An attorney for former Wright State University consultant Rob Wine has disputed a report from the Ohio Inspector General (IG), which states that Wine had received $2.3 million in “overpayments, unsupported payments, unauthorized payments, or questionable payments,” according to a report from Dayton Business Journal.
Wine has brought a $4.5 million lawsuit against the university for a breach in payment. Wine has stated that he and university officers struck an agreement in which he would receive 5 percent of research-related revenue obtained as a result of his efforts, according to Dayton Business Journal.
It is stated in the lawsuit that Wine helped bring in $134.7 million in federal and state contracts to the university and that he was paid $2.2 million, but that the university still owes him $4.5 million.
Dayton Business Journal reports that the university has denied Wine’s allegations and has not issued a statement on any pending litigation.
According to Wine’s attorney, Kenneth Ignozzi, there was a verbal agreement between the Wright State provost, president, and Wine. He also alleges that the university had kept track of what it owed to Wine’s firm, which it presented every six months, and the university allowed the firm to work for an undefined amount of hours that were not billed or paid, according to Dayton Business Journal.
The IG’s office issued a report after Ohio Representative Jim Butler expressed concerns that Wright State, a public entity, entered into a verbal contract in conjunction with the written one.
“That appeared to be a violation on the part of Wright State,” he said. “We need to have transparency and accountability of our public institutions for the money they are spending because part of what Wright State spends is taxpayer dollars.”
Wine’s attorney, Kenneth Ignozzi, argues that upon investigation into the contract, the university stopped paying Wine. He has recently questioned the IG’s report, claiming that the office failed to address certain information before issuing its report.
Inaccuracies in the report have also been cited by Ignozzi, including an issue regarding double billing. Dayton Business Journal reports that in a letter to Ohio IG Randall Meyer, he stated that “The billing information clearly demonstrates that there was no double billing, but rather refers to internal retainers for associates and program support with Mr. Wine’s firm, not any retainer for Mr. Wine with WSU or its affiliates.”
Ignozzi has also raised the issue that the compensation and billing system was created by Wright State, and that Wine simply intended to comply with those rules and practices.
