LaDue | Curran | Kuehn – Attorneys – Civil Litigation – Labor & Employment Law

R. John Kuehn

John regularly advises employers on matters of labor and employment law and represents clients in all phases of business litigation, including mediation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution, trials and appeals in federal and state courts, and before administrative agencies such as the Indiana Civil Rights Commission, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, National Labor Relations Board, and labor arbitrators. John is also a registered civil mediator.

In his civil litigation practice, John has:

defended businesses, including a national commercial and military vehicle supplier, a regional restaurant franchisee, a national retail conglomerate, and a medical device manufacturer, against claims of employment discrimination, retaliatory discharge, and breach of employment contract;
pursued claims to enforce non-compete agreements and claims for misappropriation of trade secrets against former employees;
defended a former employee of a plastics-manufacturing business against claims by the company for breach of employment contract and non-compete agreement;
represented local contractors to resolve disputes with their customers and pursue claims for payment, including matters involving the AIA's form agreements;
defended a national building-supply manufacturer against claims arising out of allegedly-defective products;
pursued claims by a shareholder in a closely-held corporation to recover compensation for the shareholder's equity in the company;
represented a local governmental body in multiple eminent domain actions to acquire property required for a substantial expansion of public services;
pursued breach of contract and fraud claims on behalf of a national bank against a home builder and title company;
represented a regional non-profit pro bono in property dispute with co-owner of facility in Northern Indiana; and
served as local counsel in a variety of cases, including on behalf of an automobile manufacturer to defend claims for breach of Indiana's motor vehicle warranty law and other claims based on allegedly-defective vehicles.

John has also counseled business and individuals on a variety of legal issues. Among other things, John has:

helped employers draft and update employment policies;
drafted confidentiality, non-solicitation, and non-compete agreements tailored to meet the strict requirements of Indiana law;
guided companies through the legal issues involved with employee hiring, discipline, and discharge;
advised a local author about legal issues involved with publishing a book on collegiate sports; and
counseled companies on a variety of issues affecting day-to-day business operations.

From September 2000 through June 2002, John practiced in the Labor & Employment Department of a national law firm based in Indiana. In July 2002, he joined a litigation boutique firm in South Bend where he practiced general civil litigation with a focus on labor and employment law. In 2008, John co-founded the firm of LaDue Curran & Kuehn LLC.

Since 2004, John has taught deposition skills as an adjunct professor of law at the Notre Dame Law School. John also serves on the Board of Directors of the Women's Care Center, a non-profit social service agency that provides free pregnancy testing, material and emotional support, and education for those who need help meeting the challenges of pregnancy and parenting.

John is admitted to practice in all Indiana federal and state courts, as well as in the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan and Northern District of Illinois. He is a member of the Indiana State Bar Association, St. Joseph County Bar Association, Seventh Circuit Bar Association, and Robert A. Grant Inn of Court, the local chapter of a national association of litigation attorneys.

John was born in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and, with his military family, has also lived in Alabama, Northern Virginia, Germany and Japan. In 1993, John moved to South Bend, Indiana, to attend the University of Notre Dame. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and German magna cum laude in 1997, and he received his J.D. from the Notre Dame Law School in 2000. John served as Managing Editor of the Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics and Public Policy, and he participated as a student member of the Robert A. Grant Inn of Court.