Kathryn S. Wood

Employment Discrimination/Harassment/Retaliation/Whistleblower Claims:

• Represented Clients in single and multi-plaintiff actions alleging violations of federal and state civil rights laws, at both trial court and appellate level.
• Successful defense of public institution on 14th Amendment and 1981 claims involving rights of privacy (obtained Sixth Circuit opinion, on issue of first impression, affirming summary judgment).
• Successful defense of attempted class actions (each resulting in denial of class certification).
• MDCR and EEOC claim defense, including position statements, mediation and conciliation.
• Extensive experience regarding joint-employer obligations and liabilities.

Employment Counseling and Litigation Prevention on issues including:

• Document/personnel file retention and production issues
• FMLA
• Discipline and termination issues;
• ADA/ disability accommodation obligations;
• Email and internet policies and privacy rights;
• Pre-employment and employee drug testing;
• Enforceability of arbitration clauses in employment agreements; and
• Enforceability of contractually limited statute of limitations period.

Experience in conducting harassment/discrimination investigations.

Defamation Claims:

• Represented numerous clients in prosecuting and defending defamation claims.
• Obtained numerous retractions of defamatory statements prior to commencement of litigation, including an internationally disseminated retraction from Reuters.
• Experience in prosecuting "John Doe" actions, where defamatory material is posted anonymously on internet chat room sites.

• American Bar Association (Section of Labor and Employment Law, Equal Opportunity Committee)
• Federal Bar Association
• Detroit Bar Association
• Defense Research Institute (DRI)

• VIP Mentoring, Trustee (2003-present)
• Franklin Community Preschool, Board Member (1999-2000)
• University of Michigan Student Funded Fellowship, Board Member (1994-95)

• Employment Litigation in Michigan, Second Edition (ICLE), Chapter Author, "Discrimination Claims"
• Michigan Business Torts (ICLE), Contributing Chapter Author, "Defamation"
• Employment Litigation in Michigan, First Edition (ICLE), Chapter Author, "Title VII and Related ELCRA Claims"
• Inside the Minds -- Employment Discrimination Lawsuits, Chapter Author, "Effective Employer Strategies in Employment Discrimination Litigation", Aspatore Books, 2008
• Employment Discrimination Law, Fourth Edition (ABA), Contributing Chapter Author, "Unions"
• Labor and Employment Lawnotes, Volume 17.N.2 "The New Wave in Employment Litigation: Family Responsibilities Discrimination".