A new state law meant to protect freedom of speech was cited by a Cuyahoga County judge in the dismissal of a lawsuit against a Cleveland City Council public commenter.
Ibrahim Shehadeh, who owns multiple gas stations around Northeast Ohio and played a central role in charges against members of the Cleveland activist group New Era Cleveland, exonerated earlier this year, sued over public comments given at an , Cleveland City Council meeting.
Dallas Eckman alleged intimidating, racist behavior by Shehadeh and other members of his group outside a council meeting in September 2024.
鈥淎fter public comment, myself, members of New Era Cleveland and supporters, many children, walked out of these very council chambers,鈥� Eckman told council on April 14. 鈥淚brahim Shehadeh, along with a dozen of his co-owners, as they did, they loudly made monkey noises and threats to the Black community members. This vile, racist display included flicking cigarettes at us, again children, and screaming, again, at a crowd of children as we walked away from city hall.鈥�
Shehadeh and his partners were at council in September of 2024 to advocate for a zoning law change that would permit , a controversial project that likely contributed to the narrow defeat of Councilman Danny Kelly in November鈥檚 election.
Shehadeh denied the charge of racism or that he flicked cigarettes at anyone and said during a Nov. 5, 2025 court hearing the accusations had a negative impact on his business.
鈥淎re you a racist?鈥� Shehadeh鈥檚 attorney Brian Green asked.
鈥淚鈥檓 not,鈥� Shehadeh said.
鈥淥kay. Do you find that damaging to your business reputation?鈥� Green said.
鈥淏ig time,鈥� Shehadeh said
鈥淥kay. Did you flick cigarettes at anybody?鈥� Green said.
鈥淣o, I don鈥檛 even smoke,鈥� Shehadeh said.
鈥淒id you make monkey noises at anybody?鈥� Green asked.
鈥淣othing at all,鈥� Shehadeh said
鈥淎re you here to protect your reputation?鈥� Green said.
鈥淵es.鈥� Shehadeh said.
Green did not respond to a request for comment.
Judge Shannon Gallagher ultimately agreed with Eckman that the comments were not claiming Shehadeh made the monkey noises or flicked the cigarettes, just that he and the group he was with made those comments.
鈥淢r. Eckman states in his affidavit that he only mentioned Mr. Shehadeh in his comment by name because on September 16, 2024, Council member Joe Jones described Mr. Shehadeh as 鈥榓n angel that God sent to our neighborhood鈥� and asked Mr. Shehadeh to stand before Council for applause,鈥� Gallagher wrote.
Eckman鈥檚 attorneys filed statements from other witnesses to the alleged September 2024, incident outside city hall.
Gallagher also agreed that, because Shehadeh and others from the gas station were 鈥渓imited-purpose public figures,鈥� there is a higher bar for defamation lawsuits.
鈥淢r. Shehadeh is a limited-purpose public figure in Cleveland due to his actions concerning his gas stations, the zoning fight, and his interactions with New Era Cleveland,鈥� Gallagher said. 鈥淭his finding is supported by defendant鈥檚 evidence, including news articles and affidavits.鈥�
The new state , is meant to reduce the number of what are known as Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation, or SLAPP, cases from being filed in the first place.
鈥淢r. Shehadeh鈥檚 frivolous lawsuit was a naked attempt to shut down any speech which criticized him and his associates鈥� racist behavior,鈥� Eckman said.
The state law sets new deadlines for dismissal hearings like the one held in this case in November and requires, if the case is dismissed, that plaintiffs pay the defendant鈥檚 legal fees.
The Dr. Frank Stanton First Amendment Clinic at Case Western Reserve University School of Law represented Eckman.
鈥淏efore the enactment of Ohio鈥檚 anti-SLAPP law, cases like these often lasted several years,鈥� said clinic director Andy Geronimo. 鈥淗ere, the Court was able to properly resolve Dallas鈥檚 case in just a few months. This shows that Ohio鈥檚 commitment to free speech, as codified in the anti-SLAPP law, is making a real difference in how long defendants can be subjected to plaintiffs鈥� baseless litigation.鈥�
, based on a defamation lawsuit filed by a real estate developer, was also dismissed this month based on an expedited hearing under the state鈥檚 new anti-SLAPP law.
