Gregory V. Mersol

Experience

• Regularly defends employers in class actions in state and federal courts on topics that include wage and hour disputes; independent contractor classification issues; race, sex, disability and age discrimination; public accommodations; and employee benefits under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).
• Litigated multiple retiree benefits issues in numerous cases, including a favorable decision from the United States Supreme Court.
• Favors the use of electronic data strategically to reduce or dispose of wage and hour claims.
• Tries class actions involving discrimination, entitlement and retiree health insurance benefits.
• Has opposed conditional certification and obtained decertification of collective actions under the FLSA involving exemptions and claimed off-the-clock-work.
• Litigates class or collective action claims under a wide variety of statutes including the FLSA, state law wage and hour claims, ERISA, the ADEA, RICO, and state and federal anti-discrimination statutes.

Representative Cases

• UAW v. Kelsey-Hayes Co., 138 U.S. 1166 (2018)
• Jammal v. American Family Ins. Co., 914 F.3d 449 (6th Cir. 2019)
• UAW v. TRW Automotive U.S. LLC, Case No. 11-cv-14630 (Aug. 20, 2019).
• UAW v. TRW Automotive U.S. LLC, 2019 WL 1040636 (6th Cir. 2019)
• Van Pamel v. TRW Vehicle Safety Systems, Inc., 723 F.3d 664 (6th Cir. 2013)
• UAW v. Kelsey-Hayes Co., 192 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2677 (E.D. Mich. 2011)
• Schreiber v. Philips Display Components Co., 692 F. Supp. 2d 747 (E.D. Mich. 2010), aff'd, 503 Fed. Appx. 385 (6th Cir. 2012)
• Harps v. TRW Automotive, 47 EBC Cases (BNA) 2846 (6th Cir. 2009)
• Heffelfinger v. Electronic Data Systems Corp., 580 F. Supp. 2d 933 (C.D. Cal. 2008)
• Tenney v. General Electric Co., 118 Ohio St. 3d 197, 887 N.E.2d 349 (2008)
• Dudich v. United Auto Workers Local Union No. 1250, 454 F. Supp. 2d 668 (N.D. Ohio 2006)
• Watson v. Cleveland Municipal Sch. Dist., 36 EBC Cases (BNA) 1177 (N.D. Ohio 2005)
• Spohn v. Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. Ret. Income Plan, 33 EBC Cases (BNA) 1411 (N.D. Ohio 2004)
• Risner v. Shopko Stores, Inc., 325 F. Supp. 2d 825 (N.D. Ohio 2004)
• Rodgers v. Norfolk Southern Corp., 304 F. Supp. 2d 961 (S.D. Ohio 2003)
• Palacio v. Progressive Ins. Co., 244 F. Supp. 2d 1040 (C.D. Cal. 2002)
• Jaeger v. Matrix Essentials, Inc., 236 F. Supp. 2d 815, 29 EBC Cases (BNA) 1042 (N.D. Ohio 2002)
• Weirauch v. Sprint Retirement Pension Plan, 182 F. Supp. 2d 638 (N.D. Ohio 2002)
• Camp v. Progressive Corp., 8 WH Cases (BNA) 477 (E.D. La. 2002)
• Ullmo v. Gilmour Academy, 273 F.3d 671 (6th Cir. 2001)
• Chapman v. The Higbee Co., 256 F.3d 416 (6th Cir. 2001), vacated for rehearing en banc, 270 F.3d 297 (6th Cir. 2001) 
• McCormick v. Kmart Distribution Ctr., 163 F. Supp. 2d 807 (N.D. Ohio 2001)
• Dingle v. Union City Chair Co., 134 F. Supp. 2d 441, 16 IER Cases (BNA) 60 (E.D. Pa. 2000)
• Lovas v. Huntington Nat'l Bank, 215 F.3d 1326 [table] (6th Cir. 2000)
• Steppe v. Kmart Stores, 136 Ohio App. 3d 454, 737 N.E.2d 58 (1999)
• Smoot v. United Transportation Union, 991 F. Supp. 913 (N.D. Ohio 1998)
• Cowin v. Lutheran Hosp., 8 AD Cases (BNA) 472 (N.D. Ohio 1998)
• State ex rel. Warren Newspapers, Inc. v. Court of Jurisdiction, 80 Ohio St. 3d 261, 685 N.E.2d 1223 (1997)
• Biggs v. North Cent. Tel. Co., 75 FEP Cases (BNA) 617 (S.D. Ohio 1997)
• O'Neill v. St. Luke's Med. Ctr., 13 IER Cases (BNA) 534 (Ohio App. 1996)
• Kent v. United of Omaha Life Ins. Co., 96 F.3d 803 (6th Cir. 1996)
• Schlett v. Avco Financial Services, 950 F. Supp. 823 (N.D. Ohio 1996)
• State ex rel. Warren Newspapers, Inc. v. Hutson, 70 Ohio St. 3d 619, 640 N.E.2d 174 (1994)
• Reese v. Kmart Corp., 10 IER Cases (BNA) 202 (N.D. Ohio 1994)
• Radikovich v. The Higbee Co., 9 IER Cases (BNA) 1850 (Ohio App. 1994)
• Henegar v. Banta, 27 F.3d 223 (6th Cir.), cert. denied, 513 U.S. 1057 (1994)
• Cooke v. Norfolk & Western Railway Co., 143 LRRM Cases (BNA) 2591 (N.D. Ohio 1993)
• Cromwell v. Equicor-Equitable HCA Corp., 944 F.2d 1272 (6th Cir. 1991)
• Henegar v. Banta, 817 F. Supp. 668 (N.D. Ohio 1993)
• International Longshoremen's Ass'n v. Norfolk Southern Co., 927 F.2d 900 (6th Cir. 1991), cert. denied, 502 U.S. 813 (1991)
• Aldrete v. Foxboro Co., 49 Ohio App. 3d 81, 550 N.E.2d 208 (1988)
• Cox v. Radiology Consulting Assocs. Inc., 658 F. Supp. 264 (W.D. Pa.), aff'd, 835 F.2d 282 (3d Cir. 1987) 
• Hess v. United Tel. Co. of Ohio, 40 FEP Cases (BNA) 1487, 40 EPD (CCH) ¶ 136, 190 (N.D. Ohio 1986)
• Mendenhall v. City of Akron, 2008-Ohio-270 (Ohio Supreme Court 2008) (amicus curiae) 
• Elek v. Huntington Nat'l Bank, 60 Ohio St. 3d 135 (1991) (amicus curiae)

Memberships

• Master Bencher, Cleveland Employment Inn of Court
• American Bar Association
• Labor & Employment Law and Torts and Insurance Practices Sections (Employer-Employee Relations Committee). 
• Ohio State Bar Association, Member of Labor & Employment Law Section. 
• Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, Fellow, Member of Labor & Employment Law Section. 
• The Federalist Society

Community

• Women’s Philanthropic Union – Trustee