Donna M. Mezias advises employers on a wide range of employment issues, including management of risks associated with employee terminations, sexual harassment and other employee investigations, reductions in force and facility closures, discrimination issues, trade secret and employee mobility issues, disability accommodation, family and medical leave laws, wage and hour compliance, drug testing and employee privacy rights.

Ms. Mezias represents employers in all types of employment litigation, including class action and individual discrimination cases; wage and hour class actions and Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) collective actions; retaliation, whistleblower, wrongful termination and employment contract cases; and trade secret, employee solicitation, defamation and unfair competition litigation. Ms. Mezias also has defended cases under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and analogous state laws involving accessibility of retail establishments, Internet Web sites and public transportation. She has tried cases in California and Washington federal and state courts and has argued appeals in the courts of appeal and supreme courts of California and Washington and in the 9th Circuit.

In addition to employment litigation, Ms. Mezias has also litigated a broad range of complex business disputes, including securities class actions, fraud, director and officer liability, and intellectual property cases, and commercial contract disputes.

Ms. Mezias’ recent litigation engagements include—

• obtained dismissal and an award of litigation costs for a Fortune 100 technology firm in a statewide class action challenging the exempt status of outside sales representatives
• defended a leading developer of storage and communication semiconductors in a statewide class action alleging misclassification of engineering employees
• defended a leading technology and consulting firm in a nationwide class action and FLSA collective action challenging the exempt status of technical services employees and IT specialists
• represented a national bank in a wage and hour class action challenging the exempt status of mortgage underwriters
• obtained dismissal of a statewide wage and hour class action alleging failure to properly credit and pay vacation under California law
• obtained dismissal of a citizenship discrimination charge filed with the Office of Special Counsel of the U.S. Department of Justice
• represented the second-largest U.S. transportation authority in a class action alleging failure to accommodate visually impaired bus passengers under California disability laws
• defended a nationwide FLSA action alleging misclassification of sales representatives
• defended a leading mobile telecommunications provider against sexual harassment and race, gender and age discrimination claims
• defended a multinational energy corporation against race discrimination and retaliation claims arising out of a reduction in force
• represented a multinational energy corporation in several lawsuits involving accessibility claims under the Americans With Disabilities Act and the California Unruh Act
• defended a global media conglomerate in four ADA accessibility cases involving the placement of marketing and promotional materials in retail stores
• defended a leading data processing services company in a statewide wage and hour class action concerning alleged violations of employee meal and rest break laws.

Ms. Mezias received her B.A. magna cum laude from Boston College in 1977 and her J.D. from Stanford University in 1983. She is a member of the California Bar and is admitted to practice before the U.S. district courts for the Northern, Eastern, Central and Southern districts of California, as well as the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Ms. Mezias is consistently recognized as one of California’s leading employment lawyers by California Super Lawyers.