Employment Lawyer Interviews

Northridge, CA It’s no surprise that some “long COVID-19” claims are denied by insurance companies: there was even a debate about whether it was real. But long-term disability attorney Brent Dorian Brehm, with Kantor & Kantor LLP has already won “post-COVID-19 syndrome” appeals for his clients. Brehm discusses how best to file a long-COVID LTD claim.

Houston, TX PFAS contamination lawyer Bill Barfield, with McDonald Worley law firm, says the number of calls they receive about PFAS exposure is on the rise, from individuals worrying that their drinking water is contaminated to first responders exposed to firefighting foam at vehicle accident scenes. “Their first question is, ‘Do I have a claim?’ and their second question is, ‘Where can I get PFAS testing?’” says Barfield. 

New York, NY Vincent White, a partner at White, Hilferty and Albanese, hears stories like this frequently now: 

New York, NY Vincent White, a partner at White, Hilferty and Albanese, spoke recently with LAS about the thorny problem of employment discrimination based on an employer’s perception (or misperception) of an employee’s sexual orientation. The hardest problem, according to White, is that the discriminatory comment or action often happens behind closed doors, with no witnesses. “It’s an elevator situation,” said White. “The doors close; the offense happens; and the doors open with no one the wiser, except the employer and a very shocked employee.”

San Diego, CA: A class action lawsuit filed in the Superior Court of California alleges Pacific Western Bank failed to correctly calculate overtime wages of the non-exempt hourly workers and failed to provide staff with mandatory meal and rest breaks.

San Diego, CA Fear of retaliation can be a major hurdle for workers considering filing a wage and hour lawsuit against their employer. However, a new piece of legislation passed by the state of California, will make it much harder for companies to suddenly terminate employees under those circumstances.

San Francisco, CA: The big green and white Canteen Vending trucks are a frequent sight across the US and many other states. In California, the company has a huge number of delivery drivers working out of as many as 20 different distribution locations across the state.

Oakland, CA: Thousands of security guards are extremely pleased with the outcome of their lawsuit regarding rest breaks, which dragged through the court system for years. “After 12 years, we just received final court approval of our $110 million settlement,” says attorney Scott Cole, adding that he is co-counsel with Drew Pomerance's office on the California labor lawsuit.

Oakland, CA: Last month a California labor lawsuit was filed by a former Amazon manager accusing the company of failing to pay him overtime wages because he was misclassified as exempt. “Amazon has the burden to show my client, Michael Ortiz, was properly classified. I have grave doubts it can do that,” says attorney Scott Cole. As well, Cole says that Ortiz has been subjected to “bait and switch”…

Oakland, CA Legal team representing a 44-year-old African American man who claims he was harassed and discriminated against while working as an assembly line worker at the Tesla car factory in Fremont, California is adding a charge of retaliation to the already long list of claims of violations of the California state labor laws.