Katz Banks Kumin LLP

Katz Banks Kumin LLP is pleased to welcome two excellent additions to the firm: Jesse Broad-Cavanagh and Zainab Bhindarwala. Congratulations and welcome! Learn more about them here: https://lnkd.in/dtpbYKQP #welcometotheteam

Katz Banks Kumin is thrilled to welcome two exceptional attorneys to the firm: Hugh Baran and Marilyn Robb. We’re looking forward to the contributions these talented attorneys will make in service of our clients. Read more about them here: https://lnkd.in/gRBwNzXc #welcometotheteam

Debra Katz was quoted today in a New York Times story about the New York State Government's exorbitant spending in defending former-Governor Andrew Cuomo from claims of sexual harassment in violation of the law. Charlotte Bennett, who first came forward in 2021 with allegations of sexual harassment, is represented by Debra Katz, Rachel Green, Kayla Morin, Sarah E. Nesbitt and Suzanna Bobadilla of KBK and Laura Schnell and Herbert Eisenberg of Eisenberg & Schnell LLP in New York. Read the story: https://lnkd.in/eR5E7PpJ Learn more about KBK's work representing those who have been sexually harassed in the workplace: https://lnkd.in/gDj-MmtU #sexualharassment #cuomo #newyorksexualharassment

KBK partner Colleen Coveney will join other attorneys in leading a D.C. Bar Panel, "Uprooting Sexual Harassment in the Legal Profession 2024" on September 9, 2024, at 6 PM EST. Attendees will learn about sexual harassment as experienced in the legal profession and across many employment settings. The panel will cover the relevant statutes and rules of professional conduct that mandate lawyers to address sexual harassment in the legal profession. Sign up for the CLE program here: https://lnkd.in/ehzB8SGu Learn more about KBK's plaintiff sexual harassment practice: https://lnkd.in/e5fUmg46 #sexualharassment #employmentlaw

In a new KBK Blog, partner Carolyn Wheeler and associate Bonnie Henry write about recent challenges to the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA). In the piece, they provide an overview of the EEOC's final rules around the PWFA and detail challenges by some states and religious organizations to provisions requiring reasonable accommodations for workers seeking abortion care.   Read the blog here: https://lnkd.in/ebSSFd9w   In May, Ms. Wheeler and Ms. Henry were coauthors on an amicus brief opposing a challenge that threatened these federal rules. Since filing the brief, an Arkansas federal judge dismissed the challenge because the challengers lacked standing, an important victory for the EEOC and the amici organizations who were coauthors on the brief. Read more on KBK employment discrimination practice here: https://lnkd.in/ey6SFyKk #employmentlaw #PWFA #discrimination

Today for the KBK Blog, partner Matthew LaGarde evaluated a new development in #cybersecurity #whistleblower litigation: a recent announcement by the U.S. Department of Justice that it is joining a qui tam lawsuit against the Georgia Institute of Technology and Georgia Tech Research Corp. for allegedly failing to meet cybersecurity requirements related to U.S. Department of Defense contracts.    In the piece, Mr. LaGarde takes an in-depth look at what this means for cybersecurity whistleblowers, noting that the "the suit provides a noteworthy example of the vital role of whistleblowers in protecting data privacy and of the government’s willingness to take proactive measures even where there has been no data breach."   Read the piece: https://lnkd.in/eX5VyT9v   Mr. LaGarde and partner Alexis Ronickher author the Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Whistleblower Protections guide, an overview of the protections and rewards available to cybersecurity and data privacy whistleblowers under federal and state laws.   Read the guide and learn more about KBK's work in this space here: https://lnkd.in/emdpCJKg 

KBK is proud to announce final court approval of a significant settlement on behalf of nearly 300 California workers who alleged violations under the California Labor Code. Partners Rebecca Peterson-Fisher, Jen Liu, and associate Leah Kennedy filed this case as a class and PAGA representative action, alleging assistant managers at California locations were misclassified as exempt and not paid overtime. Under the terms of the settlement, this national restaurant chain will pay $3.2 million to resolve these allegations. The average class member award will be over $10,000. Learn more about the case here: https://lnkd.in/dpbDmpB4 Learn more about KBK’s wage and hour practice in California: https://lnkd.in/ea6KhdvX #PAGA #FairPay #EmploymentLaw #CAWageAndHour

Partners Debra Katz and Michael Filoromo, III published an op-ed today for Bloomberg Law urging the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to adopt changes to improve the agency’s communication and transparency with whistleblowers. In the piece, the attorneys argue that high level changes, including allowing whistleblowers to receive high-level status updates on their tips and a point of contact at the agency, will help whistleblowers navigate the complex process and help their attorneys make more informed decisions. Read the piece: https://lnkd.in/efgb5yGp Ms. Katz and Mr. Filoromo recently wrote to the SEC urging them to make the changes outlined in their op-ed. Read their letter: https://lnkd.in/eywmfgQQ #Whistleblower #SECWhistleblower #SECWhistleblowerProgram

KBK Partner Carolyn Wheeler was quoted in a new article from Anne Cullen at Law360 on a recent Sixth Circuit ruling that found that employees may pursue religious discrimination claims when they are punished for breaking with their employer’s personal faith. In the piece, Ms. Wheeler notes that claims “where the employers are not religious organizations, but are just led by people who have religious views,” are very rare, and that “[the] statute allows for discrimination on the basis of religion by religious employers, but not by a run-of-the-mill manufacturer that is run by a person with religious views.” Read the piece here: https://lnkd.in/eVqy8b_s Ms. Wheeler frequently writes and presents on topics of religious discrimination. Recently, she co-authored a KBK blog on the topic of the “ministerial exemption”, and recently served on a panel at the Pacific Coast Labor and Employment conference on the intersection of religious discrimination and politics. Read the blog: https://lnkd.in/dwGyki9Y #employmentlaw #religiousdiscrimination

KBK Partners Alexis Ronickher, Jen Liu, and Rebecca Peterson-Fisher have been recognized by the California Daily Journal, a top legal publication in California, as “Top Labor and Employment Lawyers” for 2024! This annual list compiles a comprehensive list of “California’s top labor and employment attorneys” and is especially focused on attorneys who litigate discrimination and retaliation cases, wage and hour matters, and other employment disputes. In profiles for the Daily Journal, the attorneys go into detail regarding ongoing cases, including the firm’s wage and hour class action litigation, recent PAGA cases, and critical civil rights litigation. Congratulations! Read the profiles here: https://lnkd.in/eWdRNUwx #PAGA #CaliforniaLawyer #EmploymentLaw