Practice Areas
The firm's practice focuses primarily on various aspects of civil litigation, including:
Civil Rights
Every American citizen has rights protected by the United States Constitution. Lawsuits based on civil rights can be among the most difficult to pursue, in large part because the defendant is generally the government or a governmental actor. It is for this very reason, however, that standing up for the rights of victims of civil rights violations is so critical, as it is our duty as citizens to ensure that governmental power is not abused.
The firm's Civil Rights practice area is committed to protecting individuals who have had their civil rights violated within a wide range of incidents, including:
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Police use of excessive force
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Due process violations
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False arrest
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Illegal search and seizure
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Wrongful imprisonment
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First, Fourth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendment violations
Employment
Employment discrimination comes in many forms. Federal and state law protects employees from being discriminated against on the basis of their race, age, gender, religion, disability status, or national origin. The law also protects individuals from being harassed due to their status in any of these groups. In addition, employers are prohibited from retaliating against employees who complain about illegal discrimination or harassment in the workplace.
Employees also possess rights related to the ability to take medical leave to care for themselves or a seriously ill family member, the right to have their disabilities reasonably accommodated in the workplace, and, for certain employees, the right to be paid for overtime hours worked.
The firm's employment practice area focuses on representing employees with regard to claims for age, gender, race, religious, or national origin discrimination, violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family Medical Leave Act, and the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Consumer Protection
State and federal laws provide consumers with broad protection from false and misleading advertising and unfair or deceptive business acts or practices. In fact, Ohio considers false, deceptive, or misleading business practices to be so improper that, under Ohio's Consumer Sales Practices Act, a defendant found liable for violating the Act can be required to pay triple damages as well as the plaintiff's attorneys' fees.
The firm's consumer protection practice area is dedicated to protecting the rights of consumers who have been victimized by such unfair or deceptive practices.
Class Actions
A class action is a type of lawsuit in which one individual, or a small number of individuals, sue on behalf of a very large group of victims. Class actions may be appropriate where the entity being sued has treated multiple people in the same improper way, and where the number of people harmed by the misconduct is so numerous that requiring each harmed individual to file a lawsuit would be unrealistic.
Class action lawsuits can be brought on behalf of medical patients who have been treated with a harmful drug or defective medical device, employees of a corporation who have been subjected to a pattern or practice of discrimination or a hostile work environment, individuals affected by a toxic spill or environmental pollutant, investors who have been defrauded by a company's misrepresentations impacting the price of its stock, or many other individuals in a wide variety of circumstances.
Class action lawsuits perform an important role in the public justice system, as it is often the only way to keep companies honest. For instance, a company can make millions of dollars by refusing to honor a rebate that impacts thousands of customers. The cost to each customer, however, may be a very small amount of money. It is often not worthwhile for an individual consumer to bring a lawsuit against a company for failing to honor, for example, a $10 rebate. In the aggregate, however, the company's misconduct causes consumers to lose millions of dollars. Class actions are the vehicles that enable the justice system to right these wrongs and stop corporations from getting away with misconduct that harms numerous people in small ways.
Serious Personal Injury and Wrongful Death
Ohio law provides remedies for those who suffer personal injuries caused by the negligence of others, including compensation for pain and suffering, lost wages and past and future medical expenses. A personal injury action is a lawsuit brought by an individual who has suffered physical or mental harm resulting from the careless, reckless, or intentional conduct of another individual or entity. A wrongful death action is a lawsuit brought by a deceased person's family or beneficiaries.
The firm helps people with a wide range of personal injury claims. Insurance companies are professionals at dealing with the claims on injured people, while for many people injured by the negligence of others, it will be their first and only foray into the legal system. The firm will help you level the playing field against the insurance companies. The scope of the firm's personal injury practice includes:
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Truck, Automobile, and Motorcycle Accidents
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Assault and Other Intentional Misconduct
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Premises Liability (when you were injured on some else's property)
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Medical Malpractice
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Wrongful Death
Product Liability
The firm's product liability practice is devoted to holding manufacturers, designers, and retailers responsible if their faulty or defective products cause injury or death to a consumer. Products may be considered defective where they fail to provide the level of safety the public is entitled to expect. Ohio law provides remedies for injured individuals against the manufacturer or seller of a product if it is determined to be unsafe. Defective home appliances, automobiles, toys, electronics, medical devices, drugs, and numerous other consumer products can be the subject of product liability claims.
Product liability claims generally fall into one or more of three categories. The first is a design defect, where the product in question was negligently designed in a way that renders it unreasonably dangerous. The second is a manufacturing defect, where an error in the manufacturing of the product led to its unreasonably dangerous condition. The final category is a failure to warn, where the product has an inherent danger about which the manufacturer failed to adequately warn the consuming public.
The firm's product liability practice group is committed to advocating for those injured in any of these ways.
Appellate Advocacy
Winning a difficult case on appeal is among the most satisfying successes an attorney can have. First-class representation in an appeal requires the right balance of legal research, diligent review of the record, sophisticated analysis, persuasive writing, and compelling oral advocacy. Whatever the circumstances, in any important appeal, a seasoned appellate lawyer adept at briefing cases in a creative, persuasive, and readable manner is critical.
Mr. Camillus's experience as a law clerk to the Honorable R. Guy Cole, Jr. on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit provided him with irreplaceable experience in appellate matters. Mr. Camillus has represented clients in appeals in various appellate courts across Ohio, and in federal courts across the country.
Complex Commercial Litigation
Complex commercial litigation requires significant breadth and depth of litigation experience and knowledge. Counsel must be able to rapidly comprehend, analyze, and assess complex issues, and formulate effective and efficient strategies to achieve results. Our firm counsels companies and individuals involved in complex civil litigation in both federal and state courts.
At the Law Offices of John C. Camillus, LLC, we do not defend employers in litigation with employees, we are not retained by insurance companies to represent defendants in personal injury or civil rights litigation, and we do not defend against class action suits. We do, however, represent companies in myriad types of commercial litigation, including contract disputes, business torts, franchise disputes, and the most complex of business cases. We have experience in suits with hundreds of millions of dollars on the line, involving complicated legal and factual issues.
The firm's complex commercial litigation practice area is committed to zealous advocacy on behalf of business clients.
Contract Disputes
Contract disputes can range from landlord-tenant lease disputes to insurance contracts to complex business agreements. Generally, for any type of contract to be binding and legally valid, there must be an offer, acceptance and consideration (which is a legal term meaning that something of value must have been given). The parties to the contract must be legally capable of entering into the contract, and the parties must agree as to what the terms of the contract mean. Although many contracts appear to be simple, they may not in fact be legally binding, or they may contain ambiguous language that is open to multiple interpretations. You may need an experienced lawyer to determine whether there was a valid contract formed and whether that contract was breached. The firm is experienced in contract dispute resolution and in seeking damages for failing to comply with a contract.
The firm's contracts practice area also includes insurance bad faith claims, brought by policyholders against insurance company's who fail to deal honestly and appropriately with their customers.
Co-Counseling and Appeals
Mr. Camillus is happy to consider ethical co-counsel relationships with referring attorneys. The co-counsel relationship may involve jointly representing a client through all stages of litigation, or may entail our firm's involvement for briefing or trial purposes only.
Mr. Camillus is also a highly experienced appellate advocate, and may be able to assist other attorneys and their clients with appeals of adverse lower court rulings in federal or state court litigation.
He is also available to serve as local counsel on matters in which lead counsel is located outside of Ohio.
Please feel free to contact our office to discuss a possible co-counsel relationship.
