Joshua R. Cohen, Partner
Direct: (216) 815-9700
jcohen@crklaw.com
Key Practice Areas:
Defamation
Employment Law (Civil Service)
Fiduciary Duty
Fraud
Investments
Legal Malpractice
Securities Law
Josh Cohen has a reputation for innovative, cutting-edge, and courageous litigation earned over more than 30 years of practice in complex civil and commercial litigation. His clients have included investors, employees, consumers, receivers, municipalities, and bankruptcy trustees in disputes ranging from legal malpractice to investment fraud, public nuisance to corporate and trust disputes.
Josh began his career at a mid-sized regional firm, where he devoted much of his practice to representation of one of the nation’s largest investment brokerage firms. Josh sat first-chair in three jury trials for this client, winning each of them. He also represented the firm in securities industry arbitrations, successfully defending it from a number of multi-million-dollar claims.
During this period, Josh also served as co-counsel with former U.S. Senator Howard Metzenbaum in prosecuting derivative claims on behalf of policyholders in a mutual insurance company over the company’s attempt to sell itself. The case resulted in settlements of more than $12 million.
Josh represented the former owner of the Cleveland Press in obtaining a $1.4 million judgment against the former owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers for repayment of a loan. Josh also served as lead counsel in a class action brought on behalf of Cleveland Browns season ticket holders against Art Modell in the wake of the team’s relocation to Baltimore, Maryland. The case culminated in a multi-million-dollar settlement, the first of its kind in sports consumer litigation.
In 2001, Josh obtained a settlement of more than $11 million for a real estate investor in his dispute with the nation’s largest privately-owned shopping center development and management company. The settlement ranked among the ten largest in Ohio for the year, according to Lawyers Weekly.
Josh successfully challenged the constitutionality of the prayer recited at the beginning of Cleveland school board meetings in a lawsuit decided by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. He received a special commendation from the American Civil Liberties Union for handling the case.
Josh served as lead counsel in representing the City of Cleveland in lawsuits against 21 Wall Street firms over damages sustained in connection with the subprime foreclosure crisis. The cases generated national and international attention and was featured in the 2010 film, Cleveland vs. Wall Street, winner of the 2011 Swiss Film Prize for Best Documentary. Josh spoke about the movie and the Cleveland subprime litigation at the Cannes International Film Festival and the Munich Film Festival.
Josh served as co-lead counsel in a lawsuit prosecuted against a national bank on behalf of hundreds of investors victimized by a Ponzi scheme perpetrated through use of the bank’s facilities. In 2011, the case settled for $10.5 million.
Josh currently represents a class of County employees suing for compensation withheld in violation of the civil service laws. In another lawsuit, Josh serves as counsel to faculty members at Ohio’s public universities in a dispute with the state teachers retirement system.
Josh is co-author of Mortgage and Asset Backed Securities Litigation. He has spoken at numerous seminars, including the annual meeting of the American Bar Association, the Northwestern University Third Annual Civil Justice Symposium, the International Municipal Lawyers Association Annual Conference, and various local seminars.