Susan Baird Motschiedler is a member of Parsons Behle & Latimer's employment and labor law and litigation practice groups. With an eye toward avoiding litigation, she excels at providing up-front advice and counsel to business owners and management regarding employment discrimination, harassment and retaliation; disciplinary action and documentation; disability accommodation issues; benefits; employment policies and practices; employee leave laws; layoffs; protection of trade secrets and other confidential and proprietary information through the use of confidentiality, noncompetition and nonsolicitation agreements; wage and hour laws; and other employment-related issues. Susan also regularly conducts real world client training programs for employers on topics including harassment and discrimination, disability accommodation, hiring and firing, conducting investigations, record keeping and coaching/disciplining employees. When disputes arise, Susan confidently defends clients in litigation, administrative proceedings and alternative dispute resolution forums.
Susan regularly counsels and represents employers in lawsuits in a variety of areas including:
- Sex discrimination and sexual harassment
- Age discrimination
- Religious discrimination
- Americans with Disabilities Act, disability and employee medical issues
- Wrongful termination
- Employment contracts and compensation
- Non-compete, confidentiality, and non-solicitation agreements
- Handbooks
- Social media in the workplace
- Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), overtime, exemptions, and wage issues
- Independent contractor issues
- Drug and alcohol testing
- Family Medical Leave Act and other leave issues
- Terminations and unemployment
- Union issues
- Investigations
- UALD and EEOC charges and audits
- Training for management and employees
Ms. Motschiedler also maintains a practice of black lung defense counsel in workers' compensation claims brought under the federal Black Lung Benefits Reform Act.
She has represented employers with coal mine or other non-coal mine operations in Utah, Colorado, Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Alabama before the Department of Labor Office of Administrative Law Judges, the Benefits Review Board, and in appellate proceedings before the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.
