9

Robert C. Weissflach

Partner
  • Buffalo
  • 716.844.3707
  •   •     •     •  

Rob Weissflach has extensive experience in federal and state court litigation, as well as administrative proceedings, involving labor and employment matters on behalf of public and private employers. Rob’s experience includes jury trials in both federal and state court, as well as appellate practice at all levels of the federal and state court systems. Rob also provides day-to-day advice to employers concerning their employment policies, procedures, and practices.

HONORS & AWARDS

  • Recognized by Chambers USA 2019 – 2020 in the field of Labor and Employment
  • Named as Best Lawyers® 2020 Litigation - Labor and Employment “Lawyer of the Year” in Buffalo, NY
  • Named as Best Lawyers® 2019 Employment Law - Management “Lawyer of the Year” in Buffalo, NY
  • Named as Best Lawyers® 2018 Labor Law - Management “Lawyer of the Year” in Buffalo, NY
  • Named as Best Lawyers® 2017 Litigation - Labor and Employment “Lawyer of the Year” in Buffalo, NY
  • Named as Best Lawyers® 2015 Litigation - Labor and Employment “Lawyer of the Year” in Buffalo, NY
  • Named as Best Lawyers® 2013 Labor Law - Management “Lawyer of the Year” in Buffalo, NY
  • Selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© in the fields of Commercial Litigation, Education Law, Employment Law - Management, Labor Law - Management, Litigation - ERISA, and Litigation - Labor and Employment.
  • AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
  • Legal Elite of Western New York, Buffalo Business First/Buffalo Law Journal, 2016
  • Who’s Who in Law, Business First of Buffalo/Buffalo Law Journal, 2010, 2011, 2012

REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE

The following illustrates Rob’s broad practice:

  • Successfully defeated class certification in a wage and hour class and collective action alleging violations of, inter alia, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act, and the New York Labor Law.
  • Successfully obtained a jury verdict in federal court in favor of an employer and four individual defendants accused of race and disability discrimination and harassment.
  • Obtained summary judgment in a sexual harassment case arising out of the collapse of a workplace romance, and successfully moved to have the report and testimony of the plaintiff’s forensic psychologist excluded and then convinced the Court, principally with archived emails, that the relationship at issue was consensual as a matter of law.
  • Obtained summary judgment for a school district in a case claiming violations of equal protection and due process.
  • In the first reported case of its kind, successfully argued in New York appellate court that the reclassification of certain employees for workers’ compensation purposes was arbitrary and capricious.
  • In the first reported case of its kind, successfully argued in New York appellate court that substantial penalties against an out-of-state trucking company for lack of New York workers’ compensation insurance should be annulled.
  • Defense of national and regional employers charged with race, sex, age, disability and/or national origin discrimination or harassment and/or retaliation.
  • Defense of employers faced with claims of breach of contract or wrongful discharge, or related torts, including defamation, as well as in in non-competition, confidentiality, and other employment contract disputes.
  • Representation of employers and/or benefit plans in ERISA litigation.
  • Representation of employers in collective bargaining, grievance/arbitration proceedings, and NLRB or PERB proceedings.
  • Defense of employers against individual and collective wage and hour claims or other employment-related class actions.
  • Representation of employers with respect to OSHA inspections and citations.

PRESENTATIONS

  • Co-Presenter, “Guidance for Employers on Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic - Session Three,” Harter Secrest & Emery LLP Webinar, March 26, 2020
  • Presenter, “Employment Litigation War Stories and How to Avoid Them," Harter Secrest & Emery’s Labor and Employment Law Conference, April 26, 2018
  • Presenter, “Labor and Employment Best Practices: Restrictive Covenants and Workplace Harassment,” Niagara Frontier Corporate Counsel Association, Inc. (NFCCA), March 8, 2018
  • Presenter, “Documenting the Employment Relationship: Best Practices From Hire through Termination,” Harter Secrest & Emery’s Labor and Employment Law Conference, April 5, 2017

PRACTICE AREAS

ADMISSIONS

  • New York
  • New York State courts
  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second and Ninth Circuits
  • U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern, Western, Northern, and Southern Districts of New York
  • Admitted to practice in particular cases in the States of Illinois and New Jersey; as well as the U.S. District Courts for the Northern District of Illinois, Central District of California, Middle District of Tennessee, Southern District of Florida, the Western and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania, and the District Court of Maryland

EDUCATION

  • Cornell Law School, J.D., cum laude
  • University of Rochester, M.A., Political Science
  • University of Rochester, B.A., Political Science, cum laude
HSE Law
9
Robert C. Weissflach
Partner
rweissflach@hselaw.com
tel: 716.844.3707
fax: 716.853.1617

Rob Weissflach has extensive experience in federal and state court litigation, as well as administrative proceedings, involving labor and employment matters on behalf of public and private employers. Rob’s experience includes jury trials in both federal and state court, as well as appellate practice at all levels of the federal and state court systems. Rob also provides day-to-day advice to employers concerning their employment policies, procedures, and practices.

Representative Experience

The following illustrates Rob’s broad practice:

  • Successfully defeated class certification in a wage and hour class and collective action alleging violations of, inter alia, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act, and the New York Labor Law.
  • Successfully obtained a jury verdict in federal court in favor of an employer and four individual defendants accused of race and disability discrimination and harassment.
  • Obtained summary judgment in a sexual harassment case arising out of the collapse of a workplace romance, and successfully moved to have the report and testimony of the plaintiff’s forensic psychologist excluded and then convinced the Court, principally with archived emails, that the relationship at issue was consensual as a matter of law.
  • Obtained summary judgment for a school district in a case claiming violations of equal protection and due process.
  • In the first reported case of its kind, successfully argued in New York appellate court that the reclassification of certain employees for workers’ compensation purposes was arbitrary and capricious.
  • In the first reported case of its kind, successfully argued in New York appellate court that substantial penalties against an out-of-state trucking company for lack of New York workers’ compensation insurance should be annulled.
  • Defense of national and regional employers charged with race, sex, age, disability and/or national origin discrimination or harassment and/or retaliation.
  • Defense of employers faced with claims of breach of contract or wrongful discharge, or related torts, including defamation, as well as in in non-competition, confidentiality, and other employment contract disputes.
  • Representation of employers and/or benefit plans in ERISA litigation.
  • Representation of employers in collective bargaining, grievance/arbitration proceedings, and NLRB or PERB proceedings.
  • Defense of employers against individual and collective wage and hour claims or other employment-related class actions.
  • Representation of employers with respect to OSHA inspections and citations.

Honors & Awards

  • Recognized by Chambers USA 2019 – 2020 in the field of Labor and Employment
  • Named as Best Lawyers® 2020 Litigation - Labor and Employment “Lawyer of the Year” in Buffalo, NY
  • Named as Best Lawyers® 2019 Employment Law - Management “Lawyer of the Year” in Buffalo, NY
  • Named as Best Lawyers® 2018 Labor Law - Management “Lawyer of the Year” in Buffalo, NY
  • Named as Best Lawyers® 2017 Litigation - Labor and Employment “Lawyer of the Year” in Buffalo, NY
  • Named as Best Lawyers® 2015 Litigation - Labor and Employment “Lawyer of the Year” in Buffalo, NY
  • Named as Best Lawyers® 2013 Labor Law - Management “Lawyer of the Year” in Buffalo, NY
  • Selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© in the fields of Commercial Litigation, Education Law, Employment Law - Management, Labor Law - Management, Litigation - ERISA, and Litigation - Labor and Employment.
  • AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
  • Legal Elite of Western New York, Buffalo Business First/Buffalo Law Journal, 2016
  • Who’s Who in Law, Business First of Buffalo/Buffalo Law Journal, 2010, 2011, 2012

Presentations

  • Co-Presenter, “Guidance for Employers on Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic - Session Three,” Harter Secrest & Emery LLP Webinar, March 26, 2020
  • Presenter, “Employment Litigation War Stories and How to Avoid Them," Harter Secrest & Emery’s Labor and Employment Law Conference, April 26, 2018
  • Presenter, “Labor and Employment Best Practices: Restrictive Covenants and Workplace Harassment,” Niagara Frontier Corporate Counsel Association, Inc. (NFCCA), March 8, 2018
  • Presenter, “Documenting the Employment Relationship: Best Practices From Hire through Termination,” Harter Secrest & Emery’s Labor and Employment Law Conference, April 5, 2017

Admissions

  • New York

Education

  • Cornell Law School, J.D., cum laude
  • University of Rochester, M.A., Political Science
  • University of Rochester, B.A., Political Science, cum laude

Disclaimer

This website presents only general information not intended as legal advice. Although we encourage calls, letters and emails from prospective clients, please keep in mind that merely contacting Harter Secrest & Emery LLP (HSE) does not establish an attorney-client relationship between us. Confidential information should not be sent to HSE until you have been notified in writing by HSE that a formal attorney-client relationship has been established. Information sent to us before then may not be treated as confidential by HSE or the court.

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