In 2014, FAB Attorney Lawrence G. Albrecht attended the International Association of Lawyers Congress in Florence, Italy. In 2012, he was a participating delegate at the human rights sessions of the International Association of Lawyers Congress held in Dresden, Germany.
In February 2015, FAB Attorney Thomas C. Lenz spoke regarding arrest and conviction record discrimination in employment at an event sponsored by Nehemiah Community Services, Inc. Members of the general public attended the presentation.
FAB Attorney Thomas C. Lenz won a conviction record discrimination case in front of the Equal Rights Division (ERD) for a client who was terminated from employment because of his conviction record. The Administrative Law Judge ordered the employer to re-hire the client and was ordered to pay over $160,000 in back pay, back benefits, attorney’s fees, and interest.
FAB Attorney Robert H. Blondis recovered in excess of $200,000 for an elderly worker at a restaurant who suffered a foot injury when a piece of metal fell off of a walk-in cooler and struck her. The restaurant insurance company refused to make any payments until FAB became involved. Part of the award to the client was a penalty against the insurance company for “bad faith.”
A jury awarded past and future medical bills and past and future pain and suffering to a client represented by FAB Attorney James P. End. The judgment totaled more than three times the amount that the insurance company had offered to settle the case before trial.
FAB Attorney James P. End settled a claim against a Wisconsin municipality for a police officer’s unlawful search and seizure and an unlawful arrest while using excessive force. The Fourth Amendment prohibits police officers from entering a home without a warrant, absent narrow exceptions. Police officers also must not use excessive force when seizing or arresting an individual. The case was resolved without litigation for $130,000 as a result of successful settlement negotiations.
Lawrence G. Albrecht published a memorial article honoring his close friend and academic colleague, Professor Paul Brietzke, in 48 Valparaiso University Law Review, 951 (2014).
Lawrence G. Albrecht spoke at Valparaiso University Brauer Art Museum’s 2014 dedication of an icon based on a photograph of Orthodox Coptic priests in Ethiopia taken by law professor Paul Brietzke who wrote extensively on African economic development and human rights. The icon was created by Attorney Albrecht’s close friend Rev. Dennis Jacobsen, former pastor of Incarnation Lutheran Church in Milwaukee.
Lawrence G. Albrecht was a contributing author on 2013 international human rights developments published in 48 The International Lawyer 453 (2014).
FAB Attorney James P. End, with David C. Bangert as co-counsel, settled a personal injury case for $2.5 million dollars in January 2014.
FAB Attorney Robert H. Blondis, with James Galanis as co-counsel, settled a worker’s compensation claim for $250,000, in addition to all of the injury-related medical expenses, in January 2014. Robert Blondis has successfully represented a significant number of workers who have suffered both physical and emotional injuries in the workplace.
FAB Attorney Robert H. Blondis recovered compensation from the Wisconsin Work Injury Supplemental Benefit Fund for an worker who suffered a knee injury more than twelve years ago. The Wisconsin Work Injury Supplemental Benefit Fund is a state fund that pays worker’s compensation benefits to individuals or dependents under certain limited circumstances, including when certain meritorious claims are barred by the statute of limitations.
FAB Attorneys Lawrence G. Albrecht and Thomas C. Lenz reached a significant settlement of a custodial medical care claim.
James P. End resolved a worker’s compensation shoulder injury case for $125,000 in April 2014.
In October 2013, Lawrence G. Albrecht participated in the ABA Conference on “Current Legal Issues in Scotland” in Edinburgh which focused on Scottish constitutional independence and other legal issues, attended a human rights lecture on “Human Rights: Problem or Solution” in Cambridge, England, and also attended the ABA Section of International Law Conference in London.
In June 2013, FAB attorney Thomas C. Lenz presented a seminar entitled An Overview of Arrest and Conviction Record Discrimination in Wisconsin. The seminar was presented in Oshkosh to the Wisconsin Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
In April 2013, FAB attorney Lawrence G. Albrecht participated at the ABA Section of International Law conference held in Washington, D.C.
On February 13, 2013, FAB Attorney Thomas C. Lenz won a conviction record discrimination case before the Wisconsin Equal Rights Division. As a result, FAB’s client was awarded back pay, interest, attorney’s fees, case costs, and injunctive relief. The award totaled over $75,000. Subject to some exceptions, Wisconsin law prohibits arrest and conviction record employment discrimination. Information about the Wisconsin Fair Employment Act is found on the Department of Workforce Development website. Arrest and conviction record discrimination may also violate federal law prohibiting race and national origin employment discrimination, as discussed here by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
In 2012, FAB Attorneys Lawrence G. Albrecht, James P. End, and Thomas C. Lenz settled multiple sexual assault civil rights claims against State of Wisconsin correctional officials totalling almost $1 million dollars. Some of these claims were resolved without litigation as a result of successful negotiations with the Department of Justice.