View Full Attorney Bio

Professional Associations and Affiliations

• Chair, Ohio Advisory Committee to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission
• The Eighth District Judicial Conference, Life Member
• Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, Trustee, 2006-2011
• Federal Bar Association
• American Bar Association, Delegate
• Ohio Women’s Bar Association
• Workplace Investigation Group (WIG)

Education

• University of California, Berkeley, CA Boalt Hall School of Law, Juris Doctor, 1982
• Brown University, Providence, RI, Bachelor of Arts, 1979 Phi Beta Kappa

Admitted to Practice

• Licensed to practice in Illinois and Ohio
• United States Supreme Court
• United States Court of Appeals, 6th Circuit
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
• U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

Professional Achievements

• Featured in Best Lawyers Magazine for pro bono work with the Legal Aid Society, December 2016
• Featured as “Attorney of the Month” in Attorney at Law Magazine, 2015
• Martindale-Hubbell® AV Preeminent®
• Included in The Best Lawyers in America
• Friend of Fair Housing award from Fair Housing Contact Service, 2014
• Housing Research & Advocacy Award for Fair Housing Advocacy, 2010
• Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, Appreciation for Annual Campaign and Work for Justice, 2009
• Nirmal Sinha Commissioners Award, awarded by the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, 2006
• United Way of Greater Cleveland “Spotlight Volunteer,” 2006
• Rosa Parks Congressional Medal, Awarded by The Ohio Civil Rights Commission, 2005
• Certificate of Appreciation for 2004 Affirmative Direction Series, Bowling Green State University, 2004
• Fair Housing Achievement Award, issued by The Housing Advocates, Inc., 2003
• Resolution of the Cuyahoga County Commissioners saluting Diane E. Citrino Regional Director of the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, Akron, 2003
• Individual Achievement Award, Northern Ohio Fair Housing Alliance (“NOFHA”), 2003.
• Proclamation from Cuyahoga County Commissions recognizing Fair Housing Achievement, 2003
• Certificate of Appreciation, awarded by the Solon City Schools, for mentorship in law, 2001
• Year 2000 Ohio Civil Rights Commission Leadership Award by the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, for outstanding contributions furthering civil and human rights
• Selected as one of ten “Outstanding Women in the Law” by The Cleveland Bar Association, 1999
• Selected as one of ten “Lawyers of the Year” by Ohio Lawyers Weekly, 1999

Author & Selected Presentation Topics

• “Good Workplace Investigations Are Good Business,“ Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Journal, May 2017 (Co-Authored with Danielle Linert)
• Faculty, “Home, Sweet Home: Litigating Fair Housing Claims (based on Domestic Violence, Sexual Harassment, and Unequal Access)”, North Carolina Bar Association Foundation, Cary, NC, June 27, 2014
• Moderator for Women of Color Foundation’s The 21st Century Glass Ceiling: Women Breaking Through!” panel on employment discrimination, Cleveland, OH, November 7, 2013.
• Presenter, with OCRC Regional Director Darlene Newbern, “Overview of Fair Housing Laws and Emerging Issues” for Statewide Ohio Fair Housing Conference “Achieving the Full American Dream: Looking Back, Moving Forward and Building Bridges,” Columbus, OH, June 10, 2013.
• Panelist with Yulanda McCarty-Harris, Valissa Turner Howard, and Sonali
• Bustamante Wilson (Moderator): Re-Assessing the Equal Rights Amendment: Where are we now? Women of Color Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, April 2013
• Featured Speaker and Panelist for the FBA, Northern District of Ohio Chapter, 2012 Federal Labor & Employment Law Seminar, Cleveland, Ohio, May 22,2012

Community and Civic Service

• Chair, Ohio Advisory Committee to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission
• Panelist for CLE credit with Alexandria Rudin, Esq., Jennifer Peyton, Esq., Amanda Ruiviejo-Pastor on the Violence Against Women Act speaking on “A Woman’s Home Should be her Castle,” Cleveland, OH, March 12, 2008.
• CMBA delegate, American Bar
• “Fair Housing, Disability and the Elderly,” presented by Housing Research and

Association

• Advocacy Center, with Susan Silverstein, Esq., Cleveland, OH, August 23, 2007.
• Member, House of Delegates of the
• “Cause of Action for Handicapped Discrimination in Housing in Violation of the American Bar Association
• Federal Fair Housing Act [42 U.S.C.A. 3601 et seq.] and Related Federal Statutes,” (Decision Making Body)
• 22 Causes of Action 2d, West Publishing Co., June 2003. (co-author)
• Solon YMCA Teen Court Advisory
• “From Treasures to Trash: Understanding the Dynamics of Hoarding,” Panel Board, 1997 to 2000 presentation for CLE credit with Judge Thomas A. Swift, Dr. Donald Malone
• FBI Hate Crimes Task Force, committee member, 1999 to 2011
• Merit Selection Committee member
• Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, Trustee, June 2006 to 2011
• Judge Richard C. Pfeiffer, and others presented by the Ohio Coalition for Adult Protective Services, Cleveland, Ohio, September 19, 2002.
• “Best Practices in Litigation and Community Education,” Predatory Lending in Ohio, Searching for Solutions, Sponsored by the Levin College of Urban Affairs, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, Cuyahoga County Treasurer James Rokakis, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, March 21, 2001, Cleveland, Ohio.
• “From Grey to Black: Crossing the line into Fraud in Mortgage Lending,” The Mortgage Society, Independence, Ohio, November 16, 2000.
• “Sex, Lies, and Housing Discrimination,” The 1999 Ohio Housing Conference, sponsored by Ohio Housing Finance Agency and Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing, Columbus, OH, November 23, 1999.
• “Lawyers making a Difference” Panel Discussion Member, 10th Judicial Conference of the Eighth Judicial District, with co-panelists Morris Dees, Esq., Hon. Nathaniel R. Jones, Hon. Ronald B. Adrine, Hon. Burt W. Griffin, Gerald S. Gold, Esq., Jose C. Feliciano, Esq., Jane Picker, Esq., Richard W. Pogue, Esq.; Westlake, Ohio, October 17, 1998.
• “What You Need to Know About Homeowners Insurance” (presented in Spanish), Third Hispanic Cleveland Unity Conference, Cleveland, Ohio, October 10, 1998.

Representative Cases

• City of Cuyahoga Falls v. Buckeye Community Hope Foundation, 538 U.S. 188 (2003). Co-counsel representing developer in fair housing dispute involving NIMBY (“Not In My Back Yard”) opposition.
• Gray et al. v. Brown et al. Case No. 1:14 cv 225 (Northern District of Ohio) default judgment in excess of $4 million for three women against abusive landlords.
• Miami Valley Fair Housing Center, Inc. v. The Connor Group, 725 F. 3d 571 (2013). Unanimous 6th Circuit decision reversing jury verdict and ordering new trial for fair housing enforcement agency.
• Eva v. Midwest National Mortgage Banc, 143 F. Supp. 2d 862 (N.D. Ohio 2001). Lead counsel for plaintiffs in civil RICO case against predatory lenders and related entities. Judge Nugent of the Northern District of Ohio allowed claims to proceed in precedent-setting summary judgment ruling for plaintiffs.
• Walker v. Crawford (N.D. Ohio 1999). Lead counsel in civil trial representing multiple women and a fair housing agency against a landlord who sexually abused tenants over a period of years. Jury verdict for plaintiffs, including attorneys’ fees in excess of half a million dollars.
• Schorr v. Briarwood Estates Ltd. Partnership, 178 F. R. D. 488 (N.D, Ohio 1998). Lead counsel in case representing disabled woman. This case reports a precedent-setting protective order issued by Judge Solomon Oliver.
• Garnett v. Pearson, 96 CV 1719 (N.D, Ohio 1996) FH-FL Rptr. U 16.181,1. Lead counsel for man and his child harassed by neighbor due to father being HIV positive. Bench trial before Chief Judge Matia in Northern District of Ohio resulting in injunctive relief and money for plaintiffs.
• Byrd v. Brandeburg, 922 F. Supp. 60 (N.D. Ohio 1996). Lead counsel for family fire-bombed by white, juvenile gang members. Case won by plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment.
• Rosario v. Livaditis, 963 F.2d 1013 (7th Cir. 1992). Second-chaired trial in Illinois for a class of 1,400 Spanish-speaking beauty school students defrauded of their Pell grant money and additional funds by fraudulent beauty school.