Michael G. Petrie
Of Counsel

Connecticut

Email: mpe@jordenusa.com
Phone: 860.392.5012
Fax: 860.392.5058

Michael G. Petrie is Vice Chair of the Employment & ERISA Practice Team. He practices primarily in the areas of employment litigation, ERISA, insurance coverage, municipal law, commercial litigation, and directors and officers liability. He represents employers in a wide range of industries with respect to claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, breach of employment contracts, violation of wage and hour laws, negligence/intentional infliction of emotional distress and other employment disputes. Mr. Petrie appears before state and federal courts and administrative agencies, including the Department of Labor, Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Mr. Petrie counsels and advises in-house legal counsel, senior management and human resources professionals in preventive employment practices and litigation avoidance techniques involving compliance with federal, state and local employment laws; employee handbooks and policies; conducting proper workplace investigations; hiring and termination decisions; discipline and performance

management; training supervisory employees; employment agreements; workplace violence; accommodation of individuals with disabilities; family and medical leave; various employment contracts; and state and federal wage and hour laws. He frequently presents seminars and writes articles on various labor and employment law topics. Mr. Petrie belongs to the Employers Counsel Network and is a frequent contributer to the Connecticut Employment Law Letter and 50 Employment Laws in 50 States.

Representative Matters

• Worthington v. Carris Reels of Connecticut, 3:10-cv-448 (D.Conn. May 5, 2011)
• Stamford Police Association v. City of Stamford, Docket No. CV-10-6004315-S (Conn. Superior Court Oct. 22, 2010)
• Bass v. Miss Porter's School, 3:08-cv-1807-JBA, 738 F.Supp.2d 307 (D.Conn. Sept. 1, 2010)
• Manemeit v. Town of Branford, 3:04-cv-1353-CFD (D. Conn. June 18, 2009)
• Trujillo v. Trinity College, 3:08-cv-01483-JCH, 642 F.Supp.2d 86 (D. Conn. May 19, 2009)
• Messenger v. City of Middletown, 3:08-cv-01171-SRU (D. Conn. February 24, 2009)
• Boland v. Town of Newington, 304 Fed. Appx. 7, 2008 WL 5220942, (2d Cir. Dec 16, 2008)
• Clayton v. City of Middletown, 564 F.Supp.2d 105 (D.Conn. Jul 08, 2008)
• Palmeri v. North Haven, 3:08-cv-00204-PCD (D. Conn. June 30, 2008)
• Calabrese v. Trinity College, Docket No. CV-07-5002284-S (Conn. Superior Court June 11, 2008)
• Violissi v. City of Middletown, 3:06-cv-00916-AVC (D. Conn. May 1, 2008)
• Herrera-Mendoza v. Byrne, 3:06-cv-00901-AHN (D.Conn. January 3, 2008)
• Beary v. ING Life Insurance and Annuity Co., 3:07-cv-35-MRK, 520 F.Supp.2d 356 (Nov. 5, 2007)
• Velez v. Town of Darien, 3:05cv01803(MRK) (D.Conn. Oct. 19, 2007)
• Sebold v. City of Middletown, 2007 WL 2782527 (D.Conn. Sep 21, 2007)
• Boland v. Town of Newington, 2007 WL 2071630 (D.Conn. Jul 16, 2007)
• Whitaker v. Clear Channel Broadcasting, Inc., 3:04-cv-02041-JCH (D.Conn. June 25, 2007)
• Jefferson Pilot Financial Insurance Company v. Yabroudy, 1:06-cv-00463-JFM (D. Md. July 2, 2006)
• Favale v. Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport, 235 F.R.D. 553, (D.Conn. Jun 06, 2006)
• Favale v. Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport, 233 F.R.D. 243 (D.Conn. Nov 08, 2005)
• Sullivan v. Poquonock Bridge Fire District, Docket No. CV-03-0566367-S (Conn. Superior Court October 28, 2005)

Speeches and Publications

• Speaker: "Travel Time Pay Explained: HR's Keys to Calculating Compensation," Webinar, June 9, 2011
• Speaker: "Contemporary Issues Facing The hospitality Industry," Williamsburg, VA, October 2010
• Speaker: Contributing Author, 50 Employment Laws in 50 States, M. Lee Smith Publishers LLC (2005-2011)
• Column Writer: Question Corner, Connecticut Employment Law Letter (2008 to present)
• "Manager Sued For Encouraging Harassment," Vol. 16, No. 12, December 2008
• "New Privacy Law Includes Stiff Penalty," Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol 16, No. 9, September 2008
• "Employers Must Accommodate Obvious Disabilities," Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol 16, No. 8, August 2008
• "Court Throws Water on Fire Inspectors Wage Claim For Commuting Time," Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol 16, No. 6, June 2008
• "Fired Hoops Coach Scores With Claim For Mixed-Race Marriage," Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol 16, No. 5, May 2008
• "Learning The Hard Way: Improper Pay Policies Prove Costly," Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol 16, No. 4, April 2008
• "Employee with Excessive Absences Didn't Perform Essential Job Functions", Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol 16, No. 2, Feb. 2008
• "Quality-Control Program May Have Converted Independent Contractor to Employee," Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol 16, No. 1, Jan. 2008)
• "Stray Remarks May Prove Age Animus," Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 15, No. 12, Dec. 2007
• Suspending Complaining Employee During Investigation Isn't Retaliation," Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 15, No. 14, Nov. 2007
• "Fire My Wife, Please!" Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 15, No. 10, Oct. 2007
• "Connecticut High Court Clarifies CFMLA Definition of 'Accumulated Sick Time,'" Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol 15, No. 9, Sept. 2007
• "Welcome Aboard - You're Fired!" Connecticut Employment Law Letter¸ Vol. 15, No. 8, August 2007
• "U.S. Supreme Court to Review FedEx Discrimination Case," Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 15, No. 7, July 2007
• "How to Get Out of Court and Stay Out," Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 15, No. 7, July 2007
• Speaker: "Top Ten Employment Issues In 2008," Human Resource Association of Central Connecticut, January 23, 2008.
• Speaker: "Family and Medical Leave Act Master Class," May 8, 2007, Cromwell, CT
• Speaker: "Family and Medical Leave Act Master Class," September 19, 2007, Middletown, CT
• Speak English or nothing at all, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 15, Issue 6, June 2007
• You don't look a day over 40: Court refines standard for proving age discrimination, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 13, Issue 7, July 2005
• Transit Authority slapped with punitive damages despite immunity defense, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 13, Issue 9, September 2005
• U.S. Supreme Court to review FedEx discrimination case, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 15, Issue 7, July 2007
• How to get out of court and stay out, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 15, Issue 7, July 2007
• Failure to control diabetes renders employee a direct threat, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 13, Issue 9, September 2005
• Thinking isn't a major life activity, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 13, Issue 11, November 2005
• Employee with excessive absences didn't perform essential job functions, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 16, Issue 2, February 2008
• Failure to abide by settlement agreement yields discrimination finding, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 14, Issue 8, August 2006
• Employer slapped with double damages for failing to pay vacation, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 14, Issue 9, September 2006
• Offer of full relief to former employee heads off class action, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 15, Issue 1, January 2007
• Contract claim survives death, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 14, Issue 6, June 2006
• Labor law shields employer from certain claims, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 14, Issue 1, January 2006
• Employee who snoozes on the job loses his job, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 15, Issue 4, April 2007
• How similar must 'similarly situated' employees be?, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 13, Issue 7, July 2005
• City found immune from intentional tort liability, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 14, Issue 1, January 2006
• Monitoring and controlling off-duty behavior, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 14, Issue 2, February 2006
• Written discipline can lead to defamation claim, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 13, Issue 3, March 2005
• Any stray remarks you make can and will be used against you, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 15, Issue 5, May 2007
• Employer can't question former employees about immigration status, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 15, Issue 5, May 2007
• Overreaction to performance issues doesn't prove discrimination, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 14, Issue 4, April 2006
• The matrix — vindicated, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 14, Issue 10, October 2006
• Isolated incidents don't prove hostile environment, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 14, Issue 12, December 2006
• Stray remarks may prove age animus, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 15, Issue 12, December 2007
• Fire my wife, please!, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 15, Issue 10, October 2007
• 'Reasonable suspicion' and drug testing, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 16, Issue 1, January 2008
• Complaint by employee's husband insufficient for retaliation claim, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 14, Issue 9, September 2006
• Do any of your employees refuse to wear makeup? You may be able to fire them, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 13, Issue 2, February 2005
• Quality-control program may have converted independent contractor to employee, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 16, Issue 1, January 2008
• Gender-bender lawsuit ruled out of bounds under Title VII, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 13, Issue 4, April 2005
• Welcome aboard — you're fired!, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 15, Issue 8, August 2007
• What if an employee keeps asking for a raise?, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 15, Issue 9, September 2007
• Using phantom accounts to calculate retirement benefits violated ERISA, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 14, Issue 3, March 2006
• Statements about shareholders' welfare deemed a matter of public concern, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 14, Issue 3, March 2006
• Reconsider before ordering that second keg for the annual summer picnic, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 13, Issue 5, May 2005
• Transfer, unfavorable evaluation weren't retaliation for harassment complaint, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 13, Issue 8, August 2005
• New path for whistleblower claims under Connecticut's corporate accountability law, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 13, Issue 6, June 2005
• There's no substitute for hours worked, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 14, Issue 5, May 2006
• Connecticut high court clarifies CFMLA definition of 'accumulated sick time', Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 15, Issue 9, September 2007
• FedEx doesn't deliver workers' compensation benefits, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 15, Issue 3, March 2007
• Elevator union runs afoul of secondary boycott prohibition, Connecticut Employment Law Letter, Vol. 13, Issue 12, December 2005
• Contributing Author: "50 Employment Laws in 50 States," M. Lee Smith Publishing, 2005 - 2007