Overview
Olivia regularly assists businesses and individuals involved in contractual disputes or business torts through all phases of litigation, including discovery, depositions, motion practice, trial preparation, and appeals. She has extensive experience in defending insurers with respect to commercial, life, and disability coverage, including disputes that arise in the ERISA context.
Olivia regularly offers pro bono counsel to non-profit organizations and, in particular, churches and other religious institutions, on a wide array of issues.
Prior to joining the firm, Olivia served as a law clerk for the Honorable Deborah L. Cook of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Akron, Ohio, as well as the Honorable Gerald B. Tjoflat of the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Jacksonville, Florida.
Representative Experience
- Obtained summary judgment in client’s favor on bad faith and punitive damages claim, resolving the dispute before trial.
- Secured the dismissal of all claims against a national insurer through both cross-motions for summary judgment and appellate briefing.
- Defended a contractor from a multi-million-dollar delay and additional cost claim relating to a public transit project in Singapore over the course of an arbitration in the International Court of Arbitration.
Education & Admissions
Education
- Duke University School of Law, J.D., 2006
- Senior Research Editor, Duke Law Journal
- Recipient of the Van Schaick Mordecai Scholarship (full tuition)
- Duke Divinity School, M.T.S., 2006
- Brown University, A.B., English, magna cum laude, 2001
Bar and Court Admissions
- State of Ohio
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
Involvement
Professional Affiliations
- Federal Bar Association, Member
- Asian American Bar Association, Member
Community Involvement
- Fieldstone Counseling, Board of Directors (2018 – Present)
Firm Involvement
- Hiring Committee, Member
Publications
- “Sixth Circuit Revives an Equitable Claim for Disgorgement Under ERISA Where an Insurer Obtained Reimbursement is Not Set Forth in the Plan,” Frantz Ward Client Alert (May 2024)
- “Sixth Circuit Clarifies the Date on Which a Claim for Pension Benefits Under ERISA Accrues,” Frantz Ward Client Alert (May 2023)
- “Sixth Circuit Holds That Employers Can Commit a Breach of Fiduciary Duty Under ERISA By Mishandling Insurance Premiums,” Frantz Ward Client Alert (May 2022)
- “Sixth Circuit Provides Guidance on Discretionary Authority Where the Plan Administrator Does Not Employ the Decisionmakers,” Frantz Ward Client Alert (May 2021)
- “Sixth Circuit Provides Guidance on the Exhaustion of Administrative Remedies Where ERISA Plan Documents are Silent,” Frantz Ward Website Article (September 2020)
- “The Reasonable Justification Standard for Bad Faith Claim,” Frantz Ward Client Alert (April 2019)
- “Bioethics and the Disposition of Cryopreserved Preembryos,” 34 Fam. Adv. 38 (Fall 2011)
- “Demythologizing Restorative Justice: South Africa’s TRC & Rwanda’s Gacaca Courts,” 12 ILSA Journal of International & Comparative Law 41 (2005)
- “Rehabilitating Bioethics: Recontextualizing In Vitro Fertilization,” 54 Duke Law Journal 485 (2004)
Representative Experience
- Obtained summary judgment in client’s favor on bad faith and punitive damages claim, resolving the dispute before trial.
- Secured the dismissal of all claims against a national insurer through both cross-motions for summary judgment and appellate briefing.
- Defended a contractor from a multi-million-dollar delay and additional cost claim relating to a public transit project in Singapore over the course of an arbitration in the International Court of Arbitration.
Education & Admissions
Education
- Duke University School of Law, J.D., 2006
- Senior Research Editor, Duke Law Journal
- Recipient of the Van Schaick Mordecai Scholarship (full tuition)
- Duke Divinity School, M.T.S., 2006
- Brown University, A.B., English, magna cum laude, 2001
Bar and Court Admissions
- State of Ohio
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
Involvement
Professional Affiliations
- Federal Bar Association, Member
- Asian American Bar Association, Member
Community Involvement
- Fieldstone Counseling, Board of Directors (2018 – Present)
Firm Involvement
- Hiring Committee, Member
Publications
- “Sixth Circuit Revives an Equitable Claim for Disgorgement Under ERISA Where an Insurer Obtained Reimbursement is Not Set Forth in the Plan,” Frantz Ward Client Alert (May 2024)
- “Sixth Circuit Clarifies the Date on Which a Claim for Pension Benefits Under ERISA Accrues,” Frantz Ward Client Alert (May 2023)
- “Sixth Circuit Holds That Employers Can Commit a Breach of Fiduciary Duty Under ERISA By Mishandling Insurance Premiums,” Frantz Ward Client Alert (May 2022)
- “Sixth Circuit Provides Guidance on Discretionary Authority Where the Plan Administrator Does Not Employ the Decisionmakers,” Frantz Ward Client Alert (May 2021)
- “Sixth Circuit Provides Guidance on the Exhaustion of Administrative Remedies Where ERISA Plan Documents are Silent,” Frantz Ward Website Article (September 2020)
- “The Reasonable Justification Standard for Bad Faith Claim,” Frantz Ward Client Alert (April 2019)
- “Bioethics and the Disposition of Cryopreserved Preembryos,” 34 Fam. Adv. 38 (Fall 2011)
- “Demythologizing Restorative Justice: South Africa’s TRC & Rwanda’s Gacaca Courts,” 12 ILSA Journal of International & Comparative Law 41 (2005)
- “Rehabilitating Bioethics: Recontextualizing In Vitro Fertilization,” 54 Duke Law Journal 485 (2004)
Recent News & Blog Posts
News
05.08.2024
Sixth Circuit Revives an Equitable Claim for Disgorgement Under ERISA Where an Insurer Obtained Reimbursement is Not Set Forth in the Plan
Insights
05.16.2023
Sixth Circuit Clarifies the Date on Which a Claim for Pension Benefits Under ERISA Accrues
Client Alerts, Construction On the Level Blog
05.11.2022
