EEOC v. Morgan Stanley
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Class Action Civil Rights Practice
We collaboratively pursue impact-driven cases with civil rights organizations, worker centers, advocacy groups, and government agencies—not as an occasional exercise, but as a definition of who we are.
Outten & Golden has a long history of co-counseling, advocacy, philanthropy and board leadership with the nation’s leading civil rights organizations. Similarly, we frequently represent government agencies in complex civil rights enforcement actions, bringing our litigation resources to bear in service of the public interest.
These relationships have protected and advanced the civil rights of individuals and workers alike.
For example, for many years our managing partner Adam Klein has served as co-chair of the Executive Board of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, one of the nation’s oldest civil rights advocates. Similarly, Outten & Golden has forged sustained partnerships with dozens of nonprofits including MALDEF to advance the rights of DACA recipients and immigrants; the NAACP Legal Defense Fund to advocate for racial justice; and AARP to break down systemic barriers affecting older workers and job applicants.
As part of our public interest docket, we also frequently author amicus briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court and federal Courts of Appeals on behalf of national civil rights organizations. Most recently, we filed an amicus brief on behalf of 96 social science scholars in a lawsuit challenging executive action on birthright citizenship.
In addition, our attorneys sit on the boards of leading institutions including the American Civil Liberties Union, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Equal Rights Advocates, Public Justice Fund, the San Francisco chapter of the American Constitution Society, the Equality Action Center, the Washington Lawyers Committee, Workplace Fairness, and Legal Aid at Work.
We also seek change through philanthropy. Over the past decade, Outten & Golden Giving has contributed more than $3 million to hundreds of non-profits that advocate for workers’ rights, civil rights, and the rights of low-wage workers.
Our Class Action Leadership
Outten & Golden attorneys have prosecuted more than 500 class and collective actions, and federal and state courts have designated the firm as class counsel in more than forty cases. This record reflects the judiciary’s confidence in our ability to vigorously represent the interests of large classes of workers in complex civil rights litigation.
Leadership in Pay Equity Litigation
Outten & Golden is a national leader in pay equity litigation, having prosecuted many of the largest and most notable class actions, including ones against Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, JPMorgan Chase, Google, Uber, Goldman Sachs, Mastercard and Syracuse University. Collectively, these cases have returned hundreds of millions of dollars to workers, while advancing our core mission to dismantle systemic barriers to equal opportunity, compensation and advancement.
Class Action Collaborations with Government Agencies
Outten & Golden represents government enforcement agencies in complex class actions, bringing our litigation resources to bear for the public interest. Our recent work includes the representation of the California Civil Rights Department in its landmark $54.8 million gender discrimination settlement against Activision Blizzard; the D.C. Office of Attorney General’s $3.75 million settlement with a construction contractor that violated the District’s wage and hour laws; and our current representation of the New Jersey Attorney General and Department of Labor and Workforce Development in an enforcement action alleging that Amazon unlawfully deprived thousands of Amazon Flex drivers of rightful wages, overtime pay, sick leave, and other protections under state law.
Next Generation Civil Rights Challenges
From combating age discrimination to confronting algorithmic bias, Outten & Golden is at the forefront of emerging civil rights challenges. In Liapes v. Facebook, we’re challenging Meta’s design and operation of an advertising platform that allegedly enables discriminatory ad delivery based on age and gender. And in Kistler v. Eightfold, we’re working with our co-counsel Towards Justice to challenge an AI platform that allegedly generates secretive “consumer reports” on job applicants.
O&G's Partnerships with Civil Rights Organizations
Many law firms approach civil rights work as a “check the box” exercise, or a way to fulfill their pro bono requirement. We do it because it’s who we are.
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Immigrants' Rights & National Origin Discrimination
Menocal v. Geo Group
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Criminal History Discrimination
Gonzalez v. Pritzker
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Criminal History DiscriminationRacial Discrimination
Mandala v. NTT Data
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Immigrants' Rights & National Origin Discrimination
Perez v. Discover Bank
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Criminal History Discrimination
NAACP New York State Branches v. Phillips et. al.
Our Public Interest Award
Effective civil rights advocacy requires deep collaboration.
That’s why we honor one nonprofit with our annual Public Interest Award, which includes a $20,000 grant and support from O&G attorneys on cases and projects.
