John Wester
John has more than 30 years of experience prosecuting and defending class actions in federal and state courts on matters including federal securities, ERISA, RICO, breach of contract, employment practices, unfair trade practices and taxation. John’s clients benefit from his experience as lead counsel through the trial and appeal of class action cases across diverse subject areas, including:
• Represented a multistate textile firm in trial and three Fourth Circuit arguments over federal securities and ERISA claims by a class of the company’s salaried employees. Elmore v. Cone Mills Corp. (D.S.C.; 4th Cir.).
• Represented Gov. James G. Martin and his cabinet secretaries in a suit by former state managerial employees claiming unconstitutional employment actions by the governor and cabinet officers. Stott v. Haworth (E.D.N.C.; 4th Cir.).
• Represented a NYSE retailer in a national class action brought by thousands of individual store managers, including multiple interlocutory appeals to the Fourth Circuit and a petition for certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court. Scott v. Family Dollar Stores, Inc. (W.D.N.C.; 4th Cir.).
• Represented class plaintiffs to secure disability benefits denied by rulings of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The final decision restored benefits to the plaintiff class comprising of approximately 75,000 disabled North Carolinians, who recovered benefits the trial court estimated at $470 million per year. Hyatt v. Shalala (W.D.N.C.; 4th Cir.; U.S. Sup. Ct.).
• Represented a multistate textile firm in trial and three Fourth Circuit arguments over federal securities and ERISA claims by a class of the company’s salaried employees. Elmore v. Cone Mills Corp. (D.S.C.; 4th Cir.).
• Represented Gov. James G. Martin and his cabinet secretaries in a suit by former state managerial employees claiming unconstitutional employment actions by the governor and cabinet officers. Stott v. Haworth (E.D.N.C.; 4th Cir.).
• Represented a NYSE retailer in a national class action brought by thousands of individual store managers, including multiple interlocutory appeals to the Fourth Circuit and a petition for certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court. Scott v. Family Dollar Stores, Inc. (W.D.N.C.; 4th Cir.).
• Represented class plaintiffs to secure disability benefits denied by rulings of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The final decision restored benefits to the plaintiff class comprising of approximately 75,000 disabled North Carolinians, who recovered benefits the trial court estimated at $470 million per year. Hyatt v. Shalala (W.D.N.C.; 4th Cir.; U.S. Sup. Ct.).