John T. Kennedy

John Kennedy specializes in complex business litigation with an emphasis in employment law. He also specializes in administrative law representing individuals and entities before quasi-judicial administrative tribunals, e.g., the State Personnel Board, the Office of Administrative Hearings and the Department of Personnel Administration. Mr. Kennedy represents public and private entities in state and federal courts, administrative tribunals, and through alternative dispute resolution mechanisms such as binding arbitration and mediation.

In addition to his litigation experience, Mr. Kennedy counsels and advises both public and private employers regarding a broad array of matters including public disclosure of information, the Brown Act, and employment matters. Among others, Mr. Kennedy provides these services to the California Office of the Legislative Counsel, the California Assembly Rules Committee, and the Sacramento County Employees' Retirement System.  Employment advice and consultation is given in areas including personnel policies and procedures, discipline and termination, the Americans with Disabilities Act and California's counterpart, wage and hour issues, leave issues, privacy issues, trade secret protection, discrimination, harassment and retaliation, and workplace violence issues.

Mr. Kennedy also provides sexual harassment prevention and other training seminars to employers, their supervisors, and staff. He is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell.

Representative Work

• Sonoma County Employees' Retirement Assn. v. Superior Court.  Defended against Public Records Act request seeking individual names and pensions paid to retirees.
• Sacramento County Employees Retirement System v. Superior Court.  Defended against Public Records Act request seeking individual names and pensions paid to retirees.
• The Sacramento Bee v. California Public Employees' Retirement System.  Defended against Public Records Act Request seeking details of alternative investments.
• Employment Matter.  Represented Fire Protection District investigating employee misuse of computer and successfully defended District's termination of employee for viewing salacious images on District computers.
• Disability Retirement Matters.  Represented Sacramento County Employee's Retirement System on several administrative hearings before the Office of Administrative Hearings in which retirees seek enhanced disability retirement and/or service-connected disability retirement benefits.
• Rewards Network, Inc. v. Borge, et al.  Defense of new employer in lawsuit brought by former employer alleging former employee violated the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, misappropriated trade secrets, breached his contract, and unlawfully interfered with his former employer's business relations.
• Teachers' Retirement Bd. V. Genest.  Defended state's effort to attempt to reduce state payment to public retirement fund.
• Moore v. State of California.  Represented defendant employer in discrimination, harassment and retaliation lawsuit by former employee.
• Lais, et al. v. The Permanente Medical Group, Inc., et al.  Represented defendants sued by shareholder for, among other things, breach of contract, age discrimination, denial of due process and wrongful termination.
• Crandall v. Esten, et al.  Defeated plaintiff's defamation, violations of the Public Safety Officers' Procedural Bill of Rights, invasion of privacy and deprivation of due process claims against state employer and individual defendants by summary judgment.
• McCullough v. California Department of Corrections.  Plaintiff held a high ranking career executive assignment in this state agency. When the assignment was withdrawn due to a lack of competence, plaintiff sued for disability, religious and sex discrimination in the form of retaliation, emotional distress, and wrongful termination. This lawsuit was defeated by summary judgment.