John Sayre is a litigator with extensive experience in state and federal trial courts and appellate courts in Ohio. He has tried commercial, business entity, real estate, Uniform Commercial Code, construction, and bankruptcy cases.

John also has considerable experience in domestic relations and family law matters. A trustee and former president of the Center for Principled Family Advocacy, John has specialized training and has presented at seminars in collaborative practice, mediation and other alternate dispute processes. He is dedicated to helping families create lives with dignity after divorce.

John’s sub-specialty is in international child abduction matters under the Hague Convention on Civil Aspects of Child Abduction. He recently was counsel for the prevailing party in the landmark United States Supreme Court case of Monasky v. Taglieri, 140 S.Ct. 719 (2020).

Principal practice areas

• Business and commercial litigation
• Family law
• Domestic relations litigation
• International child abduction
• Real estate purchase and lease agreements
• Real estate litigation
• Bank financing

Representative experience

• National product liability defense of fiberglass manufacturer
• Defense of major commercial real estate developer against lender claims
• Prosecution and defense of shareholder disputes
• Prosecution and defense of preference litigation in bankruptcy
• Representation of unsecured creditors’ committees in bankruptcy
• Representation of secured creditors in bankruptcy
• Defense of municipality against challenge to zoning ordinance
• Defense of Section 1983 claims against municipalities
• Commercial collections
• Evictions and foreclosures
• American Arbitration Association arbitrations
• Prosecution and defense of divorce actions
• Dissolutions of marriage and separation agreements
• Premarital agreements
• Negotiation and closing of secured loan transactions
• Negotiation and closing of business sales and acquisitions
• Internal Revenue Code 1031 like-kind exchanges
• Formation of limited liability companies and closely held corporations
• Prosecution and defense of business sale disputes
• Insurance coverage litigation

Bar admissions

• Ohio Supreme Court (1977)
• 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (1978)
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio (1977)

Educational background

• Case Western Reserve University School of Law (JD, 1977)
• Indiana University (MA, 1974)
• DePauw University (BA, 1972)

Professional activities

• Member, American Bar Association, Litigation Section
• Member, Ohio State Bar Association, Litigation Section
• Member, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, Bankruptcy and Commercial Law Section
• Trustee, president (2011-2012), the Center for Principled Family Advocacy