Duncan, Sarah L.

In federal and state courts across the United States, Geoff Ritts focuses on defending corporations, officers, and directors in securities, shareholder, and derivative litigation. He also regularly defends corporations in M&A disputes, ERISA litigation, and banking and accounting-related litigation, and assists companies with internal investigations.

Geoff has represented National City Corporation (now part of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.) and its officers and directors in numerous securities, derivative, and ERISA lawsuits arising out of the subprime mortgage crisis. He represents an affiliate of KeyCorp in multiple class actions relating to the Bernard Madoff scandal. Geoff recently defended Macy's in a merger case involving the acquisition of May Department Stores in which the court denied class certification. He successfully represented Macy's and Diebold in securities class actions in which courts dismissed the complaints under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act (PSLRA).

Geoff is an adjunct professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Law, where he teaches complex litigation. He is coauthor of a treatise on complex litigation in state courts (Statewide Coordinated Proceedings: State Court Analogues to the Federal MDL Process, West Group) and author of numerous articles on securities law, civil procedure, class actions, and legal ethics, in publications such as Litigation magazine, The National Law Journal, the Journal of Corporation Law, and Defense Law Journal. Geoff has been invited to testify before the Ohio Legislature on class actions. He is a trustee of Notre Dame College and a member of the Executive Committee of the Yale Law School Association.