Employment Litigation

Downey Brand’s employment litigation lawyers are experienced trial attorneys with demonstrated success in state and federal courts and at binding arbitrations.

We work daily to aggressively defend employers in state and federal courts against all types of labor and employment litigation including harassment, discrimination, retaliation, wrongful termination, whistle-blower, wage and hour, employment contract disputes, and PAGA claims. We represent public entities and private employers across a wide range of industries including retail, health care, grocery, banking and professional services. And, we utilize alternative dispute resolution, such as mediation, when it makes the most business sense for our clients.

We specialize in representing employers in complex wage and hour class action litigation. Our employment litigation lawyers have successfully opposed motions for class certification in state and federal courts. We also engage in intensive and early factual investigations in these complex cases to effectively analyze exposure and potential damages to develop defense strategy.

Our employment litigation lawyers regularly appear before regulatory agencies and represent clients during agency audits and investigations, including the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commissioner, the U.S. Attorney General, the U.S. Department of Education, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, and the Public Employment Relations Board.

In addition to employment litigation, our employment attorneys, offer advice and counsel on the full spectrum of employment claims and issues impacting employers.


Selected Experience

Selected Experience

  • Successfully defending a large local grocery company in two simultaneous state court trials in Sacramento and Yolo counties. Both jury trials resulted in defense verdicts. The cases involved complex disability discrimination claims on the one hand and allegations of long-term age discrimination in the other. We obtained an award of costs in each case.
  • Serving as trial counsel, in large putative wage and hour class action in federal court on behalf of Fortune 500 health services employer. Class involved approximately 1,000 former and current employees. Successfully opposed motion for class certification resulting in nuisance settlement with single class representative.
  • Representing large national bank in wrongful termination, discrimination and whistle-blower claims in state court. Actions resulted in favorable settlement following aggressive defense of claims.
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  • Successfully defending a large local grocery company in two simultaneous state court trials in Sacramento and Yolo counties. Both jury trials resulted in defense verdicts. The cases involved complex disability discrimination claims on the one hand and allegations of long-term age discrimination in the other. We obtained an award of costs in each case.
  • Serving as trial counsel, in large putative wage and hour class action in federal court on behalf of Fortune 500 health services employer. Class involved approximately 1,000 former and current employees. Successfully opposed motion for class certification resulting in nuisance settlement with single class representative.
  • Representing large national bank in wrongful termination, discrimination and whistle-blower claims in state court. Actions resulted in favorable settlement following aggressive defense of claims.
  • Represented a natural gas company against claims by former employees alleging breach of contract. Obtained defense verdict at trial that was upheld on appeal.
  • Successful prosecution of breach of contract claim by former executive against high-tech company following multi-day arbitration in which arbitrator awarded in excess of $250,000 in fees and costs.
  • Defense of a financial institution in the San Francisco Bay Area on claims of race and sexual discrimination and a hostile work environment made by female employees against an alleged supervisor during training
16 Attorneys

Annie S. Amaral

Partner

Sacramento 916.520.5243

Meghan M. Baker

Partner

Sacramento 916.520.5510

Jay-Allen Eisen

Outside Counsel

Sacramento 916.520.5290

Professional headshot to attorney Bradley Emmerson

Bradley M. Emmerson

Associate

Sacramento 916-520-5288

Cassandra M. Ferrannini

Partner

Sacramento 916.520.5387

Daria A. Gossett

Senior Associate

Sacramento 916.520.5383

Tyler J. Horn

Senior Associate

Stockton 209.472.3978

Sacramento 916.444.1000

Alexandra K. LaFountain

Partner

Sacramento 916.520.5245

Sean G. McKissick

Partner

Sacramento 916.520.5262

Daniel J. McVeigh

Of Counsel

Sacramento 916.520.5438

Kevin J. Rooney

Partner

Stockton 209.472.3924

Sacramento 916.444.1000

Professional headshot

Stella M. Rugama

Associate

Sacramento 916.520.5248

Michael J. Thomas

Partner

Sacramento 916.520.5310

Anthony L. Vignolo

Partner

Stockton 209.472.3920

William R. Warne

Partner

Sacramento 916.520.5217

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