Matthew A. Tobias

Mr. Tobias is an associate in the Labor and Employment Practice Group in the firm's Los Angeles office.

Areas of Practice

Mr. Tobias specializes in labor and employment matters on behalf of employers and management. Mr. Tobias has considerable jury trial experience and has tried to verdict employment matters such as age, sex, national origin, and disability discrimination, as well as harassment, retaliation, and wrongful termination claims. A significant portion of his practice is devoted to the defense of complex wage and hour class action litigation. He has successfully defeated class certification motions and prevailed on summary judgment in class actions, as well as single plaintiff cases. He has experience representing employers in union negotiations, grievance proceedings and unfair labor charges. 

Prior to joining Sheppard Mullin, Mr. Tobias worked for the City of Los Angeles as an investigator responding to claims of unlawful discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, conducting lectures to City employees on compliance with state and federal EEO laws, and representing the City in union-related matters. 

• December 2012 - Jury Trial (9 days)
  Court: Santa Barbara County Superior Court (Hon. Donna Geck)
  Case: Sexual Harassment Retaliation, Wrongful Demotion, and Termination
  Industry: Healthcare
  Role: Second Chair Trial Attorney
  Verdict: Defense
• March 2013 - Jury Trial (19 days)
  Court: Los Angeles County Superior Court (Hon. Abraham Kahn)
  Case: Age and National Origin Discrimination, Defamation, and Retaliation
  Industry: Banking/Financial Services
  Role: Second Chair Trial Attorney
  Verdict: Plaintiff (3 claims); Defense (2 claims and punitive damages)
• February 2014 - Jury Trial (21 days)
  Court: Alameda County Superior Court (Hon. Robert McGuiness)
  Case: Age Harassment, Age Discrimination, Retaliation, and Failure to Prevent (three defendants)
  Industry: Insurance
  Role: Second Chair Trial Attorney
  Verdict: Defense
• November 2017 - Jury Trial (12 days)
  Court: Orange County Superior Court (Hon. Derek Hunt)
  Case: Gender Discrimination, Retaliation, Failure to Accommodate, Failure to Engage in Interactive Process, and Disability Discrimination
  Industry: Sports/Entertainment
  Role: Second Chair Trial Attorney
  Verdict: Defense