Diane P. Chapman
Diane Chapman is a trial lawyer with experience in commercial and consumer litigation (such as the Ohio Consumer Sales Practices Act, the TILA, consumer debt and banking regulations); products liability; age, race and sex discrimination cases; wrongful termination cases; contract disputes; class actions; antitrust; insurance matters; public law involving taxpayer lawsuits, gaming laws, zoning, and public contracts; bankruptcy matters (preferences, enforcement of contract rights); foreclosure and execution on judgments; injunctive relief; false imprisonment and deprivation of rights claims; construction law; covenants not to compete; and the constitutionality of legislation.
Ms. Chapman has handled products liability cases involving utility lines, manufacturing processes, elevators, escalators, chemicals, explosive materials, construction materials, health and beauty aids, cigarettes, household products, drugs, appliances and automotive systems. Her clients include: hotels, directors and officers, national insurance companies, hospitals, physicians, chemical testing laboratories, architects, engineers, nursing homes, contractors, national retail chains, banks, credit card companies, newspapers, television stations, wire services, park districts, real estate developers, not-for-profit corporations, municipalities, manufacturers of drugs, power lines, appliances, construction materials, elevators, and beauty products.
On the appellate level, Ms. Chapman has presented matters to the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third, Sixth and Ninth Circuits and the Ohio Supreme Court. Her practice includes matters litigated in Ohio state courts (at all levels) and federal courts across the country. Certain matters were resolved through arbitration or mediation, including a multimillion-dollar completion of a county sewer project; several regional transit authority matters; and unique cases seeking injunctive relief on substantial cases of public interest. She has tried complex lawsuits in Ohio, Nevada, California, Colorado, Virginia, the District of Columbia, Pennsylvania and the Virgin Islands.
Ms. Chapman has served on the American Arbitration Association Advisory Council for Northern Ohio, the Board of Trustees for the Cleveland Bar Association, and the Judicial Selection Committee for two terms, and has chaired that Committee for one term. She is a Life Member of the Judicial Conference of the Eighth Judicial District, a member of the Celebrezze Inn of Court, a member of the Advisory Group of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, a Board member of the Federal Bar Association, and a delegate to the Conference for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.