Reorganization Leads to Reduction in Force
After a large telecommunications company formed from the acquisition of two other telecom entities, a nationwide reorganization took place, requiring a reduction in force that impacted hundreds of employees. Brittany and the Husch Blackwell team partnered with in-house counsel to strategize and ensure the reduction was as efficient and painless as possible. They analyzed legal risk associated with position eliminations, conducted adverse impact analyses, helped to determine appropriate decisional units, and drafted notices of group terminations in the wake of multiple call center closings.
The reduction required state-by-state analysis of Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) issues, a deep dive into how decisions regarding job eliminations were made, and a lot of flexibility as the reorganization evolved over time. By working closely with in-house counsel to understand the ins and outs of the reduction, Brittany and the team were able to meet all deadlines and limit legal liability for the combined company as it moved forward.
Summary Judgment in Whistleblower Retaliation Case
When a former employee falsely claimed that he was discharged for reporting a safety concern associated with the integrity of a client’s food storage, Brittany fiercely defended the food manufacturer. She successfully moved to strike salacious allegations from the employee’s complaint, assisted the client with sending cease and desist letters to stop the former employee from approaching the client’s customers with his unfounded allegations, and ultimately prevailed on summary judgment before a plaintiff-friendly tribunal. The food manufacturing client was happy not only with Brittany’s defense of the case, but with her desire to understand the complexities of the safety-related issues and the impact the former employee’s allegations could have had on the client’s reputation.