Laura E. O'Donnell

Laura has achieved tremendous success for her clients, success that extends from the courthouse to arbitration to courts of appeal. A representative list of Laura’s successes includes:

FLSA

• Arbitration Award granting take-nothing judgment after hearing on FLSA claims for unpaid overtime and retaliation in first of 30 related arbitrations against oilfield services company (AAA Harris County, Texas) 
• Arbitration Award, including assessment of attorneys’ fees and costs against claimant, after hearing on executive claims for breach of contract and FLSA retaliation against restaurant chain (JAMS Dallas County, Texas) 
• Order granting summary judgment on multi-plaintiff FLSA off-the-clock claims lodged against global telecommunications company (United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division)
• Order granting Motion to Compel Arbitration of purported FLSA collective action on misclassification claims against restaurant chain and denial of collective action motion in arbitration (United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, Austin Division, and AAA Travis County, Texas)
• Order denying Motion for Conditional Certification on FLSA claims for unpaid overtime brought against warehouse and distribution company (United States District Court for the District of New Jersey)
• Order denying Motion for Conditional Certification of alleged FLSA misclassification claims brought against behalf of restaurant chain (United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division).

Trade Secrets/Restrictive Covenants

• Temporary Injunction obtained for golf manufacturer preventing former executive from working for competitive global manufacturer of golf and other sports equipment and from disclosing or using trade secrets, or otherwise breaching a confidentiality agreement (Collin County, Texas district court)
• Temporary Injunction obtained for construction company, after six-day hearing, preventing former employee from disclosing or using trade secrets and his new employer from soliciting employees and using or disclosing trade secrets (Bexar County, Texas district court)
• Temporary Restraining Order and Agreed Permanent Injunction for global multicloud solutions company preventing IT employee from using or disclosing trade secrets and contacting customers or otherwise interfering with customer relationships  (Bexar County, Texas district court)
• Several Temporary Restraining Orders entered against former employees of national financial services company preventing them from disclosing trade secrets and soliciting clients in violation of restrictive covenants (Bexar County, Texas district court)
• Temporary Restraining Order preventing several former employees of national telecommunications company and their new employer from disclosing trade secrets, soliciting employees, soliciting customers or otherwise breaching employment agreements and requiring accounting for and turn over of electronic devices (Johnson County, Texas district court)

Sexual Harassment

• Austin Court of Appeals decision reversing jury verdict against retail chain and holding that there was insufficient evidence of hostile work environment sexual harassment to submit claim to jury, cited by the Texas Bar Journal as one of the significant developments in employment law in 2010. Twigland Fashions, Ltd. v. Miller, 335 S.W.3d 206 (Tex. App.-Austin 2010, no pet.)
• Defense verdict after jury trial on quid pro quo sexual harassment claim against national retail chain (Travis County, Texas district court)
• Defense verdict after jury trial in sexual harassment, sex discrimination and assault case against a national bank (United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, San Antonio Division)
• Arbitration Award after hearing on claims of hostile work environment and quid pro quo sexual harassment claim against restaurant chain (TAMS El Paso, Texas)
• Order granting summary judgment on claims of hostile work environment sexual harassment, national origin discrimination and retaliation, disability discrimination and failure to accommodate, FMLA interference and retaliation, and wrongful discharge/ breach of contract against national telecommunications conglomerate (United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, Austin Division) 
• Summary judgment for national retailer on claims of hostile work environment and quid pro quo sexual harassment and retaliation. (Comal County, Texas district court) 

Other Employment Claims

• Defense verdict after jury trial on workers' compensation retaliation claim against a national trucking company (El Paso County, Texas district court)
• Arbitration Awards after hearings before three arbitrator panels in two separate arbitrations challenging stock forfeiture provisions in national financial institution's employee incentive compensation plan (NYSE & FINRA Harris County, Texas)
• Ruling from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upholding summary judgment on ERISA denial of benefits claim against nationwide sales and marketing company and U.S. Supreme Court denial of certiorari (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and United States Supreme Court)
• Ruling from Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upholding finding that hospital’s  arbitration agreement is enforceable and Order from the United States Supreme Court denying certiorari in the appeal of the Fifth Circuit's opinion (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court)
• Order adopting Magistrate Judge recommendation to dismiss national original discrimination claim against real estate investment firm under Rule 12(b)(6) (United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, San Antonio Division). 
• Order granting Motion to Compel Arbitration and dismissing with prejudice claims of discrimination and retaliation against nationwide financial services company, Fifth Circuit decision affirming district court order, and U.S. Supreme Court denial of petition for writ of certiorari (United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, San Antonio Division, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and U.S. Supreme Court) 
• Order denying the majority of EEOC’s Application to Enforce Administrative Subpoena seeking company-wide employment records against retail chain (United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, San Antonio) 
• Order granting Rule 12(b)(6) dismissal of several parties and one claim against national telecommunications conglomerate (United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, Austin Division)
• Summary Judgments in cases alleging violations of the FLSA, Title VII, the Texas Commission on Human Rights Act, the ADEA, the ADA, the Texas Workers' Compensation Act, the Texas Unemployment Act, COBRA, ERISA, the DOD Whistleblower Statute and various common law claims.