Michele is a partner in Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP’s Labor and Employment group. She has extensive experience efficiently and effectively litigating single-plaintiff discrimination and multi-plaintiff cases in state and federal courts. She also has considerable national jury trial and arbitration experience. She litigates state and national wage and hour class actions, and discrimination and harassment claims under state and federal law. Michele also provides advice and counsel with respect to California and FLSA wage and hour issues, FMLA, CFRA and ADA issues and leave policies, WARN requirements, and non-solicitation and non-compete agreements. She prepares responses to EEOC and DFEH administrative charges and has represented employers in connection with Department of Labor audits. She has experience handling arbitrations before the FINRA and private arbitrators. Her practice also includes speaking to in-house attorneys, human resources professionals and supervisors, conducting sexual harassment training for employers, drafting employment agreements and developing and implementing workplace policies.

Michele is admitted to practice before the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the US District Court for the Central, Northern and Southern Districts of California.

Relevant Experience

• Robinson v. Stryker Corporation, No. 20CV366898 (2024). Obtained summary judgment in a Private Attorney General Action (PAGA) case, in which the Santa Clara County Superior Court determined that the plaintiff, an IT employee supplied by a temp agency, was not an employee of Stryker Corp.
• Theno v. Abbott Laboratories, et al., No. 20STCV08597. On behalf of Abbott Laboratories, convinced the California Court of Appeal to uphold the trial court’s dismissal from the litigation (for lack of personal jurisdiction) of two high-level executives in the neuromodulation division at Abbott. Abbott and the two executives, who lived and worked in Texas and Florida, had been sued by another former executive in California. The Court of Appeal agreed with our oral argument, on behalf of the Abbott executives, that out-of-state managers could not be sued in California – with no evidence of any wrongdoing – simply because a disgruntled former employee worked in California.
• Khan v. Dunn Edwards, No. B270382 (published January 22, 2018). Court of Appeal affirmed summary judgment on Plaintiff Hamid Khan’s PAGA because he failed to provide adequate notice of his claim to LWDA before bringing the lawsuit.
• Watkins v. Wachovia Corp., 172 Cal. App. 4th 1576 (2009). In putative class action alleging violation of California wage and hour laws, obtained dismissal, of appeal from order denying class certification on ground that class representative's settlement of individual claims following denial of certification deprived the class representative of standing to pursue the appeal. In same decision, also obtained affirmance of summary judgment as to another class representative on the ground that, upon termination of employment, she signed a release of disputed wage claims in exchange for enhanced severance benefits.
• Anne Marie Haddock v. Ready Pac Foods. Former Vice President of Human Resources filed a retaliation and wrongful termination lawsuit after the company terminated her employment for cause. After a 6 week trial, the jury returned with a defense verdict.
• Alvarez et al v. Bank of America: Obtained summary judgment and an award of $707,638 in costs and attorneys’ fees in a highly contentious discrimination and retaliation lawsuit involving 11 Hispanic plaintiffs who were terminated for submitting falsified reports in order to artificially inflate incentive bonuses.

• Mark W. Glasmire v. Public Storage et al. Former Construction Manager filed an age discrimination lawsuit after he was terminated for poor performance. After a week-long jury trial in the Northern District of Texas (the Honorable Terry R. Means presiding), the jury returned a defense verdict.
• Jeanne Saucedo v. Public Storage. Former property manager filed lawsuit for disability discrimination and wrongful termination. After a 6 day arbitration the arbitrator returned a defense verdict.
• Hamid Khan v. Dunn-Edwards. Former store manager file a putative class action and wrongful termination claims. Obtained early dismissal of class allegations and after a four day arbitration the arbitrator returned a defense verdict.
• Paul Trott v. Public Storage. Former Regional manager sued for wrongful termination and disability discrimination. After a 5 day arbitration the arbitrator returned a defense verdict.
• Extensive national wage and hour class and representative experience in both state and federal court.
• Successfully mediated hundreds of labor and employment matters.
• Partnered with international pharmaceutical client on sixth sigma project to develop and train ADA compliance position.
• Successfully defended securities brokers and affiliated bank employees before the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (NASD) arbitration panels.
• Persuaded class cancel to dismiss class allegations in job misclassification putative class action and settled remaining individual claim for nuisance value.
• Obtained early dismissal of a national FLSA collective action with sub-classes in New Hampshire and Massachusetts involving overtime, minimum wage, meal and rest breaks, and reimbursement of business expenses.
• Obtained summary judgment in numerous single-plaintiff discrimination and wrongful termination claims.
• Successfully arbitrated dozens of single-plaintiff discrimination claims.
• Successfully defended employers in administrative charges before the DFEH, EEO and OSHA.

Education
BA, University of Southern California, Political Science, Law & Society Minor, 1992

• Calif. High Court Ruling May Curb PAGA-Only Suits, Law360