Biography: |
Dennis Johnson is Secretary/Treasurer of the Firm, and a partner in the Firm’s Litigation Practice Group. His practice covers complex civil litigation in federal and state trial and appellate courts as well as administrative agencies. His trial, arbitration and mediation experience in more than twenty-five years of private practice has focused on employment, labor and trade secret, commercial and business tort matters and also includes securities, RICO, ERISA, antitrust, products liability and wrongful death cases. He has handled cases ranging from single plaintiff claims to national class actions and multidistrict litigation.
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Experience: |
• Defended clients including a producer and distributor of electricity, universities, an actuarial and consulting firm, manufacturers and marketers of pharmaceuticals, paper, packaging and forest products and consumer products, financial holding companies, and a commercial editing/post production house in employment discrimination claims alleging race, age, gender, pregnancy, reduction in force, national origin and Section 1983 claims.
• Won summary judgment for nuclear reactor operator against employee's age discrimination and retaliation claims.
• Won partial summary judgment for pharmaceutical manufacturer and managers against ADA mental disability and FMLA claims.
• Successfully defended employers who terminated employees for making threats of violence in the workplace.
• Defended consumer fraud class action, commercial contract and products liability claims against packaging manufacturer.
• Defended retaliatory discharge claims against electric utility brought by employee who alleged Sarbanes Oxley whistleblower claims.
• Represented component furniture manufacturer in private commercial arbitration of claims against selling shareholders for fraud and breach of warranties in stock purchase agreement and defended claims for breach of employment contracts by executives of acquired company.
• Successfully enforced indemnification provision of supplier agreement in multi-fatality wrongful death claims that resulted in multi-million dollar settlements paid by co-defendants.
• Won and successfully preserved multiple summary judgment rulings on appeal on behalf of furniture component manufacturer in age/reduction in force cases by extending “same decisionmaker” doctrine in the Seventh Circuit.
• Successfully limited damages of “no hiring” sex discrimination claim to 10% of amount claimed by EEOC through trial and appeal until settlement.
• Represented a packaging products manufacturer in national class action ERISA and RICO litigation involving employees at more than 50 plants. The employees claimed they were prematurely and permanently laid off to avoid pension vesting. After a partial liability trial, a Special Master conducted damages proceedings.
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Education: |
University of Chicago Law School, J.D., 1979
Georgetown University Law Center, Dean’s List, 1976-1977
Albright College, A.B., magna cum laude ,1976
Prior Experience:
Bell, Boyd & Lloyd, Chicago, IL (Associate, 1979-1987) (Equity Partner, 1987-1992)
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Admissions: |
Illinois
U.S. Court of Appeals, First, Third, Fifth, Seventh, and Ninth Circuits
U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois including the Trial Bar
U.S. District Court, Central and Southern District of Illinois
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Memberships: |
American Bar Association (Litigation, Labor and Employment Sections)
Chicago Bar Association
Illinois Bar Association
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Publications: |
“High Court Issues Major Ruling in Age Discrimination Case,” Chicago Lawyer, August 2000 Speaker, Chicago Bar Association CLE on Class Actions in Employment Cases
Speaker, Chicago Bar Association Labor and Employment Committee meetings, on burden of proof issues in employment discrimination cases and mental disabilities under the ADA
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Category: Partner
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© 2009 Pugh, Jones, Johnson & Quandt, P.C.
