A former mediator for Portage County Common Pleas Court has filed a pro se lawsuit against a judge he claims wrongfully fired him for writing a letter to the editor, cleveland.com reported.

Judge Laurie Pittman

Richard Steinle alleges that Judge Laurie Pittman fired him for criticizing Attorney General Mike DeWine’s handling of a case in which the state Bureau of Workers’ Compensation was accused of charging excessive workers’ compensation premiums.

DeWine’s office defended the BWC, which was ordered in 2014 to refund $859 million to about 264,000 employers for overcharges that occurred over eight years, the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s website reported.

Steinle’s letter appeared on the website and in the Plain Dealer 16 months ago, and he was fired in January of this year, his lawsuit states.

“No aspect of the BWC fraud that Mr. Steinle referred to in his letter was pending at any time before any judge of the Portage County Court of Common Pleas,” his lawsuit states, adding “Mr. Steinle’s protected speech addressed a matter of public concern on a matter that was not pending” before the Portage court or him as mediator.

DeWine, a former U.S. senator, is running in the Republican primary for governor next year.