Elizabeth Staggs Wilson

Elizabeth Staggs Wilson’s practice focuses on the defense of private clients in the field of wage and hour class, representative and single actions, as well as enforcement of arbitration agreements. She has successfully and efficiently defended more than 200 lawsuits alleging wage and hour violations, including multi-plaintiff, representative and class action lawsuits.

She has also defended clients against claims of wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, unfair competition, and theft of trade secrets. She has obtained favorable verdicts in two jury trials, multiple bench trials and arbitration. Elizabeth has handled cases in state and federal courts, as well as at the administrative level, including the following:

• Successfully opposed certification of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) collective action for off-the-clock work; then obtained complete defense verdict in jury trial of the individual class representative’s claims in U. S. District Court, Central District of California
• Obtained ruling of non-certification of all claims for property management company in case involving misclassification of property level employees in Los Angeles County Superior Court
• Defended national healthcare provider in wage and hour class actions by successfully moving to dismiss class claims based upon the class representative’s agreement to arbitrate only individual claims
• Defended several employers in cases involving alleged misclassification of independent contractors as employees, partially defeating class certification in one case and obtaining highly favorable settlements in several others
• Successfully defended multi-plaintiff sexual harassment cases on behalf of employers in both the retail and media industries
• Obtained dismissal of an unfair business practices claim where a plaintiff sought to enjoin a Washington corporation from enforcing a non-competition agreement against a former California employee
• Tried numerous cases before the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement involving wage and hour disputes.

In addition, Elizabeth regularly provides clients with practical advice to ensure compliance with the rapidly evolving field of labor and employment law, including the complex areas of wage and hour and leave laws. She assists clients with wage and hour audits.

She crafts California and federal compliant wage and hour policies and procedures, including meal period waivers, alternative workweek vote materials and paid time-off policies. She has developed particular expertise in the health care field assisting hospitals and other healthcare facilities to comply with wage and hour laws.

Elizabeth has presented and trained professional groups on a myriad of employment-related topics including sexual harassment, leave law, wage and hour, disability accommodation and effective management. Prior to joining Littler, Elizabeth was a partner at another firm.

Education :

• J.D., Northwestern University School of Law, 1991
• B.A., Harvard Radcliffe College, 1987

Professional & Community Affiliations :

• Member, Board of Directors, Pasadena Museum of California Art
• Former Member, Board of Directors, Associates of the California Institute of Technology.