Joseph O’Keefe
Joseph C. O'Keefe is a partner in the Labor & Employment Law Department and Co-Head of the Restrictive Covenants, Trade Secrets & Unfair Competition Group.
Joe is an experienced trial lawyer who, for more than 30 years, has litigated employment disputes of all types on behalf of employers, before federal and state courts, arbitral tribunals (e.g. FINRA and AAA), and state and federal administrative agencies throughout the U.S. Joe has litigated employment-related lawsuits alleging breach of non-compete agreements, theft of trade secrets, discrimination, sexual harassment, whistleblowing, wage and hour violations, Title IX violations, breach of contract, defamation, fraud and other business related torts. Joe’s practice includes representing clients in complex class and collective litigation, including alleged violation of state and federal pay equity laws, violations of wage and hour laws and discrimination claims. Joe's experience includes appellate work in both federal and state courts.
In addition to his extensive litigation practice, Joe regularly advises employers, writes and speaks on a wide range of employment related issues. He counsels clients concerning pay equity, use of Artificial Intelligence in the workplace, management of personnel problems, ADA/FMLA compliance, reductions in force, investigation of employee complaints, state and federal leave laws, wage and hour issues, employment policies and contracts.
Joe represents employers in a variety of industries including financial services, higher education (colleges and universities), pharmaceuticals/medical devices, health care, technology, communications, fashion, consumer products, publishing, media and real estate. He frequently writes articles concerning developments in the law and speaks at seminars concerning legal developments in the labor and employment law field.
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On July 9, 2021, President Biden issued an Executive Order, in which he described the nation’s antitrust laws as the “first line of defense against the monopolization of the American economy” and encouraged the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) to “curtail the unfair use of non-compete clauses and other clauses or agreements that may unfairly limit … Continue Reading
On June 8, 2022, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed Colorado House Bill 22-1317 (the “Bill”), which was passed by the Colorado Legislature on May 10, 2022. Effective 90 days from the end of the legislative session – on August 10, 2022 – Colorado will join the ranks of Illinois, Washington, and other states that have … Continue Reading
Employers are more frequently relying on the use of Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) tools to automate employment decision-making, such as software that can review resumes and “chatbots” that interview and screen job applicants. We have previously blogged about the legal risks attendant to the use of such technologies, including here and here. On May 12, 2022, … Continue Reading
Over the past decade many employers have adopted Artificial Intelligence driven tools to automate various aspects of the workplace, including the recruiting and hiring process. These tools have come under scrutiny by federal, state and local governments based on research that has suggested the possibility of bias or discrimination arising from the widespread use of … Continue Reading
On October 28, 2021, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) Chair Charlotte A. Burrows announced that the agency is launching an initiative to ensure that artificial intelligence (“AI”) used at all stages of the employment cycle comply with federal anti-discrimination laws. The EEOC also issued a press release on that same day outlining the agency’s plans … Continue Reading
Employers have increasingly embraced artificial intelligence (“AI”) in the workplace, using the technology to maximize efficiency in nearly every aspect of the employment relationship including hiring, performance management, and discipline. The use of AI, however, comes with attendant risks. Indeed, while one might assume that AI is an ideal tool to serve as a neutral … Continue Reading
A federal judge recently held that researchers who violate a website’s terms of service by creating fake online accounts in order to study algorithmic bias in artificial intelligence software do not violate the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (“CFAA”) (decision available here). Brief Background The decision resulted from a lawsuit filed by the American Civil … Continue Reading
As previously discussed here, the use of artificial intelligence in the workplace has drawn scrutiny from regulatory bodies and activist groups who have expressed concern that such technology may not neutrally screen applicants without regard to protected characteristics. To address these concerns, the New York City Council introduced a bill (Int. 1894-2020) on February 27, … Continue Reading
A new Vermont law will require most employers to provide paid sick time to employees. Vermont is the fifth state to adopt a paid sick leave law, following Connecticut, California, Massachusetts, and Oregon. The law will be effective on January 1, 2017. Some Key Provisions of the New Law: While the law takes effect on … Continue Reading
In 2015, there were important developments in New Jersey employment law. This newsletter examines some of those developments in ten key areas— background checks, whistleblowing, paid sick leave, wage and hour, Law Against Discrimination (“LAD”) litigation, arbitration, workplace injury, “Faithless Servant” Doctrine, Family Medical Leave Act, and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of … Continue Reading
As 2015 comes to a close, paid sick leave remains a hot issue in New Jersey. The City of New Brunswick recently became the eleventh municipality in New Jersey to mandate paid sick leave, but will be the first city in the state to specify that leave may be used for purposes related to domestic … Continue Reading
Voters in Elizabeth, New Jersey overwhelmingly approved a public question on the ballot requiring private-sector employers in the city to provide paid sick leave to their employees. Elizabeth follows the lead of multiple jurisdictions (state and local) that have adopted similar measures across the country, including the following municipalities in New Jersey: Jersey City, Newark, … Continue Reading
Yesterday, Montana became the twentieth state to enact a law protecting employees from employer interference with personal social media accounts. The law, which takes effect immediately, prohibits employers from requiring or requesting that a current or prospective employee: disclose a username or password to his or her personal social media account; access a personal social … Continue Reading
Controversy continues to stir over the growing number of municipal sick leave laws in the State of New Jersey. To date, nine such localities—Bloomfield, East Orange, Irvington, Jersey City, Montclair, Newark, Passaic, Paterson and Trenton— have required employers to provide paid sick leave to their employees. No other state in the nation has anywhere near … Continue Reading
Professional motor carriers generally are exempt from overtime payment under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). The Third Circuit recently held, however, in McMaster v. Eastern Armored Services, Inc., No. 14-1010 (3d Cir. Mar. 11, 2015), that this exemption did not apply to the plaintiff, a motor carrier employee of the defendant who drove vehicles … Continue Reading
This week Bloomfield became the ninth locality in the State of New Jersey to require employers to provide sick leave to their employees, joining Jersey City, Newark, Passaic, East Orange, Paterson, Irvington, Trenton, and Montclair. Bloomfield’s new law is quite similar to the other sick leave laws in New Jersey. Employers in the city with … Continue Reading
New Jersey’s so-called “ban the box” law took effect on March 1, preventing most employers in the State from asking about a prospective employee’s criminal history on the initial job application and until after the first interview of the candidate has taken place. For more on the new law, please review our prior client alert. … Continue Reading
Last week, in Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) v. Allstate Insurance Co., No. 2-01-cv-07402 (3d Cir. Feb. 13, 2015), the Third Circuit affirmed that the defendant did not violate federal anti-retaliation laws by offering thousands of terminated at-will employees the opportunity to continue working as independent contractors in exchange for signing a release. By way … Continue Reading
Last week, in Aguas v. New Jersey, No. A-35-13 (Feb. 11, 2015), New Jersey’s high court for the first time embraced the federal Faragher-Ellerth defense for claims alleging vicarious liability for supervisory sexual harassment under New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination (“LAD”). Under the Faragher-Ellerth analysis—which the U.S. Supreme Court crafted almost two decades ago—an employer may … Continue Reading
In Kaye v. Rosefielde, a case alleging fraud and malpractice against a former general counsel, the New Jersey Supreme Court recently heard oral arguments on whether the Appellate Division erred in affirming that economic damages are a necessary prerequisite for disgorgement of the general counsel’s salary. The appellants have argued to the contrary that disgorgement … Continue Reading
The New Jersey Supreme Court has agreed to address whether a trial court erred in denying remittitur on a whopping $1.4 million award for emotional distress damages in a racial discrimination suit brought under the Law Against Discrimination. The defendants had argued before the trial court and the appellate division that the award “shocks the … Continue Reading
Existing Michigan law has served to prevent private employers from considering criminal records “set aside” by law (more commonly known as expungement) in hiring and personnel decisions. An amendment to that law, which took effect on January 12, expands the circumstances under which ex-offenders may seek to set aside their criminal records and, thus, may further … Continue Reading
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has approved a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) rule requiring member firms to strengthen their background investigation of applicants seeking registration. We have detailed the requirements of the FINRA rule in our previous blog post. The SEC has “accelerated approval” of the rule, though the agency still will accept … Continue Reading
2014 was another busy year for developments in New Jersey employment law, including in ten key areas—whistleblowing, pre-employment inquiries/background checks, amendments to the Law Against Discrimination (“LAD”), LAD litigation, wage and hour, the Family Medical Leave Act, sick leave, states of emergency, arbitration, and “unemployment discrimination.” Read our Top 10 newsletter to learn more about … Continue Reading
FTC Enforcement Action Limits Noncompetition Agreements in “Sale of Business” Transactions
In Colorado, “Low Wage” Now Means Six-Figures For Non-Competes
EEOC and the DOJ Issue Guidance for Employers Using AI Tools to Assess Job Applicants and Employees
By Joseph O’Keefe, Edward Young and Dixie Morrison on Posted in Artificial Intelligence, Hiring/Background Checks
New York City Enacts Law to Regulate Use of Automated Hiring Tools
EEOC Prepares to Tackle Artificial Intelligence and Algorithmic Bias
By Joseph O’Keefe, Edward Young and Tony S. Martinez on Posted in Artificial Intelligence, Workplace Policies and Procedures
Guidance: The Intersection of Artificial Intelligence and Employment Law
By Joseph O’Keefe, Edward Young and Tony S. Martinez on Posted in Artificial Intelligence, Workplace Policies and Procedures
Creation of Fake Online Accounts to Study Algorithmic Bias Does Not Violate the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, D.C. Court Rules
By Danielle J. Moss, Joseph O’Keefe and Tony S. Martinez on Posted in Artificial Intelligence, Workplace Policies and Procedures
Mandatory “Bias Audits” and Special Notices to Job Candidates: New York City Aims to Regulate the Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace
By Danielle J. Moss, Joseph O’Keefe and Tony S. Martinez on Posted in Artificial Intelligence, Workplace Policies and Procedures
Vermont Becomes the Fifth State with a Paid Sick Leave Law
By Allison Martin and Joseph O’Keefe on Posted in Leaves of Absences, Workplace Policies and Procedures
2015 Year in Review—the Top 10 Trends in New Jersey Employment Law
By Catherine Pontoriero, Joseph O’Keefe and Esther Pak on Posted in Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation, Hiring/Background Checks, Litigation and Arbitration, Wage and Hour, Whistleblower
New Brunswick Passes Local Sick Leave Ordinance, While New Jersey Legislature Considers Statewide Paid Leave Bills
By Allison Martin and Joseph O’Keefe on Posted in Leaves of Absences
Elizabeth Poised to Become the Tenth Municipality in New Jersey to Mandate Paid Sick Leave
By Allison Martin and Joseph O’Keefe on Posted in Litigation and Arbitration, Workplace Policies and Procedures
New Montana Law Protects Employee Social Media Accounts
By Daniel Saperstein, Joseph O’Keefe and Kelly Anne Targett on Posted in Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation, Hiring/Background Checks, Workplace Policies and Procedures
NJ Businesses and Lawmakers Continue Debate over Municipal Sick Leave Laws
By Daniel Saperstein, Joseph O’Keefe and Kelly Anne Targett on Posted in Leaves of Absences, Litigation and Arbitration, Workplace Policies and Procedures
Third Circuit Says Trucker Entitled to Overtime
By Daniel Saperstein and Joseph O’Keefe on Posted in Wage and Hour, Workplace Policies and Procedures
Sick Leave Trend Continues in New Jersey, Constitutional Challenge Begins
By Daniel Saperstein and Joseph O’Keefe on Posted in Leaves of Absences, Workplace Policies and Procedures
NJ “Ban the Box” Law Takes Effect, “Draft Rule” Proposed
By Daniel Saperstein and Joseph O’Keefe on Posted in Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation, Hiring/Background Checks, Workplace Policies and Procedures
Third Circuit Nixes EEOC Retaliation Suit
By Daniel Saperstein, Joseph O’Keefe and Matthew Engel on Posted in Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation, Independent Contractor, Litigation and Arbitration, Workplace Policies and Procedures
N.J. High Court Adopts Faragher-Ellerth Defense for LAD Sexual Harassment Claims
By Daniel Saperstein, Joseph O’Keefe and Nicholas M. Tamburri on Posted in Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation, Litigation and Arbitration, Workplace Policies and Procedures
NJ Supreme Court Hears Argument on Whether Disgorgement of Employee’s Salary Requires Economic Damages
By Daniel Saperstein, Ian Plummer and Joseph O’Keefe on Posted in Litigation and Arbitration, Wage and Hour
NJ Supreme Court Considers Remittitur of Emotional Distress Award in Race Discrimination Case
By Daniel Saperstein, Ian Plummer and Joseph O’Keefe on Posted in Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation, Litigation and Arbitration
New Michigan Law Expands the Types of Criminal Records Applicants & Employees Can Refuse to Disclose to Employers
By Daniel Saperstein and Joseph O’Keefe on Posted in Hiring/Background Checks, Workplace Policies and Procedures
SEC Approves FINRA Rule Strengthening Background Checks
By Daniel Saperstein and Joseph O’Keefe on Posted in Hiring/Background Checks
The Top 10 Trends in New Jersey Employment Law in 2014
By John Barry, Joseph O’Keefe, Matthew Engel and Daniel Saperstein on Posted in Accessibility & Accommodation, Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation, Hiring/Background Checks, Leaves of Absences, Litigation and Arbitration, Performance Management, Discipline & Termination, Wage and Hour, Workplace Policies and Procedures
