Employment & Labor

Having successfully tried cases on behalf of both employees and employers, Riverside Law Group is equipped to handle any of your employment and labor law-related issues, including, but not limited to, counseling you on and defending or prosecuting hostile work environment, retaliation, and discrimination claims.

RIVERSIDE'S EMPLOYMENT & LABOR LAW SERVICES

Riverside attorneys have successfully litigated cases involving alleged violations of the Uniformed Services Employment and Re-Employment Rights Act (USERRA), the Washington Minimum Wage Act (MWA), Washington Wage Rebate Act (WRA), and Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), as well as individual cases regarding the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Privacy Act, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), False Claims Act (FCA), Washington Law Against Discrimination (WLAD), Washington’s Public Record Act (PRA), Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and retaliation cases under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Noteworthy cases that Riverside’s attorneys have litigated include an Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) discrimination and retaliation lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Interior. That case, O’Kell v. Haaland, resulted in a $2.4 million judgment and is the largest known single plaintiff employment verdict under any statute (ADA, Title VII) against a federal government employer. Riverside’s attorneys also defended Gonzaga University in a jury trial involving federal and state age, gender, and disability discrimination/retaliation/hostile work environment claims in which the plaintiff sought in excess of $5 million but received zero from the jury.

REPRESENTATIVE CASES

O’Kell v. Haaland, 2:18-cv-279-SAB (E.D. Wash. 2022) (obtained verdict and judgment in excess of $2.4 million following two-week ADEA age discrimination and retaliation trial)

Waite v. Gonzaga University, 2:17-cv-00416-SAB (E.D. Wash. 2019) (obtained a complete defense jury verdict while defending Gonzaga University against federal and state law discrimination, hostile work environment, and retaliation claims seeking $5,000,000 in damages)

Naccarato v. Cadable, LLC, Spokane County Superior Court Cause No. 19-2-04284-32 (2022) (successfully defended Spokane business owner and his business by trying several employment and partnership related claims before a jury and by defeating other claims against the client at summary judgment)

Jolly et al. v. Davenport Hotels et al., Spokane County Superior Court Cause No. 21-2-00789-32 (2021) (defended Davenport Hotels in putative class action involving wage and hour related claims).

Tsui v. Walmart, Inc., 20-cv-12309-MPK (D. Mass. 2021) (obtained $10,000,000 USERRA class action settlement and agreement from Walmart to pay up to 30 days of military leave annually)

Huntsman v. Southwest Airlines, 3:17-cv-03972-JD (N.D. Cal. 2019) (obtained USERRA class action settlement valued at $5,800,000 in missed 401(k) contributions, $13,000,000 in unpaid sick leave, and finding from court that “Class Counsel has capably and effectively represented the Class Members’ interests")

Hall v. L-3 Technologies, Inc., et. al., 2019 WL 3845460 (E.D. Wash. 2019) (obtained settlement valued at $2,000,000 in first known USERRA failure to hire discrimination class action lawsuit)

Martin v. State of Washington, et. al., Spokane County Superior Court Cause No.14-2-00016-7 (2017) (obtained settlement valued at nearly $15,000,000 in USERRA and 42 U.S.C. 1983 class action lawsuit regarding the Washington State Patrol’s decades’ long failure to provide Veteran Preference points in the hiring/promotional process)

Allman v. American Airlines, Inc. Pilot Ret. Ben. Plan, et. al., 1:14-cv-10138-IT (D. Mass. 2017) (obtained $6,000,000 (+) settlement in USERRA pension benefit class action)

Zhu v. North Central ESD 171, 2:15-cv-183-JLQ (E.D. Wash. 2016) (obtained $450,000 jury verdict in retaliatory failure to hire lawsuit and obtained summary judgment adjudication that the defendant violated Washington’s Public Record Act by wrongfully withholding documents)

Koch v. CHS, Inc., 2:12-cv-00463-CWD (D. Idaho 2013) (represented putative class in Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) collective action wage and hour case against national corporation)

Hanson v. Kitsap County, 21 F.Supp.3d 1124 (W.D. Wash. 2014) (obtained jury verdict and $583,853 judgment which found that Kitsap County willfully violated the client’s rights under USERRA and obtained summary judgment adjudication, in favor of plaintiff, on a USERRA 38 U.S.C. § 4318 pension claim – – – the first known result regarding such a claim in the USERRA’s history)

Tuten v. United Airlines, Inc., 41 F.Supp.3d 1003 (D. Colo. 2014) (co-lead counsel for plaintiff in federal USERRA class action resulting in $6.15 million settlement and with the Court stating in written opinion that “the Court is of the view that the results achieved for the Plaintiff class in this case were outstanding, worthy of being emulated by class representatives and counsel in other comparable litigation")

MEMBERS WITH EMPLOYMENT AND LABOR EXPERIENCE

Matt Crotty