Laura Zabele

Laura’s experience includes:

Litigation Matters

• Defeated class certification of pay equity, promotions, and job channeling gender discrimination claims under Title VII and Oregon state law*
• Achieved summary judgment on religious and disability discrimination, invasion of privacy, and wrongful termination claims stemming from employee’s refusal of COVID-19 vaccine mandate for international entertainment and media company*
• Defeated class certification of wage-and-hour claims under the California Labor Code, and achieved summary judgment on the same claims as well as PAGA and unfair competition claims for national mining and engineering company*
• Defeated motions for conditional certification of FLSA collective actions based on off-the-clock work for customer experience and technology services company*
• Advised a cryptocurrency brokerage and digital asset trading platform on the separation of a C-suite executive*
• Achieved pre-dispute resolution with favorable settlement of unequal pay, harassment, defamation, and wrongful termination claims against a multinational media and entertainment company*
• Achieved pre-dispute resolution with favorable settlement of failure to promote and sexual harassment claims against an international professional services firm*
• Achieved dismissal with prejudice of background check class action alleging claims under FCRA, ICRAA, and CCRAA for a California-based environmental services company*
• Successfully opposed a motion to dismiss counterclaim alleging that former employee breached his duty of loyalty by soliciting a key supplier; later achieved favorable settlement for the client*
• Led removal of action under CAFA and briefing on motion to strike class allegations against a delivery services company, leading to replacement of the named plaintiff and dismissal of all claims but PAGA*
• Obtained summary judgment on employee’s claims for disparate treatment, hostile work environment, failure to prevent discrimination, and retaliation under FEHA for a national construction company*
• Achieved dismissal with prejudice of a wage-and-hour class action against a Texas-based oil and natural gas company for failure to state a claim under the OCSLA*
• Achieved dismissal with prejudice of claims against individual employees for whistleblower retaliation and defamation claims against a national engineering company*
• Successfully defended a corrugated box manufacturer in a grievance arbitration related to an employee’s suspension and discharge for insubordination and violation of the employer’s workplace safety rules*
• Successfully defended a private ambulance services provider against multiple unfair labor practice charges stemming from employee discipline and termination before the NLRB*

Transactional Matters

• Advised a global software company on labor and employment issues related to the US$6.3 billion sale of its information management and storage business to a private investment firm*
• Advised a multinational medical device and healthcare company on labor and employment issues related to the global separation and spin-off of its research-based biopharmaceutical business*
• Advised a private equity investment firm on labor and employment issues related to its purchase of a global fuel and airport facility services company*
• Advised a global glass manufacturer on labor and employment issues related to its US$545 million acquisition of a Fortune 500 company’s fiberglass business*
• Advised a global technology solutions provider on labor and employment issues related to its acquisition of a global industrial product manufacturer’s processing and packaging solutions business*
• Advised a leading provider of technology, connectivity, and information solutions on labor and employment issues related to its acquisition of a pharmacy benefit management business*
• Advised a multinational aircraft and aerospace equipment company on labor and employment issues related to the US$710 million sale of its airport security business*

Speaking Engagements

• Seeing the Future: Can Big Data Analytics Predict Lawsuits? (Panel Moderator) ABA National Symposium on Technology in Labor & Employment Law, April 2022
• E-Sports: A Thin Line Between Work and Play (Panel Moderator) ABA National Symposium on Technology in Labor & Employment Law, April 2021