Mitch is a member of the firm’s Policy Committee. He has extensive experience in employment law and in intellectual property litigation and complex commercial litigation.
His work has focused on litigation in the areas of trade secrets, complex commercial litigation, employee mobility, wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, contracts, defamation, wage and hour, and unfair competition. As part of his counseling practice, Mitch has performed management training for employers and rendered employment advice on employment-related issues, including those associated with hiring employees, terminating employees, workplace investigations, discrimination, protection of trade secrets, leaves of absence, reductions-in-force, and compliance with wage and hour laws, among others.
He has represented employers before numerous state and federal agencies including the Equal Employment and Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), the California Labor Commissioner, and the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Mitch is a frequent speaker on various employment-related topics and has appeared as a guest instructor for the San Diego State University Human Resources Certificate Program. He has also served as the author of News From National, the Labor and Employment Law quarterly newsletter for the NHRA.
Immediately prior to joining Mintz Levin, Mitch was a partner in the San Diego office of a prominent national litigation firm. From 1982 to 1985, Mitch was a drill sergeant and combat conditioning and hand-to-hand combat instructor with the Israeli Defense Forces. Between 1989 and 1992, he was a police officer with the New York City Police Department. Mitch served as a patrol officer and in the NYPD’s “Pressure Point” narcotics task force.
The Daily Journal described him as one of the select few “California lawyers that companies turn to first.”
Representative Matters
- Obtained summary judgment in a case where the plaintiff, the former CEO and president of a publicly traded gaming company, was seeking over $10 million in damages for fraud, breach of contract, retaliation, and interference with prospective economic advantage in connection with the termination of his employment.
- Obtained summary judgment in an employment action brought by a former high-level group director for a company who was seeking over $3 million in damages and had alleged breach of contract, wrongful termination, fraud, and negligent misrepresentation.
- Obtained verdict in favor of an insured/employer in an arbitration seeking recovery of attorneys’ fees and costs incurred by the employer in defending complaint brought by the employer’s former president. The insurer refused to fully indemnify the employer for its attorneys’ fees and asserted it was entitled to offset for amount recovered by the employer on its cross-complaint in the underlying action. The arbitrator found in favor of the employer and ordered the insurer to reimburse the employer for 100% of its attorneys’ fees and costs.
- Obtained a favorable settlement of all claims — including fraud, breach of contract, and breach of fiduciary duty — brought by a co-founder and former member providing services to the company who claimed, among other things, that he was removed “without cause” under the company’s Operating Agreement. The settlement followed the arbitrator’s granting, after a one-day hearing, the company and managers’ motion for severe evidence, issue, and monetary sanctions.
- Obtained summary adjudication of a former management-level employee’s claims for hostile work environment, harassment, and constructive termination.
- Obtained verdict in favor of the employer on a motion for summary adjudication filed by a former executive who was seeking an order that the executive’s noncompete agreement with the employer was void as a matter of law.
- Obtained an arbitration verdict in favor of a minority shareholder. After a two-week arbitration, the majority shareholder was ordered to buy out the minority shareholder for the maximum amount allowed by the shareholder agreement and to pay all of the minority shareholder’s attorney fees.
- In a trade secrets case, obtained a preliminary injunction that enjoined a group of former employees from calling on or selling to any of their former customers in Northern California for one year from the date of the employees’ resignations.
- Obtained verdicts in favor of a large wireless retailer in a series of wage and hour hearings brought before the California Department of Labor by former employees who alleged that the company improperly adjusted or reduced their previously earned commissions and bonuses.
- Obtained judgment against former employee of a health care industry client for anonymous defamatory postings on a Yahoo® finance message board.
- Representation of a cigar manufacturer and national wholesaler in a series of investigations by the Department of Justice regarding discriminatory hiring practices based on national origin, which led to a no cause finding by the DOJ.
- Conducted dozens of internal investigations regarding allegations of harassment, discrimination, and other workplace misconduct.
- Representation of over two dozen companies in substantial reductions-in-force.
- Obtained summary judgment in a premises liability and negligence action where a semi-pro hockey player had filed suit against the rink and league organizer for injuries sustained during a hockey game.
- Representation of a large national retail chain in a series of investigations by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission into allegations of discriminatory hiring practices.
- Representation of a large wireless retailer accused of age and disability discrimination in an investigation by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, which led to a no-cause finding by the DFEH.
Recognitions & Awards
- Police Commissioner’s Award, New York City Police Department
- San Diego Super Lawyers: Intellectual Property Litigation (2007 – 2009, 2011 – 2013)
- Super Lawyers Corporate Counsel Edition: Top Attorneys in California for Corporate IP Litigation
- Daily Journal: Top 60 Labor and Employment Lawyers in California (2010)
Professional & Community Involvement
- Past vice president, Professional Issues for the San Diego Chapter of the National Human Resources Association (NHRA)
- Member, San Diego County Bar Association
- Member, American Bar Association
Mitch is a member of the firm’s Policy Committee. He has extensive experience in employment law and in intellectual property litigation and complex commercial litigation.
His work has focused on litigation in the areas of trade secrets, complex commercial litigation, employee mobility, wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, contracts, defamation, wage and hour, and unfair competition. As part of his counseling practice, Mitch has performed management training for employers and rendered employment advice on employment-related issues, including those associated with hiring employees, terminating employees, workplace investigations, discrimination, protection of trade secrets, leaves of absence, reductions-in-force, and compliance with wage and hour laws, among others.
He has represented employers before numerous state and federal agencies including the Equal Employment and Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), the California Labor Commissioner, and the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Mitch is a frequent speaker on various employment-related topics and has appeared as a guest instructor for the San Diego State University Human Resources Certificate Program. He has also served as the author of News From National, the Labor and Employment Law quarterly newsletter for the NHRA.
Immediately prior to joining Mintz Levin, Mitch was a partner in the San Diego office of a prominent national litigation firm. From 1982 to 1985, Mitch was a drill sergeant and combat conditioning and hand-to-hand combat instructor with the Israeli Defense Forces. Between 1989 and 1992, he was a police officer with the New York City Police Department. Mitch served as a patrol officer and in the NYPD’s “Pressure Point” narcotics task force.
The Daily Journal described him as one of the select few “California lawyers that companies turn to first.”
Representative Matters
- Obtained summary judgment in a case where the plaintiff, the former CEO and president of a publicly traded gaming company, was seeking over $10 million in damages for fraud, breach of contract, retaliation, and interference with prospective economic advantage in connection with the termination of his employment.
- Obtained summary judgment in an employment action brought by a former high-level group director for a company who was seeking over $3 million in damages and had alleged breach of contract, wrongful termination, fraud, and negligent misrepresentation.
- Obtained verdict in favor of an insured/employer in an arbitration seeking recovery of attorneys’ fees and costs incurred by the employer in defending complaint brought by the employer’s former president. The insurer refused to fully indemnify the employer for its attorneys’ fees and asserted it was entitled to offset for amount recovered by the employer on its cross-complaint in the underlying action. The arbitrator found in favor of the employer and ordered the insurer to reimburse the employer for 100% of its attorneys’ fees and costs.
- Obtained a favorable settlement of all claims — including fraud, breach of contract, and breach of fiduciary duty — brought by a co-founder and former member providing services to the company who claimed, among other things, that he was removed “without cause” under the company’s Operating Agreement. The settlement followed the arbitrator’s granting, after a one-day hearing, the company and managers’ motion for severe evidence, issue, and monetary sanctions.
- Obtained summary adjudication of a former management-level employee’s claims for hostile work environment, harassment, and constructive termination.
- Obtained verdict in favor of the employer on a motion for summary adjudication filed by a former executive who was seeking an order that the executive’s noncompete agreement with the employer was void as a matter of law.
- Obtained an arbitration verdict in favor of a minority shareholder. After a two-week arbitration, the majority shareholder was ordered to buy out the minority shareholder for the maximum amount allowed by the shareholder agreement and to pay all of the minority shareholder’s attorney fees.
- In a trade secrets case, obtained a preliminary injunction that enjoined a group of former employees from calling on or selling to any of their former customers in Northern California for one year from the date of the employees’ resignations.
- Obtained verdicts in favor of a large wireless retailer in a series of wage and hour hearings brought before the California Department of Labor by former employees who alleged that the company improperly adjusted or reduced their previously earned commissions and bonuses.
- Obtained judgment against former employee of a health care industry client for anonymous defamatory postings on a Yahoo® finance message board.
- Representation of a cigar manufacturer and national wholesaler in a series of investigations by the Department of Justice regarding discriminatory hiring practices based on national origin, which led to a no cause finding by the DOJ.
- Conducted dozens of internal investigations regarding allegations of harassment, discrimination, and other workplace misconduct.
- Representation of over two dozen companies in substantial reductions-in-force.
- Obtained summary judgment in a premises liability and negligence action where a semi-pro hockey player had filed suit against the rink and league organizer for injuries sustained during a hockey game.
- Representation of a large national retail chain in a series of investigations by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission into allegations of discriminatory hiring practices.
- Representation of a large wireless retailer accused of age and disability discrimination in an investigation by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, which led to a no-cause finding by the DFEH.
Recognitions & Awards
- Police Commissioner’s Award, New York City Police Department
- San Diego Super Lawyers: Intellectual Property Litigation (2007 – 2009, 2011 – 2013)
- Super Lawyers Corporate Counsel Edition: Top Attorneys in California for Corporate IP Litigation
- Daily Journal: Top 60 Labor and Employment Lawyers in California (2010)
Professional & Community Involvement
- Past vice president, Professional Issues for the San Diego Chapter of the National Human Resources Association (NHRA)
- Member, San Diego County Bar Association
- Member, American Bar Association
Publications
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Co-author,
Attack of the NLRB: Social Media Policies and Beyond, Westlaw Journal Computer & Internet ()
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Author,
Top Issues for Employers in 2013: Social Media & Independent Contractors, Employment, Labor & Benefits Alert ()
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Co-author,
Wrongful Termination Claim Too Desperate for Ex-Desperate Housewives Star, Litigation | Employment, Labor & Benefits Alert ()
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Starting a Company? Going to Compete with Your Employer? Watch Your Step, Westlaw Journal: Automotive ()
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Protecting Your Business – When Company Employees Leave and Compete, Corporate Compliance Insights ()
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Co-author,
California's New Forced Labor Disclosure Law: Empowering Consumers While Burdening Supply Chain, Supply & Demand Chain Executive ()
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Co-author,
California’s New Forced Labor Disclosure Law: Empowering Consumers while Burdening the Supply Chain, Corporate Compliance Alert ()
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Co-author,
Computer Scrubbing and Data Theft: It's Dirty Business if Employers Are Not Prepared, Workforce Management ()
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Co-author,
Favorable Ruling for California Employers, Employment, Labor & Benefits Alert ()
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Author,
Employers Must Be Able to Monitor Electronic Devices They Pay For, U.S. News & World Report ()
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Co-author,
Conducting Workplace Surveillance - California Supreme Court Identifies Guidelines for Employers, Employment, Labor & Benefits | Privacy & Security Alert ()
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California Signs Into Law New E-Discovery Rules, California Litigation Alert ()
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Author,
Court of Appeals Ruling Potentially Streamlines Trade Secret Litigation, Employment, Labor & Benefits Alert ()
Speaking Engagements
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Speaker,
Safe Social Media Policies for HR Managers Panel,
Ascentis, Webinar
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Speaker,
Top Ten Ways To Avoid Employment Headaches and Stay Out of Court,
California Employers Association and PrideStaff, San Diego, CA
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Speaker,
Litigate or Arbitrate? The Various Paths to Resolution for Patent Infringement, Commercial, and Trade Secret / Non-Compete Lawsuits,
Litigate or Arbitrate?,
Mintz Levin, San Diego, CA
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Speaker,
Health Care Reform: What’s Happened and What's Next for California Companies,
Mintz Levin and ML Strategies, San Diego, CA
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Speaker,
Employment Practices Liability: Damages Are Increasing!,
Mintz Levin and Alliant Insurance
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Speaker,
The Business of Science,
San Diego, CA
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Panelist,
Clash of the Forums: Where to Litigate Your Patent Infringement, Commercial, and Trade Secrets/Non-Compete Lawsuits,
Clash of the Forums,
Association of Corporate Counsel America, San Diego, CA
Newsroom
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Nine Mintz Levin Members Named San Diego Super Lawyers, ()
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Featured in
Mintz Levin's Mitch Danzig on Employment Law, San Diego Daily Transcript ()
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Five Mintz Levin Members Named San Diego Super Lawyers, ()
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Face It: Parting is Such Tweet Sorrow, Workforce Management: Work in Progress Blog ()
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Two Mintz Levin Members Named to San Diego Daily Transcript's 2011 "Top Attorneys" List, ()
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Six Mintz Levin Members Named San Diego Super Lawyers, ()
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Mitch Danzig of Mintz Levin Named One of the Top 60 Labor and Employment Lawyers in California by the Daily Journal, ()
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Featured in
Employment Defense: California Lawyers Companies Turn to First, The Daily Journal ()
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Five Mintz Levin Members Named San Diego Super Lawyers, ()
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Four Mintz Levin Members Named San Diego Super Lawyers, ()