ADA: Could Your Organization Be the Next Class- Action Lawsuit

2015 Employment Law & Legislative Conference
Workplace Application: Attendees will learn the top three ADA mistakes that lead to EEOC investigations, as well as best practices and policies for avoiding such mistakes.

Recently, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has pursued “vigorous enforcement” of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), resulting in record-setting settlements ranging from $3.2 million to $20 million dollars. Since one ADA misstep can lead to an investigation of the employer’s entire leave practices, this often results in class-action-style lawsuits by the EEOC. Hear the perspective of an EEOC trial attorney on what red flags can lead to lawsuits, and from an ADA expert on how to avoid ADA risk.

Date(s) & Time(s): 
Tuesday, March 24, 2015 - 2:15pm to 3:45pm
Presenter: 

Matt Morris

Matt
Morris
As vice president of FMLASource, Matt is responsible for ComPsych’s FMLA and ADA compliance programs. An employment lawyer by background, Matt has more than 10 years of experience working with employers’ FMLA and ADA administration.
 
Matt is a frequent speaker on FMLA, state leaves, the ADA and compliance challenges regarding leaves of absence. He was invited by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to participate in a roundtable discussion about FMLA and authored a response to the DOL’s proposed FMLA regulations which was cited 38 times by the DOL in the final rule.  
 
Prior to his work in FMLA administration, Matt practiced employment law representing both employees and management in employment litigation, and counseling clients on compliance with federal, state and local laws. He received his bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and his J.D. from The University of Michigan Law School in Ann Arbor, Mich. 
 

Richard Mrizek

Richard
Mrizek

Richard J. Mrizek is a Trial Attorney with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Chicago District Office. With the Commission, Richard has litigated discrimination cases concerning race, national origin, sex, religion, disability, and retaliation. Richard has worked on significant class litigation, successfully obtaining an $11 million settlement for racial harassment and discrimination claims in EEOC v. Yellow Freight, a $2.75 million settlement for racial harassment and retaliation claims in EEOC. WRS, and a $10 million settlement of racial harassment and discrimination claims in EEOC v. Roadway Express. Richard successfully tried EEOC’s contempt action in EEOC v. Supervalu which resulted in the award of backpay, fees, and an extension of the consent decree. He was lead trial counsel in EEOC v. Custom Companies, in which the agency won a $2.3 million jury verdict for three women and successfully placed the defendant under a four-year injunction. In 2007, Richard received the Chair’s Excellence in Leadership Award for his work in the Custom case. Richard was an ABA Government Labor Employment Fellow from 2004-2006.

Prior to joining the EEOC, Richard worked in the Labor and Employment group of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld in Washington, D.C. Richard received a B.A. from Northwestern University and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.

Location: 
Mount Vernon Square
Amount of Credit: 
1.50
Credit Type: 
•HR Credit
Session Type: 
Concurrent Session
Competency: 
HR Expertise
Business Acumen
Intended Audience: 
Mid-Level
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