Kati is a native of both Tennessee and Cincinnati. She received her undergraduate degree in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee and returned to Cincinnati where she received her Juris Doctor from the University of Cincinnati College of Law. Kati is a practicing member of both the Ohio Bar and the Southern District of Ohio Bar. She serves as an advocate for current and former employees in all aspects of employment law and has successfully represented employees in jury trials in both state and federal court in Ohio. Kati is a 2017 graduate of the Cincinnati Academy of Leadership for Lawyers, Co-Chair of the Cincinnati Employment Lawyers Association, and a member of the National and Ohio Employment Lawyers Associations. Thompson Reuters’ Super Lawyers magazine has named Kati a Rising Star each year between 2014 and 2017 and in 2024 Kati was recognized by Best Lawyers in America.
Legal Career
- Partner, Freking Myers & Reul LLC
- Associate, Freking Myers & Reul LLC
Areas of Practice
Education
- B.S., University of Tennesee
- J.D., University of Cincinnati College of Law
Professional Associations & Memberships
- Cincinnati Bar Association
- Federal Bar Association, John W. Peck Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky Chapter (Diversity and Inclusion Committee Member)
- National Employment Lawyers Association
- Ohio Employment Lawyers Association
- Cincinnati Employment Lawyers Association, Co-Chair
- Civic Garden Center, Board Member
- Ellequate, Advisory Board Member
Licenses
- State of Ohio
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
- United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
Honors & Awards
- Named Ohio Super Lawyer Rising Star By Thomson Reuters/Super Lawyers Magazine (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017)
- 2017 Graduate of the Cincinnati Academy of Leadership for Lawyers
- Best Lawyers in America - Employment Law (2024)
Publications
- 2015 Mid Winter Treatise Supplement: The Fair Labor Standards Act, Presented by the American Bar Association
Pro-Plaintiff Summary Judgement Decisions
- Adkison v. Procter & Gamble (FMLA Retaliation, Gender Discrimination, Pregnancy Discrimination and Retaliation) (with Randy Freking)
- Kemper v. Springfield Township (FMLA Interference/Retaliation and Age Discrimination) (with Randy Freking)
- McKinnon v. L-3 Communications Corp., et al. (Gender Discrimination) (with Randy Freking)
- McTague v. University of Cincinnati (Equal Pay Act)
- Nailon v. University of Cincinnati, et al. (Retaliation)
- Pastura v.CVS (Age Discrimination) (with Randy Freking)
- Reynolds, et al. v. Chipotle (Gender Discrimination and FMLA Retaliation) (with Kelly Mulloy Myers and Randy Freking)
- Rodenburg v. Hill and Griffith Company (Age Discrimination)
- Wind v. Walgreens (FMLA Retaliation, Disability Discrimination and Workers’ Compensation Retaliation)
Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals Decisions
- McKinnon v. L-3 Communications Corp. et al. No. 19-3699 (6th Circuit, May 14, 2020)
- Briggs v. University of Cincinnati, No. 20-4133 (6th Circuit, August 26, 2021)
- Myers v. City of Centerville, OH. et al. No.21-3850 (6th Circuit, July 21, 2022) (with Laura Welles Wilson)
Pro-Plaintiff Jury Awards
- Reynolds, et al. v. Chipotle (Gender Discrimination and FMLA Retaliation) (with Kelly Mulloy Myers and Randy Freking)
Pro-Plaintiff Arbitration
- Pangallo v. Smurfit Stone Container Corp.(Union - breach of contract) (with Kelly Mulloy Myers)
- Roth v. The City of Reading (Union – breach of contract) (with Erin Heidrich)
Presentations
- Ageism in the Workplace: Cultural Competence Series (2015) (with Randy Freking)
- Gender and Healthcare Issues in the Workplace (2017) (with Kelly Mulloy Myers)
- Gender Issues in the Workplace, Butler County Bar Association (2018) (with Elizabeth Asbury Newman)
- Queen City Certified. “Navigating the CARES Act and the Transition Back to Work” (with Senator Sherrod Brown, Brian Griffin, Christa Hyson, Eddie Koen, Liza Smitherman, and Audrey Treasure, 2020)
- Queen City Certified. “Managing Workplace Mask and COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates (with Neha Matta, 2021)
- 39th Annual Labor-Management Conference: Labor-Management Relations: Building Connections Through the Pandemic and Beyond – “How to Respond to an Evolving Workplace” (with Justin Flamm and Denise McKinney, 2022)
