Jonathan Landesman
- Philadelphia
- jlandesman@cohenseglias.com
- 267.238.4726
- Obtained judgment in favor of a utility contractor accused of violating the New Jersey Conscientious Employee Protection Act (CEPA) for terminating an employee who had complained about safety conditions in a jury trial in state court in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The client’s victory was affirmed by the Appellate Division.
- Obtained a verdict in favor of a Fortune 500 company accused of national origin discrimination and retaliation in violation of Title VII and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (PHRA) in a federal jury trial in Philadelphia. It took the jury less than one hour to return its verdict.
- Successfully represented an employer in a jury trial in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania in a case alleging breach of contract and failure to pay wages. Following an extensive cross-examination of the plaintiff-employee, the judge halted the proceedings and the case settled for a small fraction of the plaintiff’s alleged damages.
- Obtained a contempt order resulting in the defendants (a former employee and his new employer) being incarcerated in a non-competition agreement case in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Ultimately, the case settled with a six-year restriction on all competition and a monetary settlement in excess of $1 million.
- Obtained a preliminary injunction in a non-competition case in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, and later obtained substantial monetary damages and attorneys’ fees for our client following a week-long trial.
- Obtained summary judgment on all claims brought by a group of five employees in a CEPA and wage payment case filed against a large construction contractor, in federal court in New Jersey. The court also awarded attorneys’ fees and cost to our client as a prevailing party under CEPA.
- Obtained summary judgment in a case alleging sexual harassment, race discrimination, and retaliation in federal court in Philadelphia.
- Obtained summary judgment in an employment case where the plaintiff sought damages in excess of $2 million in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. In addition, the Court granted summary judgment in favor of our client on its counter-claims.
- Obtained summary judgment in class action wage and hour case filed in state court in Philadelphia.
- Successfully represented a management-level employee who had been fined $1 million by his union for working for a non-union company. The fine was reduced to zero dollars.
- Successfully represented a large manufacturer in a union representation matter. Our client won the election and defeated the union’s many unfair labor practice charges.
- Obtained summary judgment for a general contractor being sued by a union fund seeking to hold the general contractor secondarily liable for its subcontractor’s delinquencies in federal court in New Jersey.
- Obtained emergency injunctions against various trades unions for unlawful mass picketing in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.
- Obtained a preliminary injunction and substantial monetary damages in a trade secrets and unfair competition case following a week-long trial in Chancery Court in Delaware. The client’s victory was affirmed by the Delaware Supreme Court.
- Successfully litigated, arbitrated, and settled several hotly contested business-divorce cases resulting in buy-outs in excess of $5 million and $10 million.
Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances.
Businesses across a wide variety of industries turn to Jon for representation in all aspects of labor and employment law. As chair of the firm’s Labor & Employment Group, he understands the high stakes associated with employment litigation and labor relations and counsels his clients on proactive and preventative strategies to ensure the long-term health of their business. When litigation is necessary, Jon aggressively defends his clients to protect their interests.
Jon recognizes that effective workplace policies and practices can help employers avoid costly problems. Clients rely on him for counsel on virtually all workplace issues, including hiring and firing, leaves of absence under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), drug testing, and wage and hour compliance. Jon has reviewed and prepared hundreds of employee handbooks, restrictive covenant agreements, and severance agreements.
The majority of Jon’s practice is devoted to litigation, including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful discharge, and FMLA cases. He also represents employers in overtime, prevailing wage, and employee benefits cases, including class actions and collective actions. Jon regularly litigates cases involving non-competition agreements and the misappropriation of trade secrets. He has successfully handled dozens of emergency injunction hearings, obtaining preliminary and permanent injunctions and recovering millions of dollars of lost profits for his clients.
Throughout his career, Jon has served as lead trial counsel in federal and state courts across the country, including in Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. He also has extensive experience at the appellate level and has personally briefed and argued cases before the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court, Pennsylvania Superior Court, and Delaware Supreme Court.
Jon also possesses substantial experience dealing with all types of union-related issues. As lead negotiator at the bargaining table, he has successfully negotiated collective bargaining agreements in a wide variety of industries, including manufacturing, construction, distribution, telecommunications, and food service. He regularly handles unfair labor practice charges, union organizing campaigns, and grievance and arbitration proceedings.
On a selective basis, Jon represents employees in litigation matters, primarily in breach of contract cases.
In addition to his labor and employment practice, Jon has substantial experience litigating shareholder disputes and business-divorce cases involving closely held companies and partnerships.
- Fordham University School of Law, J.D.
- Boston University, B.A.
- Pennsylvania
- New York
- New Jersey
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
- Associated Builders and Contractors Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter(ABC) – Serves as Labor Counsel
- Associated Builders and Contractors New Jersey Chapter (ABC NJ)
- Philadelphia Bar Association – Former Chairman of the Committee on Human Resources and Employee Relations
No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.