Biography
Kathleen Dion, a member of the firm's Litigation Section, focuses her practice on all aspects of civil and criminal litigation. She frequently handles cases related to education, government and internal investigations, and business disputes.
Education Law
Kate represents private schools, colleges, and universities in a variety of civil matters, such as tuition disputes, allegations of staff misconduct, and Title IX matters. She has assisted her clients in reaching favorable settlements in several employee misconduct actions. She also successfully represented a university and professor in a defamation claim.
Investigations and Criminal Defense
Kate also assists public and private companies with internal investigations on a variety of matters including financial wrongdoing and regulatory non-compliance. While investigating the embezzlement of hundreds of thousands of dollars from a health care organization, she obtained a full confession from the former chief financial officer, and helped coordinate with federal agencies, which led to the CFO's criminal conviction. she has assisted with multiple corporate embezzlement investigations, helping to catch those responsible and recover stolen funds.
By appointment of a judge in the United States District Court in Connecticut, Kate represented an indigent defendant facing federal murder charges in a month long jury trial.
Business Litigation
Kate represents clients across the country in a variety of business disputes. Her courtroom experience ranges from federal and state jury trials to arbitrations and appeals. She has handled several class actions involving consumer products, including food, cosmetics, and dietary supplements. Kate obtained a favorable mid-trial settlement for a defense contractor in a dispute involving allegations of breach of contract and breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing. Recently, she obtained a verdict in favor of her client in a shareholder dispute action.
Pro Bono
Kate has devoted significant time to the representation of pro bono clients. She was part of a group of Robinson+Cole attorneys whose legal assistance ultimately allowed a soup kitchen and food pantry to remain open despite attempts by the local municipality to close them. She participates in the firm’s successful Domestic Violence Restraining Order Program, which provides free legal services to family violence victims. Kate also successfully argued an appeal before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals for a prisoner on a civil rights claim. She received the firm’s Pro Bono Service Award in 2013.
She is a member of the firm’s Data Privacy + Cybersecurity Team, and regularly contributes to the firm’s Data Privacy + Security Insider publication, writing about Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and Fourth Amendment issues. She also contributes to the Health Law Diagnosis blog.
Kate was selected as a Rising Star to the Connecticut Super Lawyers list from 2016 to 2019. Prior to joining the firm, she served as a law clerk to the Honorable Robert E. Beach of the Connecticut Appellate Court.