Focus Areas
- Representation of parties in numerous litigations involving breach of fiduciary duty claims regarding investments, administration of significant trust assets and corporate governance.
- Representation of chemical industry in matters involving employee injuries and related fraud and conspiracy allegations in numerous cases across the United States.
- Representation of developer in disputes with city over zoning and construction disputes regarding residential developments, including constitutional claims for improper shutdown of construction.
- Representation of trustees in actions involving claimed breaches of duty and resulting investment losses.
- Representation of will and trust beneficiaries in disputes regarding interpretation of multiple instruments controlling disposition of multimillion dollar trust corpus.
- Representation of investors defrauded of multimillion dollar investments by financial advisor.
- Numerous representations of shareholders in closely held corporations against co-shareholders regarding usurpation of corporate opportunities, wasting or theft of corporate assets and other disputes.
Reported Cases
Commercial Litigation
- Best Buy Stores, L.P. v. Developers Diversified Realty Corp., 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 88771, 247 F.R.D. 567, 69 Fed. R. Serv. 3d (Callaghan) 1035
- Home Fed. S&L Ass’n v. Fed. Ins. Co., 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 68558, 2007 WL 2713060
- Boyd v. Bressler, 18 Fed. Appx. 360, 2001 U.S. App. LEXIS 19918
- FDIC v. Malik, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 41178, 2012 WL 1019978
- State ex rel. Haber Polk Kabat, L.L.P. v. Sutula, 2018-Ohio-2223, 114 N.E.3d 649, 2018 Ohio App. LEXIS 2396 (procedendo)
Trust and Probate Litigation
- Nixon v. Wilmington Trust Co., 543 F.3d 354, 2008 U.S. App. LEXIS 20439, 2008 FED App. 0354P (6th Cir.)
- Rothstein v. Steinberg, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 108003, 2008 WL 5716138
- Nat’l City Bank v. Noble, 2005-Ohio-6484, 2005 Ohio App. LEXIS 5843
Professional Liability and Ethics
- In re Thelen LLP, 24 N.Y.3d 16, 20 N.E.3d 264, 995 N.Y.S.2d 534, 2014 N.Y. LEXIS 1577, 2014 NY Slip Op 4879, 2014 WL 2931526 (law firm liability)
- Geron v. Robinson & Cole LLP, 476 B.R. 732, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 128678, 56 Bankr. Ct. Dec. 269 (law firm liability)
- Geron v. Seyfarth Shaw LLP (In re Thelen LLP), 736 F.3d 213, 2013 U.S. App. LEXIS 23123, 58 Bankr. Ct. Dec. 198, 2013 WL 6037232 (law firm liability)
- In re Thelen LLP, 24 N.Y.3d 16, 20 N.E.3d 264, 995 N.Y.S.2d 534, 2014 N.Y. LEXIS 1577, 2014 NY Slip Op 4879, 2014 WL 2931526
- Geron v. Seyfarth Shaw LLP (In re Thelen LLP), 736 F.3d 213, 2013 U.S. App. LEXIS 23123, 58 Bankr. Ct. Dec. 198, 2013 WL 6037232
- Sutton v. Stevens Painton Corp., 193 Ohio App. 3d 68, 2011-Ohio-841, 951 N.E.2d 91, 2011 Ohio App. LEXIS 727 (law firm liability)
- In re Jones, 2018-Ohio-4182, 2018 Ohio LEXIS 2470, 2018 WL 5076017 (Ethics and Unauthorized practice of law)
Class Action Litigation
- Boedeker v. Rogers, 140 Ohio App. 3d 11, 746 N.E.2d 625, 2000 Ohio App. LEXIS 1841
- Boedeker v. Rogers, 136 Ohio App. 3d 425, 736 N.E.2d 955, 1999 Ohio App. LEXIS 6056
- Schachner v. Blue Cross & Blue Shield, 77 F.3d 889, 1996 U.S. App. LEXIS 3958, 1996 FED App. 0080P (6th Cir.)
- Peterson v. Progressive Corp., 2006-Ohio-6175, 2006 Ohio App. LEXIS 6144
- Steiner v. Van Dorn Co., 104 Ohio App. 3d 51, 660 N.E.2d 1256, 1995 Ohio App. LEXIS 1937
- Rackemann v. LISNR, Inc., 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 112467, 2018 WL 3328140 (fees)
- Rackemann v. LISNR, Inc., 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 162567 (privacy)
- Rackemann v. LISNR, Inc., 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 47408, 2018 WL 1448875 (privacy Class action), affirmed Rackemann v. LISNR, Inc., 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 163618, 2018 WL 4574342
- Rackemann v. LISNR, Inc., 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 164247
Employment Litigation
- Raines v. College Now Greater Cleveland, Inc., 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 75373
- Jones v. Sumser Retirement Village, 209 F.3d 851, 2000 U.S. App. LEXIS 6956, 2000 FED App. 0139P (6th Cir.), 10 Am. Disabilities Cas. (BNA) 790
- Porter v. Litigation Mgmt., 2000 Ohio App. LEXIS 2022, 2000 WL 573197
- Porter v. Litig. Mgmt., 146 Ohio App. 3d 558, 767 N.E.2d 735, 2001 Ohio App. LEXIS 4215, 2001-Ohio-4298
- Mackey v. Cleveland State Univ., 837 F. Supp. 1396, 1993 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14552, 64 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) P42,980, 2 Am. Disabilities Cas. (BNA) 1392
Product Liability
- Hogan v. Goodrich Corp., 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2004, 2006 WL 149011
- Eastridge v. Goodrich Corp., 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 140134, 2013 WL 5460868
- Roney v. Gencorp, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 84859, 2009 WL 3015211 (product liability expert evidence)
- Roney v. Gencorp, 431 F. Supp. 2d 622, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 27709
- “Supreme Court Ultimately Declines to Decide Attorney-Client Privilege Case,” Thompson Hine Business Litigation Update, January 2023
- “Supreme Court Hears Oral Argument in Most Consequential Attorney-Client Privilege Case in Decades,” Thompson Hine Business Litigation Update, January 2023
- Co-editor, Thompson Hine’s legal ethics blog, The Law for Lawyers Today
- “Ohio Supreme Court Amends the Rules of Practice and Procedure for Ohio Courts,” Thompson Hine Business Litigation Update, July 2020
- Co-author, “The Evolution of Personal Jurisdiction to Protect Attorneys and Other Out-of-State Professional,” For the Defense, April 2019
- “Keeping It All In The Family: Addressing Concentrations of Stock for Grantor, Trustees and Beneficiaries,” Cleveland Bar Journal, December 2005
Tom has presented at seminars on a variety of civil litigation topics including fiduciary duty, lender liability, employment issues, arbitration and depositions in civil matters. These include:
- “Unauthorized Practice of Law by Relocating Attorneys,” Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association
- Guest Lecture Western Mass School of Law, “Expert Scientific Evidence”
- “Conspiracy Theory: Defending Industry Wide Conspiracy Claims,” Defense Research Institute TTEL Annual Meeting
- “Top Ten Lessons in Defending Industry Wide Conspiracy Claims,” Defense Research Institute
- “Fiduciary claims against Hedge Funds”
- “Fiduciary Duties and Confidentiality,” Ohio State Bar Association
- “Evidentiary Issues in Adversary Matters in Probate Court,” Ohio State Bar Association
- “Taking and Defending Depositions in Ohio”
- Listed as a Litigation Star by Benchmark Litigation, 2015, 2017 to 2024
- Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2016 to 2025 for Commercial Litigation, Litigation-Insurance and Product Liability Litigation-Defendants; named the Best Lawyers® 2019 Litigation-Insurance “Lawyer of the Year” in Cleveland
- AV® Preeminent Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
- Selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers by Ohio Super Lawyers magazine, 2007 to present
Professional Associations
- Trustee, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association 2015- present
- President, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Foundation 2014-2015
- Ohio State Bar Association, Section on Litigation
- Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, Litigation Committee; Probate & Estate Committee; former chair, Practice and Procedure Clinic on Civil Litigation
Community Activities
- Family Connections of Northeast Ohio, past president, Board of Trustees
- Cleveland Marshall Law Alumni Association, former member, Board of Trustees
Education
- Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, J.D., 1987, magna cum laude
- Kent State University, B.S., 1983
Bar Admissions
- Ohio
- District of Columbia
Court Admissions
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
- Supreme Court Ultimately Declines to Decide Attorney-Client Privilege Case,
Business Litigation Update
, January 27, 2023 - Supreme Court Hears Oral Argument in Most Consequential Attorney-Client Privilege Case in Decades, January 9, 2023
- Benchmark Litigation Recognizes Thompson Hine’s Litigation and Labor & Employment Practices and 24 Firm Litigators,
Thompson Hine LLP
, December 1, 2020 - Ohio Supreme Court Amends the Rules of Practice and Procedure for Ohio Courts,
Business Litigation Update
, July 7, 2020