Employment & Civil Rights
Employment Law
Ever changing federal and state laws have made the area of employment law exceedingly complex. Whether you are faced with decisions concerning the hiring or termination of an employee, or simply day-to-day employment issues, the attorneys at Spesia & Taylor are here to help. For many years, we have worked with both large and small businesses as well as individuals to assert and protect their respective rights in employment related matters.
We work with local and national companies to create employee and policy handbooks to insure that employers are meeting the requirements of Illinois and federal laws. We prepare employment agreements, including restrictive covenants. We also counsel clients in connection with potential employment problems, from FMLA issues to disciplinary matters, to avoid costly litigation. However, when litigation becomes unavoidable, our attorneys have a proven and successful track record in the courtroom. We handle all types of employment cases, whether brought under Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Illinois Human Rights Act, or any other discrimination statute.
In addition to representing clients in state and federal court, we routinely appear before administrative agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Illinois Department of Human Rights, Illinois Department of Labor, and OSHA.
Civil Rights
The Law Firm of Spesia & Taylor has successfully defended constitutional and Civil Rights claims ranging from excessive force, false arrest/imprisonment, illegal search and seizure, malicious prosecution to First Amendment and due process violations.
From pro se claims made by prisoners to high profile claims of racial discrimination and excessive force, the trial attorneys at Spesia & Taylor have the experience to handle all types of Civil Rights cases. Our trial attorneys have obtained numerous judgments for clients in both federal and state trial courts, including claims where provisions of the Tort Immunity Act were successfully argued to limit and/or completely bar claims.
The following are just a few highlights of the Firm’s results:
Attorneys Jeffrey S. Taylor and Michael R. Stiff successfully defended the Kankakee School District 111 in six consolidated cases filed in United States District Court. The cases involved allegations that a school resource officer (employed by the City of Kankakee) used his taser on African American students. These allegations were well publicized in the local paper as well as by the Chicago television news. Mr. Taylor and Mr. Stiff, through extensive discovery, were able to put the case into a summary judgment position, demonstrating a lack of damages or other harm, as well as a lack of knowledge and intent on behalf of the school district personnel. This enabled the parties to settle the cases on an equitable basis without the need for six separate trials.
Mr. Taylor and Mr. Stiff obtained summary judgment in favor of a public school district alleged to have violated an applicant’s due process and First Amendment rights in its failure to hire him for a school management position.
Mr. Stiff obtained summary judgment in favor of a police department and individual officer for alleged discrimination in administering the Illinois Sex Offender Registration Act.
Mr. Taylor and Mr. Stiff have represented municipal police departments and individual officers in excessive force cases in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Some of these cases involved multiple officers with multiple defense attorneys. The attorneys at Spesia & Taylor have worked together with other defendants’ counsel to obtain favorable results for the client(s), including the Monell claims brought against the departments themselves.
Attorney Jeffrey S. Taylor won summary judgment on a case of employment discrimination brought by a woman against a private, religious school.
