Litigation Advocacy for Two Trafficking Victims from Thailand

April.01.2012

An advocacy team is representing two clients, originally from Thailand, who were trafficked to the United States to work in restaurants. They were not paid for work and forced to work incredibly long hours under deplorable conditions. These two clients were granted T-Visas, which grants them lawful immigration status and ultimately a path to citizenship as a result of proving their status as trafficking victims. Unfortunately, and ironically, they are now being sued by their traffickers in state court for defamation, invasion of privacy, and breach of contract. The claims filed against our clients lack merit. In addition, our team will file cross-claims and may bring a separate action in federal court to recover under the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act, wage and hour laws and related claims. The matter is being co-counseled with the Katharine & George Alexander Community Law Center at Santa Clara University. The team consists of Sacramento employment counsel Trish Higgins, Sacramento litigation associate Cammy Desmond, San Francisco litigation associate Roland Chang and Silicon Valley employment law partner Lynne Hermle.

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Lynne Hermle Partner, Employment Law & Litigation, Wage and Hour

Silicon Valley

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D:+1 650 614 7422
E: lchermle@orrick.com

Practice:

Technology & Innovation Sector
Employment Law & Litigation
Wage and Hour
Pay Equity

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Lynne Hermle Partner

Silicon Valley

Lynne led the trial team that obtained a complete defense verdict for Kleiner Perkins in Pao v. Kleiner Perkins, the high-stakes gender discrimination and retaliation case that garnered intense international media scrutiny. In naming Lynne “Litigator of the Week” for this victory, American Lawyer described her effective voir dire and how she “steadily poked holes in Pao’s testimony.” The Recorder called Lynne’s cross-examination “masterful” and Bloomberg reported that her “charismatic, intimidating oratory made her the trial’s breakout star.”

Following Pao, Lynne secured a complete defense verdict for SpaceX in an $8 million gender discrimination and retaliation suit. The Daily Journal called the outcome “another triumph for Hermle,” observing that her “string of successes for tech clients fighting off gender harassment and discrimination claims got longer.” The publication also pronounced Lynne to be “arguably the most feared employment defense attorney in California.” Eight months later she followed that up with another jury defense verdict for SpaceX in a wrongful discharge and retaliation case.

Lynne has significant experience successfully defending complex discrimination and wage-and-hour class actions for global leaders in the retail and technology sectors including Microsoft, X (formerly Twitter), The Gap, Genentech, Sears, Burlington Coat Factory, Gymboree, Spencer’s Gifts, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Williams Sonoma and Pottery Barn Kids, among many others.

In recognition of these successes and her high-profile career trial work, Lynne was inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers in 2017. She is a fellow in the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and many other trial related organizations.