“Completely Devoid of Substance”: Special Master Finds City’s Refusal to Release Bodycam Footage Baseless, Recommends City Pays for All Legal Costs
A Special Master working on behalf of the Ohio Court of Claims has issued a scathing recommendation against the City of Cleveland Heights for refusing to release body-worn camera footage of Mayor Seren’s wife’s obscene outburst inside City Hall on December 6, 2024. Dismissing the City’s defense as “completely devoid of substance,” the Special Master found that there was no legal basis for hiding the footage.
The recommendation is clear:
The body camera footage is a public record and must be released within 30 days.
The City must confirm compliance within 40 days.
The City must reimburse the requesters’ filing fees and costs.
A Special Master is a court-appointed referee who reviews the facts and makes a recommendation to the judge, which often carries significant weight in the final decision.
The December 6, 2024 incident, captured on police body-worn camera, documents Natalie McDaniel shouting obscenities at city employees, including police officers. Instead of releasing this public record, the mayor has forced the city to fight tooth and nail to conceal it—AT TAXPAYER EXPENSE.
Instead of upholding transparency and accountability, Mayor Seren compelled the city’s law department to waste taxpayer dollars fighting to conceal his wife's unacceptable behavior toward city employees inside city hall.
Even worse, the city’s legal insurer has refused to cover the case, meaning Cleveland Heights residents are footing the bill—twice: first for the City’s defense, and now for the requesters’ legal costs.
Cleveland Heights residents deserve better. No family member of any elected official should be shielded from accountability while the rest of us foot the bill.
Read more about the December 6, 2024, incident HERE. Watch the security camera footage (no audio) from the incident HERE.
