Ms. Minahan is an experienced and tenacious civil litigator who has devoted her practice to representing public and private entities in commercial and employment litigation, both at the trial court level and on appeal.
For more than 25 years, Kathleen has defended public and private employers and supervisors against claims of race, sex, gender, religion, age and disability discrimination, harassment, and retaliation under state and federal laws. She regularly counsels human resources professionals concerning FMLA and ADA obligations, employee discipline and investigations of employee misconduct.
Kathleen’s practice also encompasses the defense of high-stakes claims for constitutional violations asserted against public employers and law enforcement.
REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE
- Chenevey v. Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, et al., 2013-Ohio-1902, 992 N.E.2d 461 (8th Dist.) (affirming dismissal of police officer’s state-law discrimination claims for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. Officer’s discrimination claims were preempted by R.C. 4117.10(A) because they could not be adjudicated without interpreting the collective bargaining agreement, a job reserved exclusively to arbitrators).
- Pierced company veil to hold members personally liable for $850,000 judgment against bankrupt LLC
- Defended company and employees from transgender discrimination and retaliation claims, resulting in favorable settlement upheld by the 6th Circuit after employee challenge
- Lead litigator in $2.5 million breach of limestone requirements contract resulting in substantial settlement to Cleveland shipping company
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- Vice President, Chief Administration Officer, General Counsel and Secretary to LESCO, Inc., a publicly traded manufacturer and distributor of turf care products to the professional green industry
- Deputy General Counsel Litigation to the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
- Certified in the National Incident Management System
PRESENTATIONS
- Ohio Public Employer Labor Relations Association Annual Training Conference, Winning at All Costs Isn’t Winning: How to Evaluate a Claim and Determine When to Fight, Settle or Both (February 2022)
- County Loss Control Coordinators Association: Heard it on the Hotline: Top HR Questions of 2021 (December 2021)
- Ohio Public Employer Labor Relations Association Annual Training Conference; Leave Fundamentals: Trips to Here, There & Everywhere (February 2023)
PUBLICATIONS
- The Update (Spring 2020); Ohio Association of Civil Trial Attorneys; Overview: Employment Considerations, Ohio Emergency Legislation and COVID-19
- MRR.com (January 18, 2021): H.B. 352 Clarifies and Modifies Ohio’s Employment Discrimination Statutes
BAR ADMISSIONS
- Ohio
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
EDUCATION
- J.D., 1995, Case Western Reserve University School of Law
- B.A., 1992, Ohio Wesleyan University (summa cum laude)
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
- Member, Northern District of Ohio Advisory Group
- Court of Nisi Prius (inducted 2007)