Louise Ann "Luzann" Fernandez

Client Alert: Increase in Salary Threshold for Administrative Exemption for Employees Working in New York City

Starting on January 1, 2025, the minimum salary for New York City employees to meet the salary  threshold for the administrative exemption is $1,237.50 per week or $64,350 per year.  

Bartko LLP Attorneys Recognized as Best Lawyers® Award Recipients

We’re proud to announce that four Bartko, LLP attorneys have been named in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. Best Lawyers is the oldest and most respected lawyer ranking service, using a peer-review process to ensure credibility and trust. Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence.

Labor and Employment Law Updates 2025

As with most legislative years, 2024 was a busy year for California employment law developments.  Several important new laws and regulations were enacted that will affect the operations of California employers of all sizes for years to come.  We have summarized in a client alert some of the more significant laws and regulations that may impact employers’ operations. The full client alert can be found here.

Bartko Ranked by Best Law Firms® in 2024

Bartko LLP has been recognized in the 2024 edition of Best Law Firms®, ranked by Best Lawyers®, nationally in one practice area and regionally in eight practice areas.

Five Bartko Lawyers Recognized as 2024 Best Lawyers® Award Recipients

Bartko LLP is pleased to announce that five lawyers have been included in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence.

Five Bartko Lawyers Named to 2023 Best Lawyers® List

Bartko is pleased to announce that five lawyers have been included in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®.  Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence.

Bartko Secures Major Victory In Kalamas v. John Muir Health

Luzann Fernandez, Patrick Ryan, Chad DeVeaux, Kerry Duffy, and Lisa Ferguson secured a major victory in Kalamas v. John Muir Health. The Bartko team filed an anti-SLAPP motion seeking to strike substantial portions of the plaintiff-doctor’s 800-plus-page Complaint against our clients John Muir Health and Calvin Knight, and two other defendants.  The Complaint seeks significant damages for employment retaliation, infliction of emotional distress, and breach of contract.  In support of these claims, the Complaint targeted statements made during medical peer-review proceedings and academic critiques of medical protocols and scientific theories proposed by the plaintiff.  Finding that these allegations targeted core speech and petition activities protected by the First Amendment, the California Constitution, and Civil Code § 47(b)’s litigation privilege, the Court granted Bartko’s motion, striking the plaintiff’s emotional distress and contract claims in their entirety, dramatically limiting the scope of her retaliation claims, and dismissing all the claims against the three remaining defendants.  Please see the attached November 9, 2022 Order here. This sets up a motion for attorneys’ fees against a wealthy individual. This victory comes on the heals of a win in the Peterson v. Sutter Med. Found., No. 3:21-cv-04908-WHO, 2022 WL 2869531 (N.D. Cal. July 20, 2022)—an important anti-SLAPP decision decided last July in a case handled by Michael Abraham, Steve Steinberg, and Chad DeVeaux, leveraging Chad’s and Patrick’s prior anti-SLAPP work in numerous other cases.  Patrick and Chad are leading practitioners in anti-SLAPP jurisprudence, having collectively prevailed in over 25 such motions across their career and working on some of the most important cases, including at the California Supreme Court level.  In fact, this recent victory marked a “hat trick” for Bartko, as this was the third anti-SLAPP victory of the year.

Multi-State Wage Transparency Laws Relating to Job Postings

Currently, Colorado is the only state that requires an employer who employs at least one employee in Colorado and posts an electronic job advertisement in Colorado (remote or otherwise) to also post a hyperlink on the advertisement that clearly provides (1) the hourly rate or salary, (2) general description of bonuses or other compensation, and (3) general description of benefits.

Bartko Law Firm Expands Into SoCal With Preeminent Labor & Employment Group

San Francisco, January 15, 2020. Bartko Bunzel & Miller is pleased to welcome a top-tier Northern and Southern California labor and employment practice with co-chairs Louise Ann Fernandez and An Nguyen Ruda joining the firm. Their clients following them to the Bartko firm include healthcare providers and media companies.  Ms. Fernandez, Ms. Ruda and their group, including associate Elina Tilman, will complement and bolster Bartko’s complex litigation and real estate practices by providing additional vital services for corporate clients.

Employers’ Responsibilities under the New York State Paid Family Leave Benefits Law