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PROMINENT ASSIGNMENTS
Employment Discrimination/Harassment/Retaliation/Whistleblower Claims
Represented Clients in single and multi-plaintiff actions alleging violations of federal and state civil rights laws, at both trial court and appellate level.
Successful defense of public institution on 14th Amendment and 1981 claims involving rights of privacy (obtained Sixth Circuit opinion, on issue of first impression, affirming summary judgment).
Successful defense of attempted class actions (each resulting in denial of class certification).
MDCR and EEOC claim defense, including position statements, mediation and conciliation.
Extensive experience regarding joint-employer obligations and liabilities.
Employment Counseling and Litigation Prevention on issues including:
document/personnel file retention and production issues
FMLA
discipline and termination issues;
ADA/ disability accommodation obligations;
email and internet policies and privacy rights;
pre-employment and employee drug testing;
enforceability of arbitration clauses in employment agreements; and
enforceability of contractually limited statute of limitations period.
Experience in conducting harassment/discrimination investigations.
Defamation Claims
Represented numerous clients in prosecuting and defending defamation claims.
Obtained numerous retractions of defamatory statements prior to commencement of litigation, including an internationally disseminated retraction from Reuters.
Experience in prosecuting "John Doe" actions, where defamatory material is posted anonymously on internet chat room sites.
REPRESENTATIVE CLIENTS
AT&T Inc.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
Ford Motor Company
Magna Powertrain, Inc.
MGM Grand Detroit
Target Stores
TGI Friday's
AREAS OF PRACTICE EMPHASIS
Appellate Litigation
Commercial & Business Litigation
Labor & Employment Relations
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Michigan Super Lawyers, 2008
PROFESSIONAL INVOLVEMENT
American Bar Association (Section of Labor and Employment Law, Equal Opportunity Committee)
Federal Bar Association
Detroit Bar Association
Defense Research Institute (DRI)
VIP Mentoring, Trustee (2003-present)
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Franklin Community Preschool, Board Member (1999-2000)
University of Michigan Student Funded Fellowship, Board Member (1994-95)
PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS
Inside the Minds -- Employment Discrimination Lawsuits, Chapter Author, "Effective Employer Strategies in Employment Discrimination Litigation", Aspatore Books, 2008
Labor and Employment Lawnotes, Volume 17.N.2 "The New Wave in Employment Litigation: Family Responsibilities Discrimination".
Employment Discrimination Law, Fourth Edition (ABA), Contributing Chapter Author, "Unions"
Michigan Business Torts (ICLE), Contributing Chapter Author, "Defamation".
Employment Litigation in Michigan, Second Edition (ICLE), Chapter Author, "Discrimination Claims"
Employment Litigation in Michigan, First Edition (ICLE), Chapter Author, "Title VII and Related ELCRA Claims"
EDUCATION
University of Michigan, B.G.S. 1990
University of Michigan Law School, J.D. 1995 | 