HON JAMES A. STEELE
Act primarily as sole arbitrator in employment disputes focusing on highly compensated corporate officers, claims of violation of shareholder/equity agreements, trade secrets, etc.
Additional experience includes:
Dispute involving family member who claimed he was enticed to join and continued to work for substantial family owned business as its general manager under false pretenses (i.e., alleged promises of equity participation).
Dispute between employees and employer concerning failure to pay overtime, provide meal breaks, wage and hour violations including failure to pay all wages upon termination.
Dispute involving employee claiming former employer failed to withhold unemployment funds from his paycheck during employment thereby preventing him from collecting unemployment after termination. Plaintiff also alleges he was not allowed breaks, lunch time or overtime compensation during his employment.
Dispute involving claims of sexual harassment and gender discrimination against female employee of construction company.
Dispute involving claim that corporation failed to abide by law requiring corporation to accommodate female corporate executive’s pregnancy leave.
Dispute involving claim of retaliatory termination of employee who filed EEO claim against corporate employer.
Dispute involving claim of female corporate vice president for wrongful termination and gender discrimination and defense of employer that termination was product of non-discriminatory downsizing as a result of financial necessity.
Dispute involving injured customer of salon who was accidently tripped by a manicurist. Salon was sued for negligence and premises liability. Issues included extensive examination of employee versus independent contractor rules and indemnity/contribution claims.
Dispute involving claim that TV/film producer/actor breached employee’s written consulting contract for services of employee as dialectician. Contract had been entered into incident to immigration requirements to permit employee to enter country. Employee further claimed he was required to perform unrelated domestic work for which employee contended his employer engaged in various violations of wage and hour laws.
Wage and hour class action dispute involving rest period and meal break issues pertaining to approximately 150 former and current employees at 9 location restaurant chain. Case was resolved following completion of initial discovery and employer’s voluntarily providing certain data and before hearing on class certification motion.
LOS ANGELES SUPERIOR COURT, JUDGE (RET.)
Employment
HON. JAMES A. STEELE (RET.)
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