Catie Wheatley

Extremely thorough, timely and a natural relationship-builder, Catie enjoys helping clients on the front end — such as counseling before a termination or a negotiated severance — to avoid downstream consequences, unnecessary risk and lengthy litigation. But when litigation is the best option, Catie takes it to the mat, helping clients assess risk, weigh options and find the most efficient resolution given their business needs.

Employment Litigation

Catie counsels and defends employers in labor and employment matters, including claims of employment discrimination and retaliation, wrongful termination, promissory estoppel, and breach of contract, as well as issues related to restrictive covenants, ERISA litigation and negotiated separations.

An astute judge of character and strategy, Catie can often see all sides of a case and predict the opponent’s next move, which helps her be an extraordinarily effective advocate. She shines when it comes to solving complex legal questions where there is no roadmap, whether because of a novel set of facts, an evolving area of the law or both.

Her experiences as an appellate clerk help Catie frame issues early, and often, as questions of law rather than questions of fact, teeing up the best possible path for clients’ relief. She is adept at dispositive motion practice, including motions to dismiss, motions for judgment on the pleadings and motions for summary judgment.

Representative Experience

• Defended a health care client against a doctor’s wrongful termination suit, obtaining a favorable ruling on a motion in limine tied to a discovery dispute that changed the plaintiff’s valuation of the case and led to a speedy settlement.
• Defended an employer from a former employee’s discrimination and retaliation claims, which posed significant risk of reputational harm due to the risk of “me too” comparator evidence at trial. The employer secured a dismissal through summary judgment.

Prior Experience

Catie was a summer associate at Faegre Drinker in Indianapolis and an associate at a litigation boutique in Louisville, Kentucky. After graduating first in her class from Indiana University Maurer School of Law, Catie served as an appellate law clerk in both state and federal courts: first for the Hon. Geoffrey G. Slaughter on the Indiana Supreme Court, and then for the Hon. Eugene E. Siler, Jr., on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. While in law school, Catie served as a judicial extern for the Hon. David F. Hamilton on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and was elected as the notes and comments editor of the Indiana Law Journal.

Prior to law school, Catie worked for the Institute for Justice, a national nonprofit law firm; the Louisville-area chapter of the American Red Cross; and several nonprofit and educational organizations in Louisville and Southern Indiana, most recently in executive leadership roles.

Personal Interests

In her free time, Catie enjoys reading, playing tennis, and hiking Red River Gorge with her spouse and daughter.