Deborah S. Brenneman

Representative Experience

• Obtained $1.5 million dollar jury verdict in Butler County, Ohio after a two-week trial against a former employee and his new employer on claims involving trade secrets, breach of non-compete and tortious interference.
• Awarded summary judgment in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on tortious interference claims brought against a national company, arising out of hiring of competitor’s employee with various non-compete obligations.
• Obtained Preliminary Injunction against a former employee and his new employer in Butler County, Ohio in a trade secret/tortious interference matter.
• Obtained Preliminary Injunction from the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas against a former employee of a national medical device company, prohibiting him from accepting employment with a competing company.
• Awarded summary judgment in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio on claims of age and sex discrimination brought against a publicly traded company by a former employee. The decision was affirmed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
• Obtained defense verdict following a jury trial in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio on claims brought against a publicly traded company for age discrimination and wrongful termination, involving an employee with 25 years of service and an unblemished disciplinary record who was terminated for a safety violation.
• Obtained judgment for a defendant employer in administrative trial before the Ohio Civil Rights Commission on claims of sex discrimination and sexual harassment brought by a former employee.
• Obtained preliminary injunction from the U.S. District Court of Idaho against defendant employee, her husband, and their company on claims of breach of a non-competition agreement, tortious interference, prospected economic advantage, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty and unfair competition.
• Obtained a temporary restraining order, then a preliminary injunction from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, against defendant employee on claims of breach of a non-competition agreement, violation of Ohio's deceptive trade practices statute, the Lanham Act, tortious interference with contract and unfair trade practices.
• Summary judgment granted from the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana on plaintiff's claims of sex discrimination and termination in violation of the FMLA.
• Numerous summary judgment decisions in discrimination and wrongful discharge matters in state and federal courts across the country.

• “Massachusetts Enacts Broad Noncompetition Agreement Law,” Thompson Hine Labor & Employment @lert, August 2018
• “Parental Leave Policy Perils,” Thompson Hine The Law@Work Newsletter, Fall 2017
• “Federal Judge Enjoins New FLSA Overtime Regulations.” Thompson Hine Labor & Employment @lert, November 2016
• “Reminder: FLSA Overtime Rule Effective December 1,” Thompson Hine Labor & Employment @lert, October 2016
• “Appellate Decision Sets the Stage for a Supreme Court Determination on Sexual Orientation Discrimination,” Thompson Hine The Law@Work Newsletter, Summer 2016
• “It’s Time to Update Noncompete Agreements & Confidentiality Policies,” Thompson Hine Labor & Employment @lert, June 2016
• "From a Woman's Point of View: The Use of the Reasonable Woman Standard in Sexual Harassment Cases," University of Cincinnati Law Review, 1992
• "Sexual Harassment Claims and Ohio's Workers' Compensation Statute," University of Cincinnati Law Review, 1993

• Listed in The Best Lawyers in America, 2017, 2018 and 2019
• Recognized with the 2015 Glass Ceiling Award, The Ohio Diversity Council
• Athena Award Finalist, 2011
• West Chester Chamber Alliance, recipient, 2010 Women of Excellence Award
• Selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers by Ohio Super Lawyers magazine, 2009 to 2018
• West Chester Chamber Alliance Rookie of the Year Finalist, 2008

Professional Associations

• Ohio State Bar Association
• Cincinnati Academy of Leadership for Lawyers, Class VI

Community Activities

• West Chester Chamber Alliance, Board of Trustees
• Visions Community Center, volunteer mentor
• Exhale Dance Tribe, Board of Trustees
• Dominican Community Services, Board of Trustees, former member
• Xavier Mentoring Program
• American Heart Association, Executive Leadership Team for Go Red For Women
• Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Board Member

Professional Activities

• Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce WE Lead, participant
• Leadership 21, Class V
• Cincinnati Leadership for Lawyers (CALL Program), graduate