• Counseling employers in all variety of employment and management issues, including potential discipline, reductions in force, employment policies, internal and external investigations and collective bargaining administration and negotiation.
  
  
• Representations before Wisconsin Circuit, Appellate and Supreme Court, Wisconsin federal district courts, Seventh Circuit and United States Supreme Court, and before NLRB, EEOC, OSHA, DOL, WERC, DWD and arbitration panels.
  
  
• Numerous individual civil rights, wrongful discharge, breach of employment contract (discharge, discipline and contract interpretation) employment related torts (defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress) and worker’s compensation (insured and uninsured) cases.

Significant Cases:

• Ruth Reiter v. Oshkosh Corporation, et al., Case No. 09-C-293 (Eastern District of Wisconsin 2010) (successfully obtained summary judgment in favor of employer and individually named human resource executives in sexual harassment, retaliation and tortious interference with contract claims).
  
  
• Kathleen A. Serwatka v. Rockwell Automation, Inc., Case No. 08 4010 (Seventh Circuit 2010) (successfully obtained jury defense verdict in ADA case which was upheld by Seventh Circuit and established that plaintiff’s burden of proof in ADA claims is to show that “but for” alleged disability the plaintiff would not have been discharged).
  
  
• William B. Wermuth, Jr. v. Labor and Industry Review Commission, Case No. 2006AP1149 (Wisconsin Court of Appeals District II) (2007) (successfully obtained affirmance of Labor and Industry Review Commission finding that employer had reasonable cause to discharge employee after he suffered a work injury and therefore dismissing employee’s refusal to rehire claim).
  
  
• Mandrake Conner v. Mobile Mini Inc., Case No. 05-2748 (Third Circuit 2006) (successfully obtained summary judgment in favor of employer in race discrimination claim brought by high level manager, which was upheld by Third Circuit).
  
  
• Rockwell Automation, Inc. v. Jonathan Kall, Case No. 526-N (Delaware Chancery Ct., 2005) (successfully obtained injunctive relief and subsequent court order requiring former Rockwell manager to return proprietary information and awarding Rockwell almost $40,000 in attorney fees).
  
  
• PACE v. Menasha Transport, et al., NLRB Case Nos. 30-CA-16150-1, 30‑CA‑16373‑1 and 30‑CA‑16385‑1 (2004) (successfully obtained NLRB 30th Region and NLRB General Counsel dismissal of unfair labor practice charges brought against company for transferring bargaining unit work to non‑PACE or non‑union employees in locations outside Wisconsin).
  
  
• IAMAW District 10 v. Perlick Corporation, (Arbitrator Zel Rice, 2003) (successfully obtained arbitration decision denying union’s grievance and allowing employer to eliminate past practice of paying union stewards for time spent during working hours investigating or furthering possible union grievances).
  
  
• Crystal Lake Cheese Factory v. LIRC, (2003 WI 106, 664 NW 2d 651) (2003) (sharply divided court, in a 4-3 decision, clarifies that WFEA reasonable accommodation obligation may require employers to reassign certain job duties a disabled employee is unable to perform).
  
  
• Jacqueline Johnsrud v. Prairie du Chien Memorial Hospital, et al., Case Nos. 00-CV-90 and 02-CV-0040, 2004 WI 50, (Crawford County Circuit Court 2000 and 2002) (Wisconsin Supreme Court 2004) (successfully obtained dismissal of separate defamation and wrongful discharge claims brought against hospital and individual executive of hospital by former manager).
  
  
• State of Wisconsin v. TJI International, Inc., et al., 238 Wis. 2d 173, 617 N.W.2d 256 (2001) (successfully argued that no “business closing” occurred under Wisconsin’s Business and Mass Layoff Closing Law when there was no interruption in business operations at the time of the sale of the business).
  
  
• James Graff v. Muskego-Norway School District, et al., Case No. 99-CV-2453, (Waukesha County Circuit Court 1999) (successfully dissolved temporary restraining order thereby allowing employer to proceed with public due process hearing and resulting removal of District manager).
  
  
• Fort James Discharge Arbitrations (1996-98) (successfully represented Fort James in four separate arbitrations involving multiple employees and levels of discipline arising out of conduct related to the murder of Thomas Monfils while employed at Fort James’ Green Bay Mill.  The nature of the conduct, the conspiracy of silence that surrounded it, the state and federal criminal investigations which followed and the ongoing local and national publicity concerning the murder made these extremely complex arbitration hearings.  Fort James prevailed in each case, including the discharge of four employees, one of whom was the union president of the Green Bay Mill).
  
  
• Hoeller v. Eaton Corporation, 149 F.3d 621 (7th Cir. 1998) (upholding a grant of summary judgment where a former employee with bipolar affective disorder alleged he was discharged because of his mental condition).
  
  
• Tuszkiewicz v. Allen-Bradley Company, Inc., 142 F.3d 440, 1998 WL 123985 (7th Cir. 1998), 173 F.R.D. 239 (E.D. Wis. 1997) (granting and then upholding summary judgment to an employer when an employee alleged he was discharged because of his medical condition, hydrocephalus).
  
  
• Terri Fancher v. Bank One Wisconsin Corp., Case No. 96-C-1272 (E.D. Wis., 1997) (granting summary judgment to employer in race discrimination employment discharge claim).
  
  
• Brian Stribling v. Reinhart Institutional Foods, Case No. 96-C-679 (E.D. Wis., 1997) (granting summary judgment to employer in race discrimination employment discharge claim).
  
  
• Diane Lewis v. Navistar International Transportation Corp., (E.D. Wis., 1996) (granting verdict for employer following trial in which female employee who was discharged for sexual harassment claimed unlawful discrimination on basis of sex and race).
  
  
• Tuszkiewicz v. Allen-Bradley Company, Inc., 170 F.R.D. 15 (E.D. Wis. 1996) (denying plaintiff’s motion to sequester plaintiff’s former co‑workers from a deposition).
  
  
• Ronald Howard v. Navistar International Transportation Corp. , Case No. 95-3941 (E.D. Wis. 1996) (granting summary judgment to employer in disability discrimination and retaliation employment discharge claim).
  
  
• Bushko v. Miller Brewing Company, 134 Wis.2d 136, 396 N.W. 2d 167 (1986) (upholding grant of summary judgment to employer and clarifying wrongful discharge standard in Wisconsin to include only those cases where employee is discharged for refusing an employer’s order to violate public policy).