Thomas B. Ridgley
Columbus Office
Mr. Ridgley is a partner in the Vorys Columbus office and a member of the firm’s litigation group. During his career he has defended clients in numerous class action lawsuits arising from alleged securities violations, employment practices, wage and hour practices, environmental toxic torts, and claimed violations of consumer protection laws. Mr. Ridgley has also represented the interests of offerors and offerees in connection with contests for corporate control, and has been involved as counsel in most hostile takeover disputes in Ohio in the last 25 years. In addition, he has represented corporations in commercial disputes and advises boards of directors on various corporate governance issues.
Career highlights include:
- Serving as lead counsel in a nationwide race/ethnicity class action which settled and in which a consent decree was negotiated
- Serving as lead counsel in a putative nationwide collective and class action under the Fair Labor Standards Act and various state wage and hour laws in which the United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a summary judgment ruling
- Representing more than a dozen offerors or offerees in contested takeovers of corporations
- Successfully representing corporate defendants in a potential federal court environmental class action in which he obtained a dismissal of most claims on a pretrial motion and a voluntary dismissal of the balance of claims by the plaintiffs
- Successfully representing a company sued in a statewide consumer class action
- Representing a financial institution sued by a large multi-national organization in a matter arising from the sale of financial derivatives
Mr. Ridgley is a member of the American Bar Association, the Ohio State Bar Association and the Columbus Bar Association. He is also a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, the Ohio State Bar Foundation, and the Columbus Bar Foundation.
Mr. Ridgley received his J.D. with distinction from the University of Michigan Law School where he was the Assistant Editor of the Michigan Law Review. He received his A.B. magna cum laude from Princeton University.
Professional and Community Activities
- The Columbus Bar Foundation, Past President and Board Member, 1991-1999
- The Community Shelter Board, Past Chair and Board Member, 1989-1999
- The United Way of Franklin County, Past Chair and Board Member, 1987-1997
Honors and Awards
- Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers since 1981
- Fellow of the Columbus Bar Foundation since 1988
- The Best Lawyers in America, Business Litigation, 1983-2008
- The Best Lawyers in America, Commercial Litigation, 2006-2008
- The Best Lawyers in America, “Bet-the-Company” Litigation, 2007-2008
- The Best Lawyers in America, Personal Injury Litigation, 1993-2008
- The Best Lawyers in America, Product Liability Litigation, 2007-2008
- Lawdragon, Leading 500 Litigators
- Chambers and Partners, Leading Lawyer Litigation: General Commercial, 2003-2008
- Ohio Super Lawyers, Civil Litigation Defense, 2004-2008