Biography Photo of David R Deromedi

David R. Deromedi

Member
Detroit
Acts as outside general counsel for employment matters, both with respect to counseling and litigation, for multiple employers with operations in Michigan and throughout the United States and in varied fields, including but not limited to, automotive, health care, public and private education, professional and consulting services, Information Technology services, and advertising.  Work includes acting as general counsel for employment and litigation matters for foreign companies operating in the United States, including employers headquartered in Japan, Korea, China, Germany, and the United Kingdom.  

Education & Credentials

Education

Albion College

B.A., 1985
  • magna cum laude

University of Michigan

J.D., 1988

Bar Admission

  • Michigan1988

Areas Of Practice

Corporate Governance Japan Labor & Employment Labor & Employment Litigation Commercial & Business Litigation

Acknowledgements

  • Best Lawyers in America®
    • Employment and Labor Law Management, 2007-2024
  • Michigan Super Lawyers®
    • Employment and Labor Law Management, 2007-2023
  • DBusiness Magazine
    • "Top Lawyers,"Employee Benefits Law, Labor and Employment Law 2009, 2011-2013, 2016-2023
  • Crain Detroit Business
    • Notable Leader in Labor & Employment Law

Prominent Assignments

Employment Counseling:

Provides employment counseling to in-house counsel, executive management, board committees, and human resources personnel with respect to managing risks in employee discipline and termination, planning, conducting, and evaluating workplace investigations, policy drafting and best practices, workforce reductions, wage and hour compliance, human resources and worker training on compliance with employment laws including harassment and FMLA/ADA, disability accommodation and management of leave laws, employment contract drafting, and enforcing or evaluating restrictive covenants.

  • Led team in drafting and updating the employment policies, processes, and documentation to ensure compliance and best practices for state agency with 7,000 employees.
  • Drafted hiring and contractor retention policies and procedures for large public university in the western U.S. and developed and presented training and educational materials for University administrators to follow in implementing the policies.
  • Developed wage and hour compliance audit process for large health care system with 35,000 employees.  Developed and presented training materials for client’s internal audit staff to implement the system’s facility wage and hour compliance audits.
  • Developed and conducted FMLA leave and disability discrimination training for southeastern Michigan community college system.
  • Represented automotive original equipment manufacturer in managing the WARN notice process and negotiating the shutdown and severance packages for troubled supplier with 17 facilities through the United States.
  • Acted as outside general counsel for IT software services firm operating in 13 states in the U.S. on all employment matters involving potential risk of claims, including matters such as workplace investigations, termination decisions, and reasonable accommodation for employee disabilities.
  • Guided several boards of education through the processes and steps in the removal of superintendent level personnel.
  • Guiding foreign owned 1Billion automotive supplier with U.S. operations in multiple states through litigation risks for workforce reductions and performance terminations.
  • Assisted foreign owned automotive supplier and worked with U.S. law enforcement in the investigation and recovery of funds embezzled by executive, and the extradition of executive to return to the U.S. to face criminal charges.

Litigation:

First chair litigation and trial lawyer for discrimination and harassment claims, wage and hour claims, FMLA, breach of contract, and covenants not to compete.

  • Obtained successful arbitration result for media company and on-air talent in wrongful discharge and defamation arbitration action in which the Plaintiff alleged that he was defamed and wrongfully fired during a live broadcast.
  • Obtained summary judgment in federal court on behalf of a telecommunications company in an FLSA matter on an employee misclassification claim which included a potential class of more than 100 employees and successfully argued appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
  • Obtained summary judgment in state court action on behalf of an original equipment manufacturer in a disability discrimination claim upholding the manufacturer’s use of specifically designed employment assessment tests to screen applicants for certain positions, including working with industrial-organizational psychologists in developing the defense of the testing programs.
  • Prevailed against request for an injunction by a national automotive supplier to enforce a noncompete in federal court in Ohio on the grounds that it could not be shown that the employee in question was not working in a role that violated the terms of his noncompete agreement.
  • Reached successful resolution for in FLSA collective action litigation involving employee misclassification claims twice for a casino client in Michigan, a food services client in New Jersey, an oil industry client in Texas, and a health services provider and product manufacturer in Michigan.
  • Handled hundreds of employment discrimination matters in multiple courts.  Recently or currently representing clients in federal jurisdiction discrimination claims in Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia, and Texas.

Professional Involvement

  •   Adjunct professor of law, University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, 1993-2001

Publications/Presentations

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