PRACTICE AREA AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE

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              REPORTED AND REPRESENTATIVE CASES

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• Represented John R. Jurgensen Co. before the Ohio Supreme Court where it affirmed decisions from the lower courts that for a mental condition to be compensable under the Ohio workers’ compensation system, it must have been caused by a physical injury, which is a victory for all Ohio employers.

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• Represented Pioneer National Latex in defense against Marlene Leininger’s public policy claim for wrongful termination based upon age discrimination. The trial court granted Pioneer National summary judgment. Upon review, the Supreme Court held that Leininger’s claim for wrongful termination in violation of Ohio public policy fails as a matter of law. In so holding, the Supreme Court determined that Ohio does not recognize a claim for wrongful termination in violation of public policy arising from age discrimination. That finding has been the seminal decision upon which employers will rely to challenge public policy claims based upon the other classes of employment discrimination.

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• Secured jury verdicts denying claim for death benefits arising out of cardiac arrest in matters for USF Holland, Anchor Motor, and Gorsuch Reality.

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• Secured jury verdicts denying employees’ claims for psychiatric conditions in matters for John R. Jurgensen Company, Radio Shack, Dearth Management Nursing Homes, Wilson Sporting Goods and Cassens Trucking.

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• Successfully represented contractors before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission in defense of willful citations arising out of job site fatalities, special emphasis inspection for lead, fall protection and safety training. All notices of contest resulted in judgments vacating the citations.

• Represented Kenner Products, Schottenstein Stores Corporation, USF Holland, Cassens Transport, John R. Jurgensen, Constar Plastics, Bway Corporation and Highland County Humane Society in defense against workers’ compensation claims for various back, shoulder and knee conditions. In each case, the jury rendered defense verdicts in favor of the employers and denying the employee’s request to participate in the benefits of the Workers’ Compensation Act for the conditions at issue.

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• Represented Denison Hydraulics, Premier AutoGlass, Caraustar Industries and Value City Furniture, in defense against employees’ claims for occupational diseases, which included cirrhosis of the liver, bronchiolitis obliterans, toxic chemical exposure, and various repetitive motion injuries. In each case, jury rendered defense verdicts denying employees’ occupational disease claims.

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• Above noted jury verdicts served to vacate adverse orders of the Industrial Commission. From those verdicts, Mr. Corey Crognale secured for his clients Sysco reimbursement from the workers’ compensation surplus fund in excess of two million dollars ($2,000,000.00).

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• Secured verdicts for employers against former employee claims for retaliatory discharge, violation of Family Medical Leave Act, and disability discrimination.