Anthony J. Zaller
Overview
Anthony lives with his family in Los Angeles, and when not working with clients, he enjoys participating in triathlons, surfing, flying as a private pilot, and skiing and fishing in Montana.
Anthony has spent his career as an employment litigation attorney defending California employers. He is founding partner of the firm. Primarily focused on helping businesses and entrepreneurs navigate California’s complex employment and business laws, Anthony advises his clients through litigation, governmental agency investigations, and legal compliance issues. He has defended wage and hour class actions for claims of unpaid wages, missed breaks, unpaid overtime, unreimbursed business expenses, and Private Attorneys General Act (“PAGA”) representative actions, among other issues. Anthony has also successfully defended many single plaintiff employment cases including claims of wage and hour violations, breach of contract, wrongful termination, sexual and racial harassment, discrimination, unfair competition, and misappropriation of trade secrets and embezzlement.
Anthony has represented fortune 500 companies to start-up companies and individual executives in traversing California’s employment laws and successfully resolving litigation. Throughout his career, Anthony has represented and advised clients in various industries, including:
- Restaurants
- Technology and start-ups
- Manufacturing
- Entertainment
- Retail
- Oil and gas
- Trucking and logistics
- Aerospace and aviation
Anthony has been featured in various California and national news publications, including:
- Los Angeles Times
- National Public Radio
- Inc.
- Entrepreneur
- Silicon Valley Business Journal
- Restaurant Business News
- Nation’s Restaurant News
- KTLA 5 (featured in news story on employee’s privacy rights on social media)
- CBS Los Angeles (California Employment Law 101: What Every Small Business Owner Needs to Know)
- Daily Journal
- Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB)
Anthony also routinely speaks to California and nation-wide audiences, trade associations, incubators, investment groups, and franchise groups on topics such as:
- Class action litigation trends and strategies
- Wage/hour developments in California
- Managing conflict in the workplace
- FMLA/CFRA leaves, paid time off and other issues
- Disabilities in the workplace
Education
- J.D./M.B.A., Loyola Law School
- B.A., Loyola Marymount University (cum laude)
Admissions & Honors
- All California State, Appellate, and Supreme Courts
- U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
Press & Publications
- Quoted in, “Is a dine-in service fee a tip? Former servers allege in suit they are owed gratuities from Jon & Vinny’s,” Los Angeles Times (June 2023)
- Quoted in, “California’s Fast Act May Still Hit The Small Chains and Independents It’s Meant to Spare,” Restaurant Business (August 2022).
- Advising California Employers and Employees, Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB), Co-update author of Chapter 10 (Employee Handbooks) (2022).
- Presentation: Top 5 Employment Law Mistakes Startups Must Avoid, USC Viterbi Startup Garage (March 2022).
- Quoted in “As Congress Weighs Tort Reform, What Does COVID-19 Liability Look Like for California Businesses?” Continuing Education of the Bar (September 2020)
- Restaurant Industry Forum: Service Charge Models (California Restaurant Association, moderated panel discussion with Walter Schild (Culinary Lab), Dina Samson (Rossoblu), and Chad Mackay (Fire-Vine Hospitality, Seattle WA), February 2020)
- Friends or Foes? The Public’s Battle with Data, Privacy, and the Internet (Boston University School of Law JOSTL & PILJ Symposium, February 2020)
- Operators’ Best Practices To Recruit, Retain, and Manage A Workforce in 2019 (Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo, August 2019)
- “Five common misunderstandings about disciplining employees” Daily Journal (May 2019)
- Los Angeles Chef Conference: panel discussion on human resource issues facing restaurateurs (May 2019)
- Los Angeles County Bar Association Labor & Employment Law Symposium: An Epic Year: A Review of Recent Employment and Labor Law Cases (March 2019)
- Panel moderator: Operators’ Best Practices in Reducing Employment Law Liability in California (Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo:, August 2018)
- American Bar Association National Symposium on Technology in Labor and Employment Law: Biometrics in the Workplace: The Promise and Peril of its Collection and Use (April 2018)
- Various franchise associations in Southern California: California Employment Law Update of State and Local Issues for 2018 (December – March 2018)
- How to legally include back of house workers in a tip pool (Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo, August 2017)
Results
- Obtained complete summary judgment for national manufacturing company in federal court for claims brought by employee alleging wrongful discharge, unpaid wages, failure to provide rest periods, failure to provide payroll records, and unfair competition.
- Tried four-day arbitration for claims brought by two employees against franchisee for national restaurant chain based on California Labor Code violations. Obtained defense verdict for one plaintiff, and limited recovery to under $1,000 for the other plaintiff. At the start of the case, the team successfully compelled arbitration and dismissed class action claims, substantially reducing the potential liability of the case. After completion of arbitration, won motion to dismiss remaining Private Attorney General Act representative claims, and then successfully moved to recover costs based on win.
- Successfully brought a motion to dismiss wage and hour class action at beginning of litigation for allegations that Los Angeles based restaurant chain did not provide pay checks within time limits set by Labor Code.
- Successfully resolved sexual harassment allegations prior to litigation for Los Angeles based company after conducting investigation and obtaining witness statements.
- Defeated motion for class certification for national manufacturing client involving allegations of missed meal and rest breaks, unpaid commissions, and off-the-clock work.
- Prepared defense for exempt misclassification case for trial for national solar and wind power supplier; obtained favorable settlement two days prior to trial after court issued favorable rulings on pre-trial motions.
Anthony routinely provides risk management advice to numerous clients on difficult terminations, investigations, or resolving threatened litigation.
Anthony is on the Board of Directors for the California Restaurant Foundation, a non-profit focused on supporting high school culinary arts and scholarships, as well as providing assistance to food and beverage workers facing hardships. Anthony also sits on the Los Angeles Chapter Board of Directors of the California Restaurant Association.
