Practice Overview

Sonkin • Koberna represents both individuals and businesses in a wide variety of employment-related matters. On a daily basis, our employment lawyers provide advice and counseling to the firm’s business clients with respect to employment-related matters including employee handbooks, application forms, Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), investigation of employee complaints, and defense of EEOC charges. Our employment lawyers are often called upon to provide immediate advice to in-house human resources managers to assist them in making important personnel decisions, and to prevent claims and litigation. In addition, Sonkin • Koberna has significant experience in the negotiation and drafting of employment and separation agreements.

Our expertise also encompasses litigation involving wrongful termination, age, sex, religious and disability or handicap discrimination, sexual harassment and retaliatory discharge. Our employment litigators regularly appear in state and federal court, as well as before administrative agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Ohio Civil Rights Commission. Sonkin • Koberna likewise handles employment-related matters involving misappropriation of trade secrets, non-competition agreements, shareholder and partnership litigation and workers’ compensation.

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REPRESENTATIVE ENGAGEMENTS

  • Defended manufacturing company against EEOC charge filed by Hispanic worker alleging racial discrimination
  • Defended manufacturing company against claims brought by two employees who claimed they were terminated in retaliation for complaining about alleged unsafe working conditions, resulting in payment of nominal, nuisance-value settlement
  • Obtained $55,000 settlement for an employee who was wrongfully terminated from her job for reporting to her supervisor that a fellow employee was being sexually harassed at work
  • Obtained $45,000 settlement for an employee wrongfully terminated for bringing a workers’ compensation claim against her employer
  • Recovered $25,000 settlement for worker terminated after telling his employer that he intended to file a workers’ compensation claim for injuries suffered in workplace accident
  • Obtained dismissal of administrative claims brought before New York Division of Human Rights for alleged marital status discrimination and sexual harassment
  • Recovered six-figure settlement on claims for breach of contract and promissory estoppel on behalf of attorney terminated by law firm notwithstanding promises of partnership
  • Recovered $80,000 settlement from hospital-employer for failure to pay administrative assistant overtime wages in violation of federal and Ohio wage/hour laws
  • Negotiated sizable severance package for attorney released from employment by law firm
  • Defended automobile dealer against claim filed before Ohio Civil Rights Commission alleging sexual harassment and retaliation
  • Represented distribution company against claim that company wrongfully rescinded offer of employment upon which prospective new employee claimed to have relied upon in deciding to quit previous employment
  • Defended automobile wholesaler against breach of contract and promissory estoppel claims brought by terminated employee who claimed he had been promised ownership in business in exchange for agreement to leave prior employment and operate wholesale business
  • Obtained jury verdict in favor of former employee of national insurance company for full amount of “retention bonus” earned by employee prior to his departure from company

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