Lee Tran & Liang Achieves Significant Victory in Defending Against Wage & Hour Class Action
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Lee Tran & Liang ("LTL") is proud to announce that it achieved a significant and unusual victory in defending its client against a wage & hour class action lawsuit brought by a consortium of well known plaintiff class action law firms. The case has been deemed "complex" by the Los Angeles Superior Court.
LTL has been representing a nationwide property management company against class action claims for alleged unpaid overtime, failure to provide meal and rest breaks, and related claims. After nearly a year since the case was filed, LTL undertook a novel and proactive approach, filing a Motion to Dismiss Class Allegations in which LTL sought to dismiss all current employees from the proposed class. This motion was filed prior to any discovery (apart from a single-day deposition of defendant's person most knowledgeable), and prior to the filing of any class certification motion. On Monday, July 30th, 2012, the presiding judge granted LTL's motion to dismiss all current employees from the proposed class.
LTL's client undertook efforts to settle all claims with current potential class members at the early stage of litigation because it believed the lawsuit was meritless, and wanted to avoid business disruption that these types of cases present. LTL's client obtained settlements and releases from over 95% of its current employees in exchange for very modest monetary sums. These settlements and releases were obtained after full disclosure to employees of their rights. No employee has complained about the settlements and releases, reneged on them, or attempted to challenge or invalidate them.
What is unusual here is that the basis for the motion was not that the alleged wrongful conduct was uncommon or atypical, but that the settlements reached with the current employees made them unsuitable to be class members. Indeed, for each of the current employees who settled, the employer would have an individualized defense against that employee. As the presiding judge noted in his detailed ruling, class treatment for the settling employees is no longer appropriate because it would require hundreds of mini-trials to determine whether or not each employee voluntarily settled her/his claims. This ruling was widely reported in the Los Angeles Daily Journal, and LTL has since received positive inquiries from other defense firms and prospective corporate clients.
"This is a significant victory for our client and defendants in wage & hour class action cases, which have been on the rise in recent months, particularly in California," said LTL partner K. Luan Tran, who served as lead counsel. "We are particularly proud of our 'out-of-the-box' approach to the case."
Lee Tran & Liang Welcomes New Partner
August 2012 – Los Angeles, CA – Lee Tran & Liang ("LTL") is proud to welcome Ray Mandlekar as its newest partner. Ray is a former partner of a national litigation and trial firm, and will serve as head of LTL's securities, financial fraud, and class action litigation practice group. He has over nine years of experience litigating securities fraud cases, and over thirteen years of experience litigating complex class action and MDL matters. He has litigated high-profile financial fraud and class action cases in California, Colorado, New York, New Jersey and Texas courts. Most of Ray's cases involved complex subject matter, such as accounting fraud, structured finance and the use of financial derivatives, many of which involved claims for billions of dollars. Some of the well-known cases Ray has successfully litigated include In re Enron Corporation Securities Litigation, In re Qwest Communications Securities Litigation, and an adversary proceeding in the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy. He has also handled complex class action cases involving consumer fraud.
Ray is a graduate of the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, and the University of California, Los Angeles.
"We are very pleased to have Ray join us, as we continue to build on the incredible growth we have experienced over the past couple years," said LTL partner Thomas Suh.
About LTL Trial Attorneys
Lee Tran & Liang, APLC (LTL Trial Attorneys) is a California-based law firm focusing exclusively on business and complex litigation. The firm's partners have practiced at prominent law firms and are graduates of top law schools. Primary practice areas include complex business litigation (breach of contract, aggrieved investors and professionals, financial fraud, class actions and commercial disputes), intellectual property litigation (patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets), and the defense of employment litigation. What sets LTL apart is its goal of aligning itself with its clients' needs by offering a number of creative fee arrangements in appropriate matters. For more information, please contact partner Thomas Suh at (213) 612-3737 / [email protected] or visit our website at www.ltlattorneys.com.
Contact:
Thomas Suh
213-612-3737
[email protected]
SOURCE Lee Tran & Liang
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