Eric Beane, a partner in DLA Piper's Los Angeles office, has extensive experience in complex litigation for global clients, including class action litigation, wage and hour litigation, mass layoffs, trade secret and non-compete issues and ERISA claims. He has defended employers in claims of wage and hour violations, wrongful discharge, employment discrimination, sexual harassment, breach of contract and misappropriation of trade secrets.

Mr. Beane regularly counsels employers on employee discipline, employee hiring, wage and hour issues, employee privacy matters and the creation and implementation of new and revised personnel policies. His work also includes drafting executive compensation agreements and separation agreements, especially in conjunction with mergers and acquisitions.

He represents employers and management in state and federal courts and before administrative bodies throughout the United States. These include the California State Labor Commissioner, California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the United States Department of Labor; the Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board and the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board.

Representative Significant Matters

• Successfully defended a wage and hour class action both through a five-week jury trial resulting in a hung jury and then through a subsequent bench trial
• Obtained dismissal of a putative wage and hour class action involving a nationwide class consisting of thousands of employees
• Filed proactive motion to preclude class certification resulting in dismissal of all class action and collective action allegations under state and federal law
• Defeated class certification in multiple wage and hour class actions
• Represented the retail arm of a global energy company in two large wage and hour class actions filed in Los Angeles (16,000 and 5,000 employees, respectively)
• Represented a major financial services defendant in a $22 million wage and hour class action that had potential implications regarding the classification of exempt employees
• Counseled several multimillion-dollar firms regarding the employment implications of their proposed mergers or acquisitions
• Successfully tried a discrimination lawsuit pending in the Los Angeles Superior Court, resulting in a complete defense verdict
• Represented a US entertainment conglomerate with international operations in prosecuting a complaint for misappropriation and embezzlement against a former employee
• Represented a global manufacturer's research organization regarding exempt employee classification in California and Ohio. Negotiated settlements avoiding penalties
• Redesigned employment policies and procedures for a leading international manufacturer to facilitate numerous reorganizations. Trained in-house legal and human resources personnel regarding those policies and procedures
• Obtained summary judgment on an ERISA claim for wrongful denial of benefits
• Obtained summary judgment on discrimination and wrongful termination claims
• Successfully defended discrimination charges in different jurisdictions
• Counsels small, medium, and large national and international corporations regarding employment issues on an ongoing basis