Kenneth Gage is a partner in the Paul Hastings Employment practice. He represents employers in a wide range of federal and state employment litigation matters. He handles a wide range of employment matters from pre-litigation counseling through trials and appeals. His litigation experience includes defendants’ verdicts in several jury trials involving age, race, and sex discrimination claims, retaliation claims, and state common law claims, as well as numerous summary judgment rulings. Mr. Gage tried a state wage-and-hour class action to a defendant’s verdict.  He has successfully defeated class certification in a pattern and practice race discrimination case under Title VII, as well as conditional certification in federal wage and hour cases. He has successfully argued several appeals in state and federal courts. In addition, with his extensive litigation experience, Mr. Gage regularly counsels employers on litigation avoidance and best practices.

The following are examples of his work:

• tried to a defendants' verdict in federal court a two-plaintiff ADEA employment termination case for a leading alcohol beverage company and a senior executive of the company;
• won summary judgment in a reverse discrimination case for a leading chemical company in which the plaintiff claimed that he was terminated to advance the company’s diversity and affirmative action objectives;
• successfully opposed class certification in Title VII pattern and practice race discrimination action against a leading aviation company;
• tried to a defendant’s verdict a state wage-and-hour class action against aircraft engine manufacturer;
• successfully defended on grounds of federal labor law preemption Connecticut Supreme Court appeal of defendant’s verdict in class action;
• tried to a defendant’s verdict in federal court a Title VII sexually hostile work environment claim for a leading international packaging company;
• tried to a defendant’s verdict a state court breach of contract and defamation case arising out of the denial of tenure at a private liberal arts university;
• tried to a defendant’s verdict a Title VII pattern and practice race discrimination case against leading aviation company;
• successfully defended Second Circuit appeal of summary judgment in action for breach of contract for stock options against major food and beverage company;
• achieved summary judgment on Title VII constructive discharge and retaliation claims for major manufacturing company;
• tried to a defendant’s verdict ADEA termination and retaliation case against aircraft engine manufacturer; and
• tried to a defendant’s judgment in state human rights agency a multi-plaintiff age discrimination action against aircraft engine manufacturer.

Mr. Gage is listed in the 2006 and 2007 editions of Chambers USA America’s Leading Lawyers for Business. He received his B.S. degree from the University at Buffalo (cum laude) in 1988 and his J.D. degree from the University of Buffalo in 1991. He is admitted to practice in state and federal courts in Connecticut, Illinois, and New York, federal district court in the Eastern District of Michigan, the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second, Sixth and Seventh circuits and the U.S. Supreme Court. After law school, he served as law clerk to the Honorable Thomas J. McAvoy, then-chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York.