Thanks to a recent federal appellate court decision, OSHA now has even more leeway to issue costly repeat citations to employers. As many employers know, there are different classifications for civil violations of OSHA regulations, including other-than-serious, serious, repeat, and willful. Penalties, both monetary and non-monetary, increase with higher classification levels. OSHA recently increased the
Kelley J. Barnett
Kelley’s practice focuses on product liability and toxic tort matters for global manufacturers and suppliers worldwide in disputes which often involve catastrophic incidents, fatalities, explosions and fires. Kelley also has significant experience handling commercial litigation matters for small businesses and Fortune 500 companies all across the United States. Kelley has tried nearly one-hundred cases to verdict but counsels clients at all stages of disputes, including litigation avoidance. Additionally, Kelley counsels clients in a broad variety of contract matters, including drafting, reviewing, and negotiating.
Kelley also conducts internal corporate investigations into allegations of employee misconduct, fraud, compliance issues, and criminal misconduct. She is OSHA certified and counsels clients on a wide range of OSHA issues including training, compliance, and safety and accident investigations. As a former prosecutor, Kelley also works with colleges and universities to investigate allegations of sexual assault on campus. Moreover, Kelley provides investigation training to in-house counsel and other internal corporate employees and is an adjunct professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Law.
Kelley realized her love for the courtroom when she became an assistant prosecuting attorney in the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office at the beginning of her legal career. As a prosecutor, Kelley handled all aspects of criminal matters throughout the trial and appellate process, for all types of crimes ranging from low level drug offenses to capital murder. She joined Frantz Ward’s Litigation Group to continue her passion for litigation and help the firm’s clients solve everything from routine to catastrophic problems. Kelley values client service, communication and responsiveness and is always looking for new and better ways to add value.