• Adrienne has experience advising employers with employee-related concerns.  Her goal is for litigation avoidance and effective, efficient dispute resolution. 
• Adrienne has tried retaliation, wrongful discharge and breach of contract cases before juries, judges and panels of arbitrators.  She has favorably resolved claims for discrimination, retaliation, wrongful discharge, breach of contract, tortious interference, defamation, and whistleblower-related causes of action.  Also, Adrienne has had great success with motions to limit or eliminate claims before trial.

Examples of recent victories include:

1. Motion for summary judgment filed on behalf of client (a regional energy company) was granted, in its entirety, resulting in complete dismissal of plaintiff’s claims for race discrimination and retaliation.  (August 2011, Northern District of Ohio, Case No. 1:09-CV-01880).
2. Motion for summary judgment filed on client’s behalf was granted, in its entirety, resulting in complete dismissal of plaintiff’s claims against clients (a global wealth management firm and its shareholders) for age discrimination, wrongful discharge in violation of Ohio public policy, breach of contract and fraud.  (August 2011, Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, Case No. CV-10-725558). 
3. After a FINRA arbitration hearing on the merits, successfully defeated former employee’s claims for wrongful discharge, tortious interference, defamation and declaratory judgment on behalf of client, a global wealth management firm.  Also, obtained monetary award and judgment in client’s favor on its breach of contract counterclaim against former employee/claimant.  (July 2011, FINRA Arb. No. 10-00806). 
4. Obtained dismissal of plaintiff/former employee’s reverse race discrimination claim against client, one of the country’s largest direct banking and payment services companies, on a Civ. R. 12(b)(6) Motion to Dismiss for failure to state a claim, and that dismissal was upheld on appeal.  (July 2011, the 10th District Ohio Court of Appeals affirmed the June 2010 decision by the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas to dismiss claim, Case No. 10-AP-00633 and 09-CVC-16281, respectively; currently being appealed by plaintiff to the Ohio Supreme Court, Case No. 2011-1128).  
5. In ERISA case, obtained judgment in favor of our client, a U.S.-based financial services corporation, after motion for judgment on the administrative record was granted.  (June 2011, Northern District of Ohio, Case No. 1:10-cv-00657).
6. Obtained favorable disposition of whistleblower and tortious interference claims alleged against client, a public professional business services corporation, by a former employee.  (December 2010, Circuit Court of the 11th Judicial Circuit, Miami-Dade County, Florida, Case No. 06-22275 CA(08)).   
7. Successfully argued for dismissal of retaliation, sex discrimination and sexual harassment claims alleged against clients (a real estate management company and supervisors of the former employee/claimant) by a former employee before the Ohio Civil Rights Commission.  (April 2010, regarding OCRC Charge No. (AKR) 73 (34318) 0506200).  
8. Motion for Summary Judgment granted in favor of clients (a national bank-based financial services company and affiliates) on plaintiff's wrongful discharge in violation of public policy claim arising out of alleged securities fraud.  (August 2009, Northern District of Ohio, Case No. 1:09-CV-43).
9. After bench trial on the merits, successfully enforced the 5 year and 10 year restrictive covenants contained in employment agreement between client (a public professional business services company) and a former employee, and the Eighth District Court of Appeals affirmed that decision.  (November 2008, Court of Appeals of Ohio, Eighth Appellate District, Cuyahoga County, Case No. 90741).
    

• Extern to the Honorable George C. Smith, U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Ohio, 2004.