Employment Law

The Kaplan Law Firm Wins Wage and Hour Case

The Kaplan Law Firm recently obtained a substantial judgment for unpaid overtime, unpaid wages and attorneys' fees against a popular Arlington, Virginia restaurant which failed to pay the firm's client the minimum wage and overtime. The defendants in the case, which was filed in July of last year, were Quinn's On The Corner, a restaurant in Arlington's Rosslyn neighborhood which claims to be "Rosslyn's favorite sports bar," and two managers or owners of that establishment: Reese Gardner and Jody Hessler.…

The Kaplan Law Firm Wins Unpaid Overtime Case

The Kaplan Law Firm recently prevailed in an unpaid overtime case brought under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. In addition to ordering payment of damages to the Firm's client, the court also approved a significant award of attorneys' fees. The Defendant in the case, a corporation which operates a well-known Northern Virginia Korean BBQ restaurant, had failed to pay an employee—The Kaplan Law Firm's client—at the overtime rate for overtime work. Generally, federal law requires employers to pay employees…

Lawsuits Filed Defending Workers’ Right to Be Paid

The Kaplan Law Firm regularly represents employees who have not been paid wages they were owed by their employers or who have not been paid at the legally required overtime rate for overtime work.  The Firm recently filed four lawsuits alleging that its clients were not properly paid and are owed tens of thousands of dollars in damages. One of these lawsuits is Torres v. Vap 1800 M Street LLC.  This lawsuit, which was filed in the Superior Court for…

Panelist at Unpaid Wages Discussion

On Friday I was a panelist on a discussion of a successful unpaid wages case I brought on behalf of individuals who had worked as electricians and assistant electricians on construction projects in the Washington, D.C. area. The event, the annual John Burke Pro Bono Breakfast, was hosted by the Washington Lawyers’ Committee and took place at the National Press Club. I described my work on the case—in conjunction with the Lawyer's Committee—which led to a settlement which provides for a payment…

Appeals: First Amendment, Discrimination and Criminal Cases

March is turning out to be a  busy month for appellate matters.  The Kaplan Law Firm will have oral arguments in three separate appellate cases, all of which raise important issues of law. On March 21 we have an oral argument before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond in Villa v. CavaMezze Grill, LLC, a Title VII civil rights case. In this case an employer fired an employee (my client) because she reported that another employee had told our client that she…

Further Briefing in Important Fourth Circuit Civil Rights Case—Villa v. CavaMezze Grill

Opposing counsel in the Villa v. CavaMezze Grill case has filed their brief in opposition to our appeal in this Title VII case, which is currently pending in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, and I have filed The Kaplan Law Firm’s reply brief in further opposition to the arguments made by Cava.  As I have written before, my client in this case, Patricia Villa, was fired for reporting that she had been told by another employee that that employee…

Amicus Briefs Filed in Title VII Sex Discrimination/Retaliation Case

The case I mentioned in my June 30 post, Villa v. Cavamezze Grill LLC, is moving forward.  The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers’ Association (MWELA) have filed Amicus briefs supporting my clients’ position. Amicus briefs, also known as friend of the court briefs, are filed by individuals or entities who are not a party to the particular case, but who are concerned that others will be affected by the outcome of the case.…

Appeal Filed in Important Title VII Sex Discrimination/Retaliation Case

I recently filed a brief with the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals on behalf of my client, who was fired from her job as a first line manager at a District of Columbia area restaurant chain for telling top company management that one of her subordinates at the company had reported to her that she had been offered a raise by a senior manager in exchange for sex.  In my view this case has substantial implications for the effective enforcement…

New Employment Law and Defamation Case

I currently represent the former senior official the Alexandria (Virginia) City Public Schools (“ACPS”) in an employment law lawsuit against ACPS. The lawsuit alleges that my client was discriminated against based on his race and national origin and that he was fired from his job when, in compliance with the school system’s own procedures, he filed an internal complaint about this discrimination. It is, of course, entirely illegal to fire an employee for making a good faith effort to seek…