Patrick Joseph Perotti

Patrick J. Perotti has been recognized for outstanding achievements in consumer class actions and employment discrimination, both locally and nationally. He is the architect of the firm’s Ohio Lawyers Give Back initiative to distribute unclaimed class action funds to charities. Patrick is an award winning national leader in the fields of consumer class actions, employment discrimination, and wage and hour litigation. With verdicts and settlements exceeding $1 billion dollars, Patrick is regularly selected to lead class suits in Ohio and around the country. His reputation developed from a demand for outcomes which not only offered compensation to class members but also stopped unlawful government and corporate practices. Using the class action device to achieve deterrence, he has directed more than $50 million in unclaimed class funds from his settlements to charities and non-profits around the country. The bench, bar and community have recognized Mr. Perotti’s legal and community accomplishments with the National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Award, the defense bar’s Top 75 Plaintiff Trial Lawyers in the United States, the Ohio State Bar Association’s highest honor, the Ritter Award, and his alma mater Marshall College of Law’s highest honor, the Alumnae of the Year Award. As a frequent lecturer at state and national conferences on class actions, employment law, and the cy pres doctrine, Patrick is regularly consulted by the bench, bar and media on those subjects. His interviews and commentary are found in countless websites, newspapers, and local and national radio and television shows.

CLASS ACTIONS. Patrick Perotti’s area of primary concentration is handling complex consumer class litigation throughout Ohio and nationally. His cases deal with overcharges, fraud and other unlawful conduct by government agencies, telecommunications companies, banks, insurance companies, shippers, manufacturers, retailers and a host of others. He has a reputation of extreme fairness, impartiality and professionalism in working with opposing counsel, co-counsel, and the court. Patrick’s simple motto for everything is, “Do the right thing.” His work as class counsel is consistently described by courts as “exceptional representation”: “Exceptional representation for the class members. Taking into consideration the complexity of the legal issues at hand and the result achieved by Class Counsel, it is clear to the Court that the legal representation in this case was superb.”

EMPLOYMENT LAW AND DISCRIMINATION. His practice for the last 35 years includes the full range of workers’ rights and Civil Rights, including Wrongful Discharge; Employment Discrimination involving Age, Sex, Race, Nationality, Color, Handicap and Religion; Sexual and Other Harassment; Equal Pay Act claims; Americans with Disabilities Act claims; and Family and Medical Leave Act claims.

WAGE AND HOUR AND COLLECTIVE ACTIONS. Patrick Perotti’s employment work has been highly successful across the United States in the specialized area of state and national wage and hour collective actions. His suits challenge the failure of large employers to pay overtime and other wages required by state and federal laws.