Sarah D. Mott

Counsel

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Sarah D. Mott

Sarah advises and defends employers in all aspects of employment and labor law. For more than 20 years, she has represented California employers in the public, private and non-profit sectors to create effective working environments.

Sarah’s extensive litigation and trial practice includes a wide variety of class action, wage and hour, discrimination and harassment, retaliation and “whistleblower” cases. She has developed particular expertise in successful motion work, both at the pleading and summary judgment stages, and has established precedent favorable to California employers in disability discrimination, attorneys' fees and independent contractor cases. She has argued and won cases on behalf of clients in both the Ninth Circuit and the California Court of Appeals. Given the current litigation climate, Sarah presently focuses on the defense of classification, benefits, compensation and meal period class actions.

Sarah advises employers on a broad range of employment and labor issues, including performance management, diversity, hiring and firing, discrimination and retaliation. She frequently conducts management training sessions tailored to clients’ needs. Sarah's practice also includes investigation of harassment complaints, contract negotiations and representation of employers in administrative proceedings and arbitrations.

Sarah works with private employers in the technology, manufacturing, food, restaurant, retail, healthcare, education, senior housing, publishing and transportation industries. Her clients range from Fortune 500 corporations to local boutique businesses. She represents public agencies and institutions throughout California. She also works with small non-profit organizations.

Representative Work

Obtained dismissals at the pleading stage of two retiree health benefit class actions brought against large public agencies.

Defeated a class action at the pleading stage brought by truck drivers who claimed they were employees rather than independent contractors.

Won summary judgments and subsequent appeals in the California Court of Appeals and the Ninth Circuit in three disability cases that set prima facie and reasonable accommodation standards for both public and private employers.

Negotiated and settled multiple classification and rest period class actions for large and small private companies based both inside and outside of California.

Resolved a small non-profit's dispute with a Fortune 200 company that resulted in the company becoming an active partner in the non-profit's work on behalf of indigenous children in Guatemala.