Ashli Ford’s lawyer threatens lawsuit against Erie Co. to get money from insurers

Spin vs. Scope: Pondering Peter Pattakos’ ‘total victory’ claim

SANDUSKY — Following a unanimous ruling from Ohio’s Sixth District Court of Appeals tossing four felony intimidation counts against Ashli Ford, her defense attorney, Peter Pattakos, took to social media to celebrate.

Attorney Peter Pattakos has aggressively used social media to portray opponents as corrupt and evil, often supporting Ashli Ford’s claims that public officials and others who she views as oppositional to her interests are part of a two-county sex trafficking ring. He has accused Common Please Judge Beverly McGookey of colluding with Prosecutor Kevin Baxter to corrupt a jury and convict Ashli Ford at all costs. (Photo/Matt Westerhold)

In a sweeping Facebook post, Pattakos declared the 21-page opinion a “ringing endorsement” of First Amendment freedoms and claimed prosecutors in the Huron-Ottawa-Erie tri-county region are now “0 for 33” across various charges leveled against Ford over the last two years. He capped the post by signaling an appetite for a civil payout, predicting the saga “should end with a substantial payment from Erie County’s insurer.”

It is a classic piece of defense attorney theatre—part genuine victory lap, part public relations maneuvering. But a closer look at the legal landscape reveals a far more complex reality than the posturing suggests.

◀ Reversal is not acquittal