John Van Hook

John A. Van Hook handles all aspects of employment litigation in federal and state trial and appellate courts. He has extensive experience representing employers in class and collective wage-and-hour litigation. He has represented employers in numerous industries including financial services, insurance, healthcare, publishers, temporary staffing, hospitality and restaurants.

John also has substantial experience litigation single-plaintiff lawsuits involving claims for wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, breach of contract, wage-and-hour claims, leave laws, and whistleblower retaliation.

John has significant appellate experience, including appeals and petitions for review to the California Supreme Court, and preparing and opposing writ petitions in the Court of Appeal. He prepared the briefs to the Court of Appeal and California Supreme Court in the leading case on reimbursement of employee’s business expenses, and prepared the amicus brief in support of the successful employer in the Supreme Court’s recent kin-care decision.

In addition to John’s litigation practice, he advises and counsels clients on an array of employment practices and legal compliance, including drafting and revising employment policies, handbooks, and compensation plans, and provides training to employees on wage-and-hour compliance.

In addition to representing employers in private practice for more than seven years, John was in-house counsel for a healthcare company, handling employment litigation, advice, and benefit plans, business litigation, and advising on corporate governance and compliance issues.

EXPERIENCE :

• Represented publishing company in class action proceedings at trial court and appellate courts in class action regarding employee expense reimbursement. Case resulted in leading California Supreme Court decision regarding the requirements for employee expense reimbursement, Gattuso v. Harte-Hanks Shoppers, Inc., 42 Cal. 4th 554, 563 (2007).
• Represented leading facility service company in putative class action by service technicians for travel time and other wage-and-our claims. Obtained partial summary judgment of compensable commute times by district court, which was upheld by the Ninth Circuit; defeated class certification of meal/rest period claims.
• Represented hotel in putative class action by banquet servers. Obtained summary adjudication of most claims, including off-the-clock and meal period claims; defeated class certification on remaining claims.
• Represented leading insurance company in obtaining decertification on class of insurance claims adjusters for off-the-clock claims.
• Represent leading financial services company in a variety of class and collective wage-and-hour actions.

Education :

• Harvard Law School, JD, cum laude, Editor, Harvard Environmental Law Review, 1999
• Pomona College, BA, cum laude, 1996

Admissions :

• California
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit
• U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
• U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California