Elizabeth Staggs Wilson's practice includes representation of private companies in many facets of labor and employment law, including the defense of wage and hour class actions, wrongful discharge actions, claims of sexual harassment and employment discrimination.

Elizabeth regularly counsels clients, providing practical advice to ensure compliance with the rapidly evolving field of labor and employment law, including the complex areas of leave and wage and hour laws. She also assists clients with wage and hour audits.

Elizabeth advises employers on wage and hour issues, compliance with state and federal leave laws; oversees wage and hour audits on behalf of clients; coaches employers through difficult employment situations, including investigating claims and conducting terminations; conducts anti-harassment training programs and creates management and employee manuals for employers, ensuring policy compliance with all current laws.

Elizabeth has successfully and efficiently defended more than 300 lawsuits alleging wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, unfair competition, theft of trade secrets and wage and hour violations, including multi-plaintiff and class action lawsuits. She has obtained favorable verdicts in two bench trials and an arbitration.

She has handled cases in state and federal courts, as well as at the administrative level, including the following:

• Handling wage and hour class actions for numerous large national retailers involving claims of off-the clock work, missed meal and break periods
• Defending healthcare clients in wage and hour class actions regarding missed meal and rest periods and other wage payments
• Defended several employers in cases involving alleged misclassification of independent contractors as employees, partially defeating class certification in one case and obtaining highly favorable settlements in several others
• Defended a national retailer in a wage and hour class action involving claims of misclassified exempt managers to a highly favorable resolution
• Successfully defended multi-plaintiff sexual harassment cases on behalf of employers in both the retail and media industries
• First-chaired arbitration for a children's product company defending against claims of pregnancy discrimination. The arbitrator issued a decision denying all liability
• Aggressively defended a start-up company against claims of fraud and breach of contract brought by a high-level executive seeking 50% ownership of the business
• Obtained summary judgment on behalf of an employer regarding claims of disability discrimination in a complex case of alleged joint employment with the U.S. government
• Had a claim for Unfair Business Practices dismissed in a matter where a plaintiff sought to enjoin a Washington corporation from enforcing a non-competition agreement against a former California employee
• Extensively litigated a class action case under Titles II and III of the ADA; obtained injunctive relief on summary adjudication from the U.S. District Court, which was upheld by the Ninth Circuit; successfully opposed a petition for certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court on the issue of Eleventh Amendment immunity
• Defended a Washington employer from a claim of fraud in the inducement by the company's former President who had relinquished a high-level position with a telecommunications company located in California; obtained summary judgment on the eve of trial; the judgment was upheld by the Ninth Circuit
• Tried numerous cases before the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement involving wage and hour disputes

Elizabeth has presented and trained professional groups on a myriad of employment-related topics including sexual harassment, leave law, wage and hour, disability accommodation and effective management.

Prior to joining Littler in September 2003, Elizabeth was a partner at another firm.

PROFESSIONAL AND COMMUNITY AFFILIATIONS

• Member, Technology Subcommittee, Labor and Employment Law Section – American Bar Association
• Member, Board of Directors - Pasadena Museum of California Art
• Former board member, Associates of the California Institute of Technology