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karen-e-ross

Karen E. Ross

Position
Counsel
Locations
Cleveland, OH
D
216.696.2278
F
216.592.5009
Email
karen.ross@tuckerellis.com
vCard
vcard

Karen Ross handles all aspects of civil litigation with a focus on product liability, negligence, and premises liability.

Karen serves as national and local counsel in asbestos, talc, silica, coal mine dust, and other exposure-related litigation in Ohio and throughout the United States. She has extensive experience defending product liability matters with a heightened expertise in industrial and consumer machinery and equipment. Karen works closely with client design and engineering teams and orchestrates and executes national defense strategies, including motion and discovery practice, as well as expert and fact witness development. Karen is well known for her deep knowledge of the product liability laws and evidentiary rules in several states and her ability to apply those standards to the facts presented. She also utilizes her discovery and litigation skills to defend health care facilities. In her national practice, Karen leads teams of lawyers, which coalesce into a virtual law firm, providing clients with exemplary service and management. Karen’s patience, persistence, and problem-solving aptitude provide a strong foundation for every case she tackles.

Before joining Tucker Ellis, Karen gained trial experience and honed her litigation and writing abilities as an assistant Cuyahoga County prosecutor and Ninth District Court of Appeals staff attorney – skills that serve her well in representing clients in court, at deposition, and in motion practice.

Community service has been a part of Karen’s life since childhood. In addition to her work as a mock trial coach for John Hay High School students in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, she is an executive board member of St. Vincent-St. Mary High School.

Karen is a Northeast Ohio native who grew up spending winters cheering on the Cavs and summers traveling the Great Lakes. When not working or volunteering, she spends time with family and friends enjoying the amazing activities and parks that Greater Cleveland has to offer. She is also a dedicated parent to an adopted fur-baby.

Education
Case Western Reserve University School of Law (J.D., 2001); Order of the Barristers; Dean Dunmore Distinguished Advocate Award; National Moot Court Team Captain
Kenyon College (B.A., 1998)
State Admissions
Ohio, 2001
Illinois, 2017
Federal Admissions
Supreme Court of the United States
United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio
Service Areas
Mass Tort & Product Liability
Life Sciences Litigation
Appellate & Legal Issues
Health & Life Sciences
Industries Represented
Automotive
Consumer Products
Hospitals
Machinery Manufacturing
Medical Professionals (Doctors & Nurses)
Pharmaceutical & Medicine
Safety Equipment
Textile
  • As trial counsel, secured a defense verdict for an asbestos glove manufacturer, defending the case from plaintiff’s deposition through verdict
  • Obtained summary judgment and voluntary dismissals in several cases based on persuasive arguments and fact development
  • Briefed and argued an appeal to secure a new trial for individual, non-corporate clients, which also vacated a damages verdict of more than $1 million
  • Developed and defended at deposition new corporate witnesses for clients involving erstwhile products/premises cases, including asbestos, requiring exhaustive research, analysis, and guidance
  • Routinely negotiates favorable resolutions, including group/docket resolutions, for clients in a variety of product liability and premises actions across the United States
  • Successfully prosecuted a disciplinary case for the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association

Publications

Speaking Engagements

  • “5 Hard Phrases Lawyers Should Master,” Lunch & Learn live webinar, Ohio Association of Civil Trial Attorneys (September 2024)
  • “How to Improve Your Work Life in a 24/7 Age,” Lunch & Learn live webinar, Ohio Association of Civil Trial Attorneys (July 2020)
  • “Help Me, Mediator: Creative Strategies for Getting to Resolution Sooner than Later,” ABCs of ADR: Best Practices Guide for Litigators & Neutrals, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, Cleveland, Ohio (October 2018)
  • “When is a Lawyer Not a Lawyer? – Personal Conduct & Ethical Obligations,” Tucker Ellis Ohio Professional Conduct Program, Cleveland, Ohio (December 2015)
  • “Diversity & Inclusion: Pipeline Diversity Programs,” presented at the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association (February 2013)
  • “Standing Up In Court: Fundamentals of Handling Exhibits and Using Depositions In Court,” presented at the Federal Bar Association’s New Lawyer Training Program (August 2012)

Media

  • “Piece of the Rock” Award, May Dugan Center (2017)
  • Ohio Super Lawyers® Rising Stars (2009)
  • Ohio Association of Civil Trial Attorneys
    • Board of Trustees
    • Mentorship Program, Chair
    • Environmental Law/Toxic Tort Committee
  • Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association
    • Ohio Mock Trial Judge
  • Ohio State Bar Association
  • American Bar Association
  • Federal Bar Association
  • Cleveland Metropolitan School District
    • Mock Trial Coach, John Hay High School
  • St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, Executive Board Member
  • May Dugan Center, Former Board Member and Program Committee Chair
  • Lakewood Family YMCA, Former Board Member