Labor & Employment

MastersLaw LLC has extensive experience litigating a variety of labor and employment issues brought pursuant to federal and state statute and constitutional provisions on behalf of public sector and private entities.  Subject areas litigated include:

• ADA
• ADEA
• Breach of contract
• Breach of collective bargaining agreement
• Due Process
• Equal Protection
• IDHR appeals
• Public entity administrative disciplinary proceedings
• Title VII
• USERRA
• Workers’ Compensation retaliation
• 42 U.S.C. § 1981

Representative matters include:

• In cross-appeals, obtained vacatur of damages and attorney fees awards in matter in which former employee alleged that the agency violated his rights to due process by terminating his pension benefits without notice and a hearing. Further obtained affirmance in the agency’s favor of its right to terminate those benefits due to the employee’s breach of the plan terms. Snow v. CTA, 2022 IL App (1st) 201217.
• In cross-appeals, obtained judgment as a matter of law in the City’s favor, reversing a $1,600,000 million jury verdict in favor of an employee who alleged retaliatory discharge under the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act. Affirming judgment in the City’s favor on plaintiff’s cross-appeal on Americans with Disabilities Act retaliation claims. Hillmann v. City of Chicago, 834 F.3d 787 (7th Cir. 2016), cert. denied, 137 S. Ct. 2117 (2017).
• Successfully defended summary judgment in favor of employer accused of various Title VII violations including hostile work environment and failure to provide religious accommodation. Mahran v. Advocate Christ Medical Center, 12 F.4th 708 (7th Cir. 2021).
• Successfully defended dismissal of complaint seeking writ of mandamus in action in which probationary employee sought to enforce rights he claimed under a collective bargaining agreement. The court held that the plaintiff lacked standing to sue to enforce a collective bargaining agreement. Herbst v. City of Chicago, 2021 IL App (1st) 200725-U.
• Successfully defended summary judgment on breach of contract and ADEA claims against tenured professor who claimed he was unjustifiably accused of, and discharged for, committing plagiarism. Roberts v. Columbia College Chicago, 821 F.3d 855 (7th Cir. 2016).
• Successfully defended employer against claim that demotion of African American employee violated Title VII and the Equal Protection Clause.  Bates v. City of Chicago, et al., 726 F.3d 951 (7th Cir. 2013).
• Successfully defended employer against claim that demotion of African American employee violated Title VII and the Equal Protection Clause. Bates v. City of Chicago, et al., 726 F.3d 951 (7th Cir. 2013).
• Affirming summary judgment for defendant based upon res judicata. Court held that res judicata barred the plaintiff’s Title VII lawsuit and pendent state-law claims when he had lost a prior lawsuit brought pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Czarniecki v. City of Chicago, 783 F. 3d 545 (7th Cir. 2011).
• Affirming summary judgment in which two police officers alleged the City had violated USERRA. In a case of first impression, court held that the USERRA is an anti-discrimination statute, and not an accommodation statute. Sandoval et al. v. City of Chicago, 560 F.3d 703 (7th Cir. 2009).