At a Glance

Richik focuses his practice on business litigation, complex litigation and public law with expertise in business torts, contracts, corporate governance, securities and finance, real estate, real property taxation and education law. He represents financial institutions, school districts and various public and private corporations. He also works on alternative dispute resolution in the areas of commercial, product liability and public law.  Richik is extremely active with the Banking Law, Uniform Commercial Code, and Consumer Financial Services committees of the ABA Business Law Section and is on the Executive Board for the Business Law Section's Young Lawyer Forum.  For the third consecutive year, he was recognized as an “Ohio Super Lawyer Rising Star” by Law & Politics and Cincinnati magazines (July 2005, 2006 and 2007).

Practices/Industries
Litigation
Banking & Commercial Litigation
Broker-Dealer & Securities
Class Actions
Complex Business
Governance Disputes & D&O Litigation
Intellectual Property
Product Liability

Tax
Tax Controversy

Government Regulation
Public Law

Real Estate
Property Taxation, Abatements & Exemptions

Financial Services
Banking & Commercial Litigation
Broker-Dealer Litigation
Regulatory Compliance
Securities Litigation
Trust Litigation

Technology
Intellectual Property/Litigation

Life Science
Pharmaceutical, Medical Device & Mass Tort Litigation

Areas of Concentration
  • Complex Business and Commercial Litigation
  • Class Action Litigation
  • Product Liability
  • Alternative Dispute Resolution
  • Appellate Practice
  • Real Property Taxation
  • Real Estate Litigation
  • Public Law Litigation
  • Education Law
Education
University of Michigan (B.A., with honors, 1993)

University of Michigan (M.S.W., Social Welfare Administration & Public Policy Planning, 1994)

Case Western Reserve University School of Law (J.D., 1998) National Moot Court Team, Cox International Law Center Fellow, Student Bar Association, Journal of International Law
Representative Experience
  • Judicial Staff Attorney to Judge Stuart A. Friedman, February 1999-April 2000.
  • Business litigation and public law practice focusing on representation in complex and class action litigation, administrative proceedings, and alternative dispute resolution for commercial, product liability, and public law matters, including the areas of: business torts, contracts, corporate governance, securities and finance, real estate, product liability, telecommunications, and school law.
  • Representation of financial institutions in cases involving, among other claims, RICO, Ohio Corrupt Activities Act, and conspiracy claims stemming from institutions’ handling of escrow accounts used in a ponzi scheme; obtaining dismissal of RICO and Ohio Corrupt Activities Act claims (Wuliger v. Keybank National Association, Case No. 3:02 CV 2160 , United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Western Division, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 315 (January 6, 2006) & Wuliger v. Liberty Bank, N.A., Case No. 3:02 CV 1378 , United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Western Division, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 325 (January 6, 2006)).
  • Representation of financial institutions in matter brought against the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency seeking Suspicious Activity Reports (“SARs”) and SARs-related documents (i.e., those documents which could reveal that a SAR was suspected or reported), in which the trial court ultimately determined that the plaintiff was prohibited from obtaining SARs and SARs-related documents pursuant to federal laws and regulations. (Wuliger v. Office of the Comptroller of Currency, 394 F. Supp. 2d 1009, (N.D. Ohio, 2005) & Wuliger v. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Case No. 3:05 CV 108, United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Western Division, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21609 (September 29, 2005)).
  • Representation of multiple, related financial institutions (including broker-dealer, trust bank, credit card company, and mortgage company) in case involving claims under RICO, federal securities laws, truth in lending, and claims for mail fraud, larceny by trick, breach of fiduciary duty, conversion, embezzlement, and breach of contract and had all claims against all parties (including third-party beneficiaries to arbitration clauses) stayed pending arbitration of claims against broker-dealer. (Patnik v. Citicorp Bank Trust FSB, 412 F. Supp. 2d 753 (N.D. Ohio, 2005)).
  • Representation of inmate before the Sixth Circuit in a case involving a first-degree murder conviction garnered through the use of co-defendant’s written confession despite the fact that the inmate was unable to cross-examine him.  The Sixth Circuit determined the trial court’s error violated the Confrontation Clause of the Constitution and was not harmless requiring a new trial.  (Scott v. Gundy, 100 Fed. Appx. 476; 2004 U.S. App. LEXIS 11550 (6th Cir., 2004) certiorari denied by Gundy v. Scott, 2005 U.S. LEXIS 642.)
  • Representation of Buyer and Seller before the Ohio Supreme Court and Ohio Board of Tax Appeals (“BTA”) in case centered around a sale-leaseback transaction; successfully arguing to the BTA that the sale-leaseback sale price was not fair market value for real estate tax purposes.  (Strongsville Board of Education, and City of Strongsville vs. Cuyahoga County Board of Revision, Cuyahoga County Auditor, Ceres Group, Royalton Investors, LLC, and Big T Investments, LLC., 112 Ohio St. 3d 309 (2006); underlying BTA case 2005 Ohio Tax LEXIS 1021,Ohio BTA)).
  • Representation of amici power companies before the Ohio Supreme Court in appeal of decisions finding utility pole owners liable to motorists who struck utility poles. Advanced argument that utility pole owners should owe no duty to motorists if poles were properly placed in public rights-of-way pursuant to government permits. (Turner v. Ohio Bell Telephone Company, Ohio Supreme Court Case No., 2007-0035; 2007-0112)
  • Representation of school districts and public and private corporations before the Cuyahoga, Lake, and Summit County Boards of Revision, the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals, Common Pleas Court, and the Ohio Supreme Court in tax valuation complaints and appeals for property values ranging from $100,000 to $75,000,000.
  • Representation of telecommunication corporations in breach of contract actions and breach of telecommunication tariff actions before federal and state courts and Ohio Public Utilities Commission.
  • Representation of individuals and financial institutions in NASD arbitrations.
  • Representation of a corporate trustee in breach of fiduciary duty and Ohio Prudent Investor Act actions.
  • Representation of financial institutions in cases involving allegations of predatory lending practices and violation of federal and state truth-in-lending statutes, consumer protection statutes, fraud, and racketeering.
  • Representation of financial institutions in class actions involving alleged fraud and consumer law violations.
  • Representation of a bank director in private and regulatory director liability actions before federal courts, state courts, and administrative proceedings before the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.
Honors & Distinctions

Named an "Ohio Super Lawyer Rising Star" in a survey of Ohio lawyers by Law & Politics and Cincinnati magazines (July 2005, 2006 and 2007)

Selected as one of Cleveland's Finest in 2001 by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

 

Publications & Presentations

Publications
“An Honor and Privilege” Cleveland Bar Journal (June 2005)
“Some Unsolicited Advice” Cleveland Bar Journal (May 2005)
“An Apology to My Briefcase” Cleveland Bar Journal (April 2005)
“Business Casual: Could vs. Should” Cleveland Bar Journal (March 2005)
“How to Be the Control Centre of Your Network” Cleveland Bar Journal (February 2005)
“Selections from the Mailbag” Cleveland Bar Journal (January 2005)
“Mentoring is in the ‘Why’” Cleveland Bar Journal (December 2004)
“The Two Rules” Cleveland Bar Journal (November 2004)
“Dignity, Civility and Respect:  How Your Oath Affects Your Practice" Cleveland Bar Journal (October 2004)
“Converting Your Legal Job Into a Legal Career” Cleveland Bar Journal (September 2004)
“Young Lawyers Must Take the Lead” Cleveland Bar Journal (July/August 2004)


Presentations
“Taking All Sides:  Practice Perspectives in the Consumer Financial Services Industry,” ABA Business Law Section Meeting (April 2008)
"Update on the ABA's UCC Litigation Manual," Hot Topics: Financial Services Update 2007 (November 2007)
"Hot Technology Topics Argued to Judges", Judicial Division of the American Bar Association (August 2006)
Faculty Member, National Institute of Trial Advocacy (“NITA”) Deposition Seminar (March 2006)
"Pitfalls & Pointers in Dealing With the Bank Secrecy Act, Anti-Money Laundering and Patriot Act Requirements," with Gary Lindsey of Crowe Chizek & Company, Hot Liability Topics for Financial Service Providers (March 2005)
"A Guide to the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 in Ohio," Faculty, Lorman Education Services CLE

Professional Affiliations

American Bar Association (Young Lawyers Division District Representative for the 18th District (Ohio and West Virginia); Ohio Delegate to the YLD, House of Delegates; Council Coordinator (Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, West Virginia, Iowa, Nebraska, Michigan, North Dakota, and South Dakota); Vice-Chair, Business Law Section of the Young Lawyers Division, 2004-2006; Business Law Section Fellow assigned to the Consumer Financial Services Committee; Diversity Liaison for Business Law Section Consumer Financial Services Committee; Chair, Social Committee of Young Lawyer’s Forum of the Business Law Section; Chair, Speaker’s Bureau of the Young Lawyers Forum of the Business Law Section; Member of the Executive Committee of the Lawyers Conference of the ABA Judicial Division)

Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association (Chair, CBA Young Lawyers Section; Member, CBA Board of Trustees and CBA Board of Trustees Membership Committee, Planning Committee, Pro Bono Improvement Committee, Scope of Correlation Committee, and Capital Campaign Committee; Chair 2004/2005 Cleveland Bar Association New Lawyer Training Seminar)

Ohio State Bar Association (At-Large Delegate to Council of Delegates, 2007-2009)

William K. Thomas Inn of Court (Secretary/Treasurer 2007-2008, Member At-Large of Executive Committee 2005-2007)

Community Involvement
Ursuline College, Adjunct Faculty, "Real Estate Preservation Law"

United Way Services (Member, Learning & Earning for Life Investment Committee)

National Conference for Community & Justice (Member, LeadDIVERSITY 2004 Class and NCCJ LeadDIVERSITY Advisory Committee)

The Foundation for Community Betterment (Member, Executive, Corporate Sponsorship and Membership Committees)
Admissions
State of Ohio
U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio