Wendy A. Sugg is a counsel in Crowell & Moring's Orange County office. Ms. Sugg's primary areas of practice involve litigation and trial in state and federal courts, where she represents clients in a wide range of labor and employment as well as business litigation matters, including complex class actions, breach of contract disputes, and professional negligence. Ms. Sugg also has experience in white collar criminal defense, including defense of securities fraud, bank fraud, mail and wire fraud, voter intimidation, False Claims Act violations, and healthcare fraud.
Ms. Sugg has been voted a "Rising Star" among Southern California litigators in a survey published by Los Angeles Magazine.
Prior to joining Crowell & Moring, Ms. Sugg was an associate at California-based law firm, Irell & Manella LLP, and served as a law clerk to the Honorable Shirley Wohl Kram of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Representative Experience:
- Assisted clients in defeating class certification and/or reaching favorable settlements of wage-and-hour putative class actions in the restaurant industry.
- Successfully enforced wage-and-hour class action settlement against objections from absent class members.
- Obtained voluntary dismissal of claims on first day of trial of an action involving claims for unpaid overtime, meal and rest breaks.
- Obtained efficient settlements of consumer class actions regarding gift cards on behalf of clients in theater chain and retail industries.
- Successfully defeated an Anti-SLAPP motion and obtained complete summary judgment on behalf of university and its employees against activists targeting employees with violence. Obtained and enforced permanent injunction, including obtaining trial verdict against defendant for contempt for violation of injunction. Successfully defended 11th Circuit appeal of dismissal of related federal action.
- Achieved favorable settlement of nationwide FLSA class action and related state law employment claims alleging misclassification of employees at retailer.
- Obtained voluntary dismissal of FMLA case against retailer.
- Conducted internal investigation for employer concerning claims of potential hostile work environment.
- Obtained complete summary judgment on behalf of a law firm against allegations of professional negligence.
- Assisted in litigation and favorable settlement of an action by an asbestos manufacturer against former insurer.