Defending Employers in EEOC, Wage-Hour, and Fair Housing Matters

Monica is an associate in the Labor and Employment section, where she advises and represents employers across a wide range of workplace matters. Her practice includes counseling on equal employment opportunity and civil rights issues, employment and non-competition agreements, trade secrets, and wage and hour compliance.

As businesses expand their operations across jurisdictions, Monica helps clients navigate the complexities of rapidly evolving state and local employment laws. She regularly updates employee handbooks, policies, and procedures to ensure compliance and mitigate risk. In addition, she provides strategic, litigation-avoidance guidance on implementing these laws in day-to-day operations—including conducting workplace investigations, handling requests for disability accommodations or leave, and managing complex employment decisions.

Monica also has significant experience representing real estate developers, property owners, and management companies in nationwide Fair Housing matters.

Notable Work & Achievements

Multi-jurisdiction compliance and policy development

As clients scale across jurisdictions, Monica guides employers through rapidly changing state and local employment laws. She regularly revises and implements employee handbooks, policies, and procedures to align with Title VII, the ADA, the ADEA, the FMLA, and the FLSA, helping leadership mitigate risk, maintain consistent practices, and reduce the likelihood of litigation.

Defense of discrimination charges

Monica defends employers before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and parallel state and local agencies. She crafts persuasive position statements, manages investigations, and negotiates practical resolutions that minimize operational disruption while protecting the company’s brand and workforce relations.

Title VII jury verdict for employer

Serving as second-chair trial counsel, Monica helped secure a defense verdict after a three-day jury trial in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in Norfolk in a Title VII sexual-harassment case. She handled witness preparation, trial briefing, and real-time strategy to support the successful outcome.

Collective action defense under the FLSA

Monica effectively represented a municipality in an FLSA collective action involving hundreds of employees. She focused on certification issues, narrowed claims through strategic motion practice, and collaborated with the client on practical approaches to manage scope, damages exposure, and settlement posture.

Fair Housing enforcement matters

She represents developers, owners, and property management companies responding to Fair Housing Act allegations before federal, state, and local authorities, including investigative agencies such as HUD and their state counterparts. Her work coordinates fact development and compliance enhancements that reduce exposure and protect portfolio value.

Early case resolutions through motion practice

Drawing on significant dispositive-motion experience, Monica prepares motions seeking pretrial dismissal and judgment as a matter of law. She has obtained favorable outcomes in numerous dispositive hearings and small-claims trials in state and federal court, advancing efficient resolutions that align with business objectives.