Biography
About Chris
Christopher D. Jozwiak is a skilled litigator who has won striking victories on behalf of his clients in a diverse range of employment issues. He is a founding partner of Baillon Thome Jozwiak & Wanta LLP and has been recognized as a Rising Star since 2011 and a Super Lawyer since 2014 and has been named to the lists of Top 100 Minnesota Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America. Chris works tirelessly for his clients in cases involving whistleblower retaliation, sexual harassment, wage and hour violations, reprisal, discrimination, and wrongful termination. He also represents employees and consumers in national class actions.
Chris is a certified employment law specialist and Chair of the Minnesota State Bar Association's Labor & Employment Law Specialist Certification Board. He has been a Board Member of Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid since 2019 and currently sits on the Governance Committee.
Education
Admissions
Professional Memberships
Honors
Honors and Awards
Publications & Presentations
Publications and Presentations
Representative Cases
Representative Cases
Noll et al. v. Flowers Foods, Inc. et al., No. 1:15-cv-00493-JAW (D. Me.) (class certification granted in class action brought by distributors of Flowers Foods, who are challenging their classification as independent contractors, rather than employees)
In re Life Time Fitness, Inc. Telephone Consumer Protection Act Litigation, MDL 2564 (class action settlement awarding a maximum of $15 million for class members who received unsolicited text messages in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act); settlement affirmed (8th Cir. 2017)
Rehberg et al. v. Flowers Foods Inc. et al., 12-cv-00596-MOC-DSC (W.D.N.C. 2015) (class action settlement for distributors who challenged their classification by Flowers Foods as independent contractors, rather than employees); conditional class certification in five additional FLSA class action lawsuits on behalf of distributors against Flowers Foods
Carr et al. v. Flowers Foods, Inc. et al., No. 2:15-cv-06391-LS (E.D. Penn.) (conditional class certification granted in class action brought by distributors who are challenging their classification by Flowers Foods as independent contractors, rather than employees)
Noll et al. v. Flowers Foods, Inc. et al., No. 1:15-cv-00493-JAW (D. Me.) (conditional class certification granted in class action brought by distributors who are challenging their classification by Flowers Foods as independent contractors, rather than employees)
Rosinbaum et al. v. Flowers Foods, Inc. et al., No. 7:16-cv-0023-FL (E.D.N.C.) (conditional class certification granted in class action brought by distributors who are challenging their classification by Flowers Foods as independent contractors, rather than employees)
Neff et al. v. Flowers Foods, Inc. et al., No. 5:15-cv-00254-GWC (D. Vt.) (conditional class certification granted in class action brought by distributors who are challenging their classification by Flowers Foods as independent contractors, rather than employees)
Coyle v. Flowers Foods Incorporated, et al., 2:15-cv-01372-PHX-DLR (D. Ariz.) (conditional class certification granted in class action brought by distributors who are challenging their classification by Flowers Foods as independent contractors, rather than employees)
Chavez et al. v. West Side Cmty. Health Servs., Inc., 14-cv-00207 (D. Minn. 2014) (settlement agreement reached awarding class and collective group of medical assistants overtime premium pay and damages for wage deductions, which they were owed pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Minnesota Payment of Wages Act, respectively)
Gilbert v. MetLife, No. 09-1990, 2011 WL 1843441 (D. Minn. 2011) (denial of defendant's motion for summary judgment where plaintiff proferred sufficient evidence from which a reasonable fact finder could infer that employer did not retain her because of disability and failed to accommodate her disability)
United States v. Law School Admission Council, U.S. Dep’t of Justice Compl. No. 202-39-97 (Sept. 27, 2011) (settlement agreement reached allowing complainant all LSAT testing accommodations originally requested pursuant to Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities by private testing entities that administer examinations related to professional licensing)
Johnston v. U.S. Bank National Association, No. 08-0296, 2009 WL 2900352 (D. Minn. 2009) (denial of defendant's summary judgment motion where genuine issue of material fact existed as to whether employer's statement that the employee needed a more flexible job to take care of her newborn was evidence of sex-plus discrimination in violation of the Minnesota Human Rights Act)
Taylor et al. v. Corporate Transit of Am., 09-cv-05709 (N.D. Ill. 2009) (settlement agreement reached awarding class and collective group of transportation and delivery personnel overtime premium pay pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act, and damages for wage deductions pursuant to Illinois state and common law, where defendant employer misclassified plaintiffs as independent contractors instead of employees)
Egtvedt et al. v. West Publ’g Corp., 19HA-CV-09-1660 (Dist. Ct. Minn. 2009) (settlement agreement reached awarding class and collective group of research staff attorneys overtime premium pay pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Minnesota Fair Labor Standards Act, where defendant employer misclassified plaintiffs as independent contractors instead of employees)
Hayes v. Dapper, No. A07-1878, 2008 WL 4301018 (Minn. Ct. App. 2008) (reversing dismissal of whistleblower case because a report need not be formal to constitute protected conduct and questions of fact remained whether the report was made in good faith)
Hibbard v. Park Supply Inc. et al., No. A07-0721, 2008 WL 1748233 (Minn. Ct. App. Apr. 15, 2008) (reversing unemployment law judge's decision disqualifying plaintiff from receiving unemployment benefits and remanding for further findings on the credibility of plaintiff's testimony)
Hayes v. Minneapolis Sch. Dist., Special Sch. Dist. No. 1, 27-cv-07-5006 (Dist. Ct. Minn. 2008) (denial in part of defendant’s summary judgment motion where genuine issue of material fact existed as to whether employee was wrongfully terminated as a result of employer’s discrimination on the basis of race and sexual orientation)
Brooks v. Pioneer Metal Finishing, No. 06-841, 2007 WL 1378417 (D. Minn. May 7, 2007) (denial of defendant’s summary judgment motion where genuine issues of material fact existed as to whether plaintiff was adequately performing her job duties and as to whether defendant’s reasons for termination were pretext for age discrimination and retaliation)