Inclusion committee, and Awards committee.

Prior to joining the Attorney General’s Office, Lori worked at the Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati, where she represented individuals in housing, social security, and education (disability) matters.

Lori was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. She is a fan of Cleveland professional sports teams, with the added challenge of living in Cincinnati.

Sharon D. Tassie

Assistant Section Chief
Office: 614-466-7900
Email: Sharon.Tassie@OhioAGO.gov

Sharon has been with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office for over 30 years. She is currently the Assistant Chief of the Civil Rights Section. She has represented the Ohio Civil Rights Commission (OCRC) since 1991.

During her time representing the OCRC, she has prosecuted cases of discrimination in employment, housing, credit, higher education and public accommodations. These cases have been litigated in administrative, state and federal forums. In addition to her day-to-day caseload, Sharon is a frequent presenter in various aspects of discrimination law, was a volunteer coach to a law school mock trial team and volunteers as a mentor to law students interested in government service or civil rights litigation.

Sharon has a B.A. with distinction, in Political Science from Ohio Northern University and a J.D. cum laude, from the University of Toledo College of Law. Sharon is admitted to practice in the State of Ohio and in the United States District Court, Southern District of Ohio. She is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association, the Ohio Women’s Bar Association, the Columbus Bar Association and the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association.

David A. Oppenheimer

Senior Assistant Attorney General
Office: 216-787-3030
Email: David.Oppenheimer@OhioAGO.gov

David is a Senior Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Section. In that capacity, he represents the Ohio Civil Rights Commission (OCRC) in prosecuting administrative and judicial complaints alleging discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations. He has served as lead counsel in numerous administrative hearings and several court cases. David also defends the OCRC and its staff in various legal actions brought against the agency. In addition to his litigation responsibilities, David works closely with the OCRC’s staff during investigations, helping evaluate claims and determining whether those claims should be prosecuted by the OCRC.

David is a member of the public records task force, and takes the lead on reviewing and responding to public records requests made to the Civil Rights Section.

When David joined the Attorney General’s Office in 1994, he initially worked in the Chief Counsel’s Staff, representing the State of Ohio, various State officials, and the Ohio Elections Commission.

Stefan J. Schmidt

Principal Assistant Attorney General
Office: 614-466-7900
Email: Stefan.Schmidt@OhioAGO.gov

Steve is from Struthers, a small town in Northeast Ohio near the Pennsylvania border. Steve joined the Attorney General’s Office in August 1990. He has been in the Civil Rights Section since June 2001, where he primarily litigates employment and housing discrimination cases. Steve was a Finalist for the 2009 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award for his work on the case of Kennedy v. City of Zanesville where the Office was successful in getting public drinking water to an area east of the City of Zanesville who had been pleading for water service since the 1960’s.

Prior to joining the Civil Rights Section, Steve was in the Environmental Section and the Employment Services Section.

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