The Labor and Employment Lawyers of Freedland Russo in Weston (Fort Lauderdale Area) specialize in the legal rights of, and restrictions on working people in their organizations. Labor and Employment Law is the body of laws, administrative rulings, and precedents which address many aspects of the relationship between trade unions, employers and employees. Freedland Russo provides legal advice to and resourceful representation for employees facing a variety of employment problems in Florida.

Freedland Russo is committed to, advance and litigate the rights of employees in the workplace pertaining to a broad variety of labor and employment matters, such as:

• Employee Whistle-Blower Termination or Retaliation Claims - Employees terminated or retaliated against based upon the reporting of the illegal conduct by the employer under the Florida Whistle-blower Acts and various Federal whistle-blower acts.
• Workplace Harassment/Employee Discrimination Claims – Employee harassment and discrimination complaints, including sexual harassment/discrimination, and harassment/discrimination regarding national origin, disability, age, race, religion, marital status, pregnancy or color. These types of claims fall within Title VII, the ADEA, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and the Florida Civil Rights Act.
• Employment Defamation Claims – Employees who have been slandered by their employer or former employer. Defamatory references include false accusations on misconduct, stealing, sexual harassment, discrimination, etc.
• Employee Wrongful Termination / Employee Illegal Layoff / Retaliatory Discharge Claims - In Florida employers may terminate an employee for no reason at all. However they cannot terminate employees for illegal reasons including seeking FMLA benefits, filing a workers' compensation claims, objecting to or refusing to participate in improper conduct or illegal activity, disability, chronic illness, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy or other forms of discriminatory reasons. Freedland Russo will investigate suspicious layoffs and assist employees in the administrative processes before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).and Florida Commission on Human Relations (FCHR).
• Employee Unemployment Benefit Claims – Representation of employees and before the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation with regard to an employee’s entitlement to unemployment benefits.
• Employee Wage and Over-time Claims – Disputes in wage and unpaid vacation time claims, as well as claims to over-time under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
• Family and Medical Leave Act Claims – Entitlement of an employee to FMLA leave.
• Employee Appeals of Denials of Social Security Benefits to Federal Court - You have Social Security Disability (SSD) Rights under the federal Social Security Disability Act. "Disability" means the "inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physician or mental impairment which can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months or result in death." Social Security Disability benefits are paid to individuals who have worked in the recent years. Supplemental Security (SSI) Income benefits are paid to individuals who are poor and disabled whether or not the individual has worked in the past.
• Workplace Safety Claims – Claims arising from an unsafe working environment under the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) and other regulatory requirements.
• Employee Life, Health and Disability Insurance Claims – Claims arising from disputes on unpaid life, health and disability insurance even where these claims are employer sponsored plans subject to ERISA.
• Americans with Disabilities Act Claims - Disability discrimination claims whether they suffer from an actual disability or are perceived to have a disability by the employer both pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Florida Civil Rights Act. With these types of claims it is important to know the interaction with the FMLA and workers compensation laws.
• Employee COBRA Claims - Claims against employers that have failed to provide the necessary paperwork for terminated employees to continue health insurance. The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) gives workers and their families who lose their health benefits the right to choose to continue group health benefits provided by their group health plan for limited periods of time under certain circumstances such as voluntary or involuntary job loss, reduction in the hours worked, transition between jobs, death, divorce, and other life events.
• Employee Trade Secrets Act Violations Claims - Litigation arising under the Florida Trade Secrets statutes for misappropriation. Misappropriation is the wrongful acquisition, disclosure or use of a trade secret, that is acquiring the secret through improper means or from another person knowing that they acquired the secret by improper means or disclosing or using the secret without consent when the circumstances create a duty not to disclose or use it
• Employee Review, Negotiation and Litigation of Workplace Contracts - Drafting, reviewing and negotiating of workplace contracts. Freedland Russo advises employees of their obligations under Florida employment law that they must abide by the specific requirements of the contract in order to enforce it. When necessary we represent the interests of employees when litigation arises in enforcing these contacts under Florida law. This includes employment, non-compete, non-solicitation, confidentiality, severance and other workplace related contracts/agreements
  

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