Cynthia O’Donnell is a Partner in the Pittsburgh office of Freeman, Mathis & Gary and a member of the firm’s Labor & Employment Law Section.
Ms. O’Donnell’s litigation practice includes providing representation to employers in claims relating to discrimination, retaliation, employment at-will, wrongful discharge, leave under the FMLA, trade secret misappropriation, breach of employment agreements, including non-compete and restrictive covenants and wage and hour disputes. She defends clients before various judicial and administrative tribunals, including federal and state courts throughout Pennsylvania and government agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission and the City of Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations.
Ms. O’Donnell’s background also includes extensive experience in defending claims involving civil rights violations, premises liability, products liability, property damage, contractual disputes, insurance coverage disputes, motor vehicle accidents, medical malpractice, assisted living facility liability, unfair trade practices and insurance bad faith. Ms. O’Donnell has litigated cases at all levels, including jury trials, non-jury trials, arbitration in both Pennsylvania state and federal courts, and appeals to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, the Pennsylvania Superior Court, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court and the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. She has argued several cases before the Pennsylvania Superior Court and the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court.
Ms. O’Donnell is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals.
Ms. O’Donnell graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1990, where she received Honors designations in Appellate Moot Court and Legal Writing. Prior to attending law school, Ms. O’Donnell earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh in 1985. Following law school, Ms. O’Donnell served as a law clerk to the late Honorable Peter Paul Olszewski of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania.