Employment Litigation
Conn Kavanaugh is experienced in handling the broad range of issues that arise in the employment setting and in resolving employment-related disputes through litigation or alternative dispute resolution.
Our clients include publicly held multinational companies and closely held businesses as well as executives and managerial employees. Conn Kavanaugh's Employment Law Group includes attorneys who are seasoned litigators with broad experience in federal and state courts, in administrative proceedings, and in alternative dispute resolution processes.
We represent clients in federal and state court and in proceedings commenced in federal, state, and local agencies in cases involving the full scope of employment issues, including the following:
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Federal and state employment discrimination statutes.
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Non-competition, non-solicitation, non-disclosure, trade secret, and related litigation.
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Common law claims, such as wrongful termination, breach of contract, infliction of emotional distress, conspiracy, and defamation.
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Family and Medical Leave Act.
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Wage and hour disputes.
Representative Matters:
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A large Boston-area employer learned that two senior sales executives subject to non-competition agreements with access to substantial amounts of confidential and proprietary information had accepted senior sales positions with a direct competitor. We succeeded in obtaining a court order preventing the former executives from working for the competitor for one year, and ultimately in recovering substantially all of our client’s attorneys’ fees.
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Conn Kavanaugh represented a large Boston-area property management company accused by employees and regulatory authorities of intentionally failing to pay earned overtime pay, and succeeded in negotiating a global, private settlement of the matter, thus enabling the client to avoid the publicity that would have resulted from a formal court proceeding.
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We obtained a defense verdict in a one-week jury trial, where the plaintiff alleged our client had engaged in race discrimination and unlawful retaliation.
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Conn Kavanaugh defended a start-up company and its founder against claims brought by the founder’s former employer for misappropriation of trade secrets. We succeeded in defeating an application for preliminary injunction which, if allowed, would have effectively shut down our client’s business. We ultimately obtained a dismissal of all claims prior to trial.
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Conn Kavanaugh successfully defended an employer in an age discrimination case in a jury trial in the Massachusetts Superior Court. The case arose from the termination of a middle manager. Conn Kavanaugh lawyers obtained a jury verdict in the employer’s favor
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Conn Kavanaugh has obtained summary judgment decisions in numerous state and Federal court cases in favor of employers sued for discrimination based on age, gender, race, religion, and ethnicity.
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Conn Kavanaugh was retained by a Fortune 500 company after that company had lost a jury trial and been ordered to pay substantial damages to the plaintiff in an age discrimination case. We prosecuted an appeal of that decision to the Supreme Judicial Court and obtained its reversal, with the result that the case was dismissed and judgment entered for the employer client.
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Conn Kavanaugh lawyers obtained a favorable judgment for a large company client in a disability discrimination case arising from an employment termination. Conn Kavanaugh lawyers tried the case in the United States District Court, with the Court deciding in favor of our client and dismissing the discrimination claim.
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Conn Kavanaugh tried a race and ethnicity discrimination case to a verdict in favor of the employer client. The case arose out of the termination of the plaintiff’s employment for reasons of misconduct.
Additional areas the Employment Litigation/Counseling practice focuses on: