Philip R. Bruce

Representative Experience

Employment & Labor Law

• Obtained jury verdict and damages on behalf of an international electronics manufacturer who sued its former vice president of accounting for theft of trade secrets and violation of employment, confidentiality and noncompetition agreements.  Additional award of more than $336,000 in the form of sanctions and prevailing party attorney fees and costs affirmed on appeal by the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals.
• Obtained judgment and an award in excess of $4 million on behalf of an international manufacturer of industrial technology who sued its former president for theft of trade secrets and violation of his employment agreement. The court also issued a permanent injunction against the former executive for certain anti-competitive activities and further breaches of his employment and confidentiality agreements.
• Represented both private and public employers in administrative charges before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, including investigating and drafting of positions statements, mediation, conciliation, and defending companies facing cause findings.
• Advise Native American tribal governments in the application of various employment laws.
• Advised regional bank on litigation avoidance and strategy for various non-compete cases.
• Obtained a favorable arbitration decision for an Oklahoma municipality in a case involving the discipline and demotion of a city employee for misconduct.
• Assisted non-profit and for profit companies in drafting and implementing social media and related computer-use and confidentiality policies.
• Representation of Oklahoma State Senate in employment, compliance, and training issues.
• Obtained summary judgment in Minnesota federal court on behalf of national staffing firm on whistleblower claim of alleged threats of workplace violence.
• Advise clients of requirements of state employment laws across the United States, including laws in Oklahoma, Minnesota, Colorado, Kansas, Tennessee, Ohio, Texas, North Dakota, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
• Assisted in trial representing steel fabrication company in gender discrimination and FMLA interference/retaliation case in federal court jury trial in October 2013.
• Advised Oklahoma-based employer on responding to an employer correction request notice (“no-match letter”) issued by the Social Security Administration following the company’s onboarding of a new employee. 
• Assisted agriculture industry employer in conducting an internal audit of its Form I-9 verification procedures and developing best practices for maintaining worksite compliance.
• Successfully defended Oklahoma employer in lawsuit against discrimination and public policy claims regarding the residency status of employees.

Wage & Hour Law

• Advised private liberal arts university of applicable FLSA overtime exemptions for assistant athletic coaches; retailer furniture business in proper FLSA structure of commission salesmen; major metropolitan library in exempt status of librarians; national construction company on use of fluctuating work week and Belo pay practices for laborers; and commercial yacht company on proper pay structures and employment practices of crew to comply with international treaties and FLSA requirements.
• Representation of several national oil and gas services companies in FLSA and state wage law collective action cases including issues of classification of employees as exempt or non-exempt, use of independent contractors, and issues of compensable time.
• Litigated FLSA class and collective action cases across multiple states in cases often with millions of dollars of potential liability at stake. Litigation experience includes a variety of industries, including oil and gas, healthcare, property management, tribal entities, and restaurants.
• Successfully defended restaurant group in U.S. Department of Labor investigation of hourly employee pay practices.

Complex Civil Litigation

• Obtained dismissal of state court lawsuit against a plaintiff’s former employer for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
• Obtained summary judgment in favor of homeowners in construction lien and premises liability lawsuit in Oklahoma state court.
• Successfully briefed and argued Daubert motion to exclude expert witness testimony in multi-party personal injury case.
• Assisted in trial representing international radio remote control manufacturer in Oklahoma state court in case against former vice president of accounting for breach of confidentiality agreement and winning unanimous jury verdict.
• Obtained summary judgment for foreign oil and gas services company on breach of contract case in Oklahoma state court.