Opus Bank wins three appeals following landmark wage and hour class action lawsuit.
IRVINE, Calif. – August 9, 2018 – Award-winning California labor and employment law firm Carothers DiSante & Freudenberger LLP (CDF) announces a major victory for California’s Opus Bank (Opus) after a five-year effort.
The California Court of Appeal ruled in favor of Opus on three appeals following Opus’ victory in court in 2016 over a former branch manager who had sued for wrongful discharge, defamation and wage and hour claims (Case No. BC573070 and related case BC514928 D’Amato-Flores, et al. v. Opus Bank). The plaintiff appealed the judgment against her, as well as a fee award against her counsel for approximately $55,000, and a separate ruling related to the trial that she alleged could impact a potential class action. Following oral argument on July 11, 2018, the Court of Appeal has ruled in Opus’ favor on all three appeals (Case Nos. B278309, B277112, B269866).
The end result of the litigation for the plaintiff is that she owes Opus approximately $25,000, and her counsel owes Opus approximately $60,000.
CDF Orange County Managing Partner Todd Wulffson and Senior Counsel Ashley Halberda represented Opus in both the trial and the class action, while Partner Robin Largent led the defense of the appeals.
“We are pleased to have been able to obtain such a favorable outcome for Opus – one which we hope will give future, prospective plaintiffs, and their counsel, pause,” said Wulffson. “For nearly 25 years, we have proudly armed California employers with critical and comprehensive employment law counsel upon which they can confidently rely to succeed in meritless lawsuits like this.”
For additional information, or to speak with the CDF attorneys, call (949) 622-1661.
About Carothers DiSante & Freudenberger LLP
For close to 25 years, Carothers DiSante & Freudenberger LLP has distinguished itself as one of the top labor and employment defense firms in California, representing employers in single-plaintiff and class action lawsuits and advising employers on related legal compliance and risk avoidance. The firm has five offices throughout California – in Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego. For more information, visit: www.CDFLaborLaw.com and find CDF on LinkedIn or Twitter to learn more about how the firm protects California employers.
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Todd Wulffson
Todd R. Wulffson has focused his practice on counseling and defending businesses in labor and employment matters for over 30 years. In addition to private practice, from 2006-2010, Wulffson served as General Counsel and SVP of…
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Ashley Halberda
Ashley A. Halberda advises and represents clients in matters involving California labor and employment law. During her years of practice, Halberda has gained extensive experience in representing employers before state, federal…
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