Representative Trial Court Experience
Lori represents business clients in state and federal courts, and has tried cases to juries, the bench and arbitrators in Ohio and elsewhere. She has developed a reputation among her peers and among evaluation services nationally as an effective litigator at both the trial and appellate levels. Her reputation and experience have earned her selection into the Litigation Counsel of America, an organization that admits fewer than 1 in 200 attorneys for fellowship. A selection of her more recent trial court experience is outlined below.
Breach of Contract and Business Tort Litigation
- After Lori and the Kegler Brown litigation team obtained complete dismissal of all claims brought by the plaintiff in a breach of contract and business tort case brought in federal court against a leading financial services company and its related bank, Lori succeeded in obtaining a judgment in excess of $2,300,000 on the bank’s fraud and breach of contract counterclaims.
- Lori obtained dismissal upon summary judgment of all the plaintiff’s claims in a case brought in state court against a leading financial services company’s related bank. Plaintiff had alleged multi-million-dollar damages in connection with breach of contract and unjust enrichment claims.
- Lori obtained dismissal upon summary judgment of all the plaintiff’s claims in a case brought by a former agent against a leading group of insurance companies, alleging breach of contract and fraudulent inducement.
- Applying her creativity to the defense of her client’s lawsuit, Lori successfully persuaded the plaintiff in a breach of contract case against her client to voluntarily stay the action before discovery commenced, and to pursue its claims against another party in another jurisdiction. The plaintiff ultimately dismissed its claims against Kegler Brown’s client, with no discovery having been taken.
Mortgage-Backed Securities Litigation
- Lori played a key role as part of a trial team headed by a prominent New York firm, and has significant experience handling and trying commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) cases in multiple jurisdictions, including in federal courts in Ohio, Nevada, Oklahoma and Illinois on behalf of a major national financial institution.
Employment Litigation
- Lori and Kegler Brown represented a McDonald’s Corporation franchisee in two related FLSA actions brought in federal district court in the Southern District of Ohio. In one, Lori successfully persuaded the trial court to decertify the collective action after discovery. In the second, the trial court granted Lori’s motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction based on the defendants’ Rule 68 offer of judgment, reducing significantly the threat of statutory attorneys’ fees in the case.
- Lori and Kegler Brown represented the defendants in an FLSA collective action brought in federal court in the Southern District of Ohio; this is one of several similar lawsuits brought by counsel for an international union against non-unionized electrical contractors. Kegler Brown was successful in opposing and avoiding altogether any certification of the action as a collective action.
- Lori represented the defendants in an age and sex discrimination case brought in federal court in the Northern District of Ohio. Through highly effective deposition of the plaintiff, Lori was able to achieve for the defendants a very favorable result at mediation prior to expending resources preparing and filing a summary judgment motion.