Employment Litigation

Employees of both private companies and government entities have significantly more legal protection than was true in years past, including rights under laws prohibiting race discrimination, sex discrimination and age discrimination, laws protecting the rights of whistleblowers, and laws requiring employees to be paid for the work they perform, as well as law protecting employees from termination in violation of public policy, and allowing employees to enforce implied contracts of employment. Unlike many firms involved in employment litigation, Jacobs, Grudberg, Belt, Dow & Katz P.C. has represented both employers and employees in cases involving employment discrimination, wrongful termination, breach of express and implied employment contracts, and breach of employee noncompete agreements. It has represented employees of governmental entities as well as those of private companies.

Among the companies and partnerships the firm has represented in employment disputes are: Memry Corporation (Bethel, CT); Paramount Communications, Inc. (New York, NY), E.& J. Gallo Winery (Modesto, CA), Valassis Communications, Inc. (Livonia, MI), Aluminum Corp. (North Haven, CT) and Champion International Corp. (Stamford, CT).

Among the significant employment cases in which the firm has been involved are:

• Representing a publicly held company in an action by its former President for the alleged breach of his termination agreement with the company.
   
• Representing software development company and its directors in an action by its former President, individually and as a stockholder's derivative action, alleging wrongful termination and breach of his employment agreement.
   
• Representing a major law firm in a retaliatory discharge claim brought by a former employee.
   
• Represented publicly held company in action by a former employer claiming wrongful termination and damages for four years of employment.
   
• Represented a large publicly owned corporation in action by a former employee claiming breach of an implied employment contract.
   
• Represented President of manufacturing company in action alleging sexual harassment.
   
• Represented insurance brokerage firm in an action alleging violation of Equal Pay Act and sexual harassment.
   
• Representing a privately held company in a dispute with its former President concerning alleged breaches of employment and asset acquisition agreements.
   
• Represented a large publicly owned company in action by former employee who alleged that he was terminated in retaliation from refusing to cover up irregularities in tax reporting.
   
• Represented plaintiffs in class action against major supermarket chain alleging sex discrimination by instituting policy preventing female part-time employees from having equal access to full-time positions.
   
• Represented a hospital association in an action involving allegations of violations of Equal Pay Act and discrimination on the basis of sex.
   

Among the reported decisions in employment cases in which the firm has been involved are: Venterina v. Cummings & Lockwood, 117 F. Supp.2d 114 (D. Conn. 1999); Clisham v. Board of Police Commissioners, 223 Conn. 354,613 A.2d 254 (1992); Rauccio v. Frank, 750 F. Supp. 566 (D. Conn. 1990); and Heller v. Champion International Corporation, 891 F.2d 432 (2d Cir. 1989).