Mike is a partner in the firm’s Employment and Litigation practice groups. Mike steadfastly guides clients through difficult and complex employment problems. Relying on more than three decades of experience, Mike listens to clients and provides practical solutions for a wide variety of employment issues. He routinely works closely with clients to develop strategies to avoid or minimize risks.

Mike is often called upon to protect his clients’ rights. He has handled numerous employment cases in federal court, state court, Pennsylvania Superior Court, Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC), the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, and the Bureau of Unemployment Compensation. He has successfully represented clients, including obtaining favorable jury verdicts in cases involving Title VII (sex, age, disability, national origin, religion, and race discrimination), the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Pennsylvania Minimum Wage Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, OSHA, wrongful discharge, breach of contract, non-compete agreements, workers’ compensation, unemployment compensation and defamation.

In his food & agribusiness practice, he has represented a client in the fish farm business, has defended a dairy producer in an FMLA/ADA discrimination claim and drafted employment agreements for a produce company. In his transportation practice, Mike has advised trucking companies on independent contractors versus employee issues, overtime exemption, fringe benefits, terminations, and drafted agreements.  He also has represented trucking companies in disputes involving classification of drivers.

Mike lectures on employment topics for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, corporations and associations. He is active in the community serving on non-profit boards over the last several years. In addition, Mike is an adjunct faculty member at Messiah University teaching business law.

Read some of Mike’s recent litigation victories below:

• Successfully defended a regional architectural and engineering company in federal court. A former employee of an architectural and engineering company sued the company claiming violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, and Title VII (sex discrimination). Mike successfully convinced the federal judge that there was no basis for these multiple claims and the judge dismissed the case before trial.
• Won an appeal with the Pennsylvania Superior Court affirming a hard won trial verdict for a regional technology company. In 2018, Mike successfully defended a technology company after a five-day trial in which two former executives were seeking almost $11 million in damages related to their termination from the company. After losing at trial, the two former employees appealed the verdict to the Superior Court. Mike once again successfully defended the technology company on appeal and convinced the Superior Court to reject the former employees’ arguments, thus preserving the jury’s verdict in favor of the technology company.
• After a two-day hearing, an arbitrator agreed that a former CEO of a technology company and subsidiary of a central Pennsylvania bank must pay back his ownership stake in the company after he departed. Officials from the technology company predicted that the opposite decision from the arbitrator would have been disastrous to the company.
• Obtained a jury verdict for an employer in a case brought by a terminated employee alleging breach of contract and defamation. The employee claimed the employer did not have cause based on his employment agreement to terminate his employment. He was seeking six months of wages, costs of litigation and attorneys’ fees. Furthermore, the employee alleged the employer defamed him to prospective employers so he was not able to obtain a job. The county judge dismissed the defamation claim prior to jury deliberations. The employer’s witnesses testified that the employee was fired for falsifying documents and violating the employer’s policies. The jury found in favor of the employer.
• Obtained a jury verdict for an employer in a case brought by two terminated employees alleging a violation of the New Jersey whistleblower law. The plaintiffs were seeking in excess of $10 million in damages. After a week-long trial, a county jury found in favor of the employer.
• Obtained a jury verdict for a landlord accused of negligence by his tenant. The tenant alleged that a leaking gutter above her front door caused ice to form on the concrete porch in front of her front door. Plaintiff claimed that while taking the trash out one morning, she slipped on a spot of ice and broke her ankle that eventually required five surgeries. After three days of testimony from various witnesses and experts, the county jury found the landlord not negligent.
• Obtained a jury verdict in federal court in Philadelphia for an employer in a case brought by a terminated employee alleging a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. An employee claimed the employer terminated him because he suffered from attention deficit disorder. The employer presented witnesses that it terminated the employee for poor job performance. The jury agreed with the employer and found no violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.