Judge presiding over Ohio State sex abuse scandal lawsuits flagged for wife's business ties to OSU
A tag sewn into a flag with the name of The Flag Lady store in Columbus, Ohio, which is owned by Lori Leavitt Watson, wife of Judge Michael H. Watson.in Columbus, Ohio, which was started by her mother and sells, among other things, the red-and-silver OSU flags that are ubiquitous in Columbus. Lori Leavitt Watson, wife of Judge Michael H. Watson, owns The Flag Lady store in Columbus, Ohio, which was started by her mother and sells, among other things, the red and silver OSU flags that are ubiquitous in Columbus.“The licensing agreement merely permits her business to manufacture and sell to the public OSU authorized trademark merchandise and her small business pays a 12 percent royalty to the university” with each sale, the judge said.
"Ohio State does not pay licensees," Johnson said in an email."Rather, these 400 licensees pay the university a standard 12 percent royalty for the right to use Ohio State trademarks like the Block O. The Flag Lady’s Flag Store has been an Ohio State licensee for decades.""Ohio State purchases products and services from approximately 34,000 vendors around the world, including the Flag Lady’s Flag Store," Johnson said.