Susan M. Audey

Susan M. Audey is Counsel in the Cleveland office of Tucker Ellis & West LLP. She practices in the area of general litigation, and primarily focuses on appellate matters. She was in the inaugural class of attorneys certified by the Ohio State Bar Association as appellate specialists and has remained certified since that time.

Susan started her career as an audiologist in 1980, and has worked in that capacity in major medical centers in the Cleveland area as well as at the university level. After graduating from law school, Susan clerked for the Honorable Timothy E. McMonagle and the Honorable John T. Patton, both of the Ohio Court of Appeals, Eighth District. She also served as a magistrate in the Lake County Court of Common Pleas, Probate Division. She is admitted to practice in Ohio state and federal courts, and the United States Supreme Court.

Susan teaches Advanced Brief Writing as an adjunct instructor at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, is a frequent presenter on writing and appellate-related topics, and is an active member of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Assocation’s Certified Grievance Committee, Bar Admissions Committee, and Bar Admissions Appeals Sub-Committee.

Civic & Professional Involvement

Certified as an Appellate Specialist by the Ohio State Bar Association (2008)
Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association
     Certified Grievance Committee, Chair (2009-2010)
     Certified Grievance Committee, Special Approintment (2010-2011)
     Bar Admissions Committee and Appeals Sub-Committee
Cleveland-Marshall College of Law
     Curriculum Advisory Committee (2010)
Eighth District Judicial Conference, Life Member
Ohio Association of Civil Trial Attorneys
Ohio State Bar Association
Defense Research Institute
     Appellate and Products LIability Committee
William K. Thomas Inn of Court, Barrister Member (2010-2013)

Representative Cases

Cross v. A-Best Prod. Co., 124 Ohio St.3d 239, 2010-Ohio-121 (reversing appellate judgment upholding trial court’s order refusing to retroactively apply prima facie showing statute in an asbestos products liability action).

Sinnott v. Aqua-Chem, Inc., 116 Ohio St.3d 158, 2007-Ohio-5584 (reversing appellate judgment dismissing appeal on final appealable order grounds in an asbestos products liability action). 

Smith v. Gill, 8th Dist. No. 93985, 2010-Ohio-4012 (upholding summary judgment on statute of limitations grounds in medical malpractice action).

Nash v. Cleveland Clinic Found., 8th Dist. No. 92564, 2010-Ohio-10 (reversing order denying motions to quash depositions of several physicians and staff on confidentiality grounds)

Montanez v. MetroHealth Med. Ctr., 8th Dist. No. 92567, 2009-Ohio-3881 (upholding summary judgment on statute of limitations grounds in medical malpractice action).

Turner v. Rosenfield, 8th Dist. No. 89719, 2008-Ohio-1932 (reversing judgment entered on verdict in plaintiff’s favor in medical malpractice case involving reduced life expectancy-related issues).

Frost v. Cleveland Rehab. & Special Care Ctr., Inc., 8th Dist. No. 89694, 2008-Ohio-1718 (upholding summary judgment for lack of expert testimony in nursing home malpractice case).

Recent Publications

“Is Poor Writing Sanctionable Conduct?” DRI’s For the Defense (March 2010)
“First Impressions Matter: Confessions of a Former Law Clerk,” DRI’s For the Defense 
(October 2009)
“Spoliation of Evidence: Its Use as a Defense Tool,” OACTA Quarterly (Winter 2008,Vol 1, 
Issue 4)

Presentations

“Writing for the Paralegal Professional,” Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association (January 2012)
“Appellate Brief Writing,” Ohio State Bar Association (April 2011)
“Tips for Writing Simply, Clearly, and Credibly,” Ohio State Bar Association (April 2010)
“The Beautiful Brief: Persuasion through Appearance, Ohio State Bar Association” (April 2009)
“Strategies for Drafting a Clear and Concise Brief,” Ohio State Bar Association
     (September 2008)
“Brief Writing Tips for 1Ls, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Black Law Student Association”
     (October 2009, March 2010, November 2010)

Full Bio