Published Writings

I Call It “Éire”

Fall 2016 — Away Journal

The hair between his knuckles and on the back of his hand was gold, although not all the hairs shone at once. The light would choose some, and others would be invisible until he shifted his wrist to stir his tea or pull back his sweater cuff to check the time.

Cincinnati, OH, USA: Man & Dog

Winter 2020 — Away Journal

At first Dog was happy. Usually during the week, Man was gone for hours, leaving in the morning and returning just in time for dinner. Sometimes he was a little late. Now, Man was home. The first couple days, Dog liked that Man was there all the time. Now Dog got more walks, and could play with Man all day. Man would even serve dinner at the right time.

But now, Dog wasn’t so sure. Man was kind of messing with his flow. 

Legal Writings

Proving Racism: Gibson Bros. Inc. v. Oberlin College and the Implications on Defamation Law

Spring 2022 — University of Cincinnati Law Review

Note: This article was published the same day as the Ninth District published their decision, which did not follow the reasoning I recommended.

Within a day of the election of Donald Trump in 2016, a seemingly innocuous event occurred in the small college town of Oberlin, Ohio: an Oberlin College student visited a local business, Gibson’s, and attempted to use a fake ID to buy a bottle of wine, with two more bottles hidden under his shirt. The man at the counter, Allyn D. Gibson Jr., confronted the student, and although there are conflicting accounts of what happened next, the parties agree that Gibson Jr. chased the student out of the store, and the two of them engaged in a physical altercation. The police arrived and arrested the student, who is Black, and his two friends, also Oberlin students.

This incident is not the focus of this Casenote. Rather, this Casenote examines the constitutional, racial, and legally-complicated questions that arose from the protest and boycott that followed and the lawsuit filed by Gibson’s against Oberlin College. The lawsuit ultimately asks the question: is being called a “racist” actionable as a defamation claim? This Casenote argues that for purposes of defamation law, “racist” is not a verifiably false statement, and thus, should be considered constitutionally protected opinion speech.

Immunity Confusion: Why Are Ohio Courts Unable to Apply a Clear Immunity Standard in School-Bullying Cases?

October 2021 — University of Cincinnati Law Review

When a young student commits suicide because they were bullied at school, who do we blame? Who should be held liable for this student’s death? Should it be the student’s teacher? The administrators? The school district more broadly? Maybe no one at all? And how do we determine what conduct is blameworthy and what conduct is not?

I’m Not, Not Lying to You: A (Very Brief) Discussion of Categorical and Contextual Approaches to Lawyer-Lying

Summer 2021 — University of Cincinnati Law Review Blog

I will try not to lie to you. You may not believe me, but I’ll do my best to tell you the truth. In this particular situation, I have no reason to not be truthful.