Katelynn Gray focuses in the area of employment law. Ms. Gray regularly counsels clients on a variety of employment issues and matters, including hiring and recruitment, employee classification, leaves of absence, reasonable accommodations, restrictive covenants, wage and hour rules and regulations, performance management, discipline and termination, reductions in force, corporate restructuring, and mergers and acquisitions. Ms. Gray conducts workplace investigations and employee trainings, prepares human resources policies, procedures and handbooks, and advises both business and individuals in the drafting of all employment-related agreements, including non-compete and other restrictive covenants, employment agreements and severance agreements. Ms. Gray handles discrimination, retaliation and hostile work environment cases, and restrictive covenant cases, both on the prosecution and defense side, as well as class and collective actions, appearing before federal and state courts as well as administrative agencies.
Ms. Gray is a 2013 graduate of Fordham University School of Law, where she was a member of the Fordham International Law Journal, and a graduate of Fordham University.
Areas of Practice
- Employment Advice and Counseling
- Employment Litigation
- Wage and Hour Litigation, including Class/Collective Actions
- Restrictive Covenants
Representative Matters
Represented Fultra, a Mexico-based provider of motor transportation equipment and parts in North America and parent company of Fruehauf, in its acquisition of East Manufacturing, an aluminum trailer maker.
Represented Park Avenue Dental Cosmetics before the New York State Division of Human Rights and successfully secured the dismissal of unlawful discriminatory practices charges related to race/color, pregnancy, sex, disability and familial status in violation of NY Exec. Law art. 15.
- Obtained an order from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit affirming summary judgment dismissing a former employee's race discrimination claim. Toussaint v. New York Dialysis Services, Inc.
Successfully defended the former chief administrative officer of a leading financial services firm in an arbitration brought by a former employee alleging hostile work environment and discrimination.
Obtained summary judgment dismissal of a former employee’s federal claims of race discrimination, religious discrimination, harassment, failure to accommodate, retaliation, and interference with FMLA rights. Reid v. Fresenius Medical Care North America, et al.
Supervised and conducted internal investigations for management.
Successfully defended construction company in an arbitration against claim of failure to pay prevailing wages.
Obtained settlement that the client found favorable on behalf of home healthcare agency in a Fair Labor Standards Act and New York State class action lawsuit alleging failure to properly pay minimum wages and overtime.
Won complete dismissal of discrimination lawsuit against a global leader in branded lifestyle apparel.
Negotiated a favorable resolution of a threatened discrimination suit on behalf of a large New York City not-for-profit.
Successfully defended a New York restaurant against claim for unemployment insurance.
Admissions
- New York
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Education
- Fordham University School of Law, J.D., 2013
- Fordham International Law Journal - Fordham University, B.A., 2010
Experience
- Duane Morris LLP
- Partner, 2023-present
- Special Counsel, 2021-2022
- Associate, 2013-2020 - Goodman Solutions
- Vice President and Assistant General Counsel, 2021
- Sr. Director, Labor and Employment, 2020
Professional Activities
- New York State Bar Association
- Member
Selected Publications
- Co-author, "New York Employees Will Soon Receive Pay for Breast Milk Expression Time and Prenatal Care Leave," Duane Morris Alert, April 29, 2024
- Co-author, "It's No Competition: New York City Legislature Proposes Sweeping Non-Compete Bills," Duane Morris Alert, March 8, 2024
- Co-author, "New York Frequency of Payment Claims Take Major Hit in Win for Employers," Duane Morris Alert, January 25, 2023
- Chapter Co-author, "TCPA Class Actions," Duane Morris Class Action Review 2023
- Co-author, "New Year, New York: What You Need to Know to Stay Compliant with Employment Laws in 2024," Duane Morris Alert, January 3, 2024
- Co-author, "Just In Time For The Holidays: New York Federal Court Gifts The Denial Of Plaintiffs’ Rule 23 Class Certification Motion In FDNY Bias Lawsuit," Duane Morris Class Action Defense Blog, November 30, 2022
- Author, "Failure-to-Accommodate Claim Defeated," SHRM.org, March 16, 2022
- Co-author, "U.S. Supreme Court Gives Green Light to CMS Vaccine Mandate and Full Stop to OSHA Vaccine-or-Test Mandate, Leaving Employers to Wonder: What Now?" Duane Morris Alert, January 19, 2022
- Co-author, "New York Employers Required to Provide Notice of Electronic Monitoring," Duane Morris Alert, January 4, 2022
- Co-author, "NYC Issues Guidance on Private Sector Vaccine Mandate, Expands Key to NYC Program," Duane Morris Alert, December 21, 2021
- Co-author, "New York State Adopts Mask Mandate for Businesses That Do Not Require Proof of Vaccination for Entry," Duane Morris Alert, December 13, 2021
Co-author "Are Non-Compete Agreements Getting Kicked to the Curb?" New York Law Journal, November 2, 2018
Co-author, "The Ninth Circuit Gives Support to Equal Pay Day," Duane Morris Alerts, April 12, 2018
- Co-author, "Losing Sleep Over Live-In Home Care Workers: NYSDOL Confirms "13 Hour Rule" in Response to New York State Appellate Court Rulings," Duane Morris Alert, October 25, 2017
- Co-author, "Taking the "Direct" Out of Direct Deposit: New York Attempts Crackdown on Employers' Ability to Pay Wages by Direct Deposit and Debit Card," Duane Morris Alert, February 28, 2017
- Author, "An Ivy League Feat for Student Assistants: NLRB Reverses Itself, Holding Student Assistants Can Organize," Duane Morris Alert, August 31, 2016
- Co-author, "New York's New 12-Week Paid Family Leave Law," Duane Morris Alert, April 29, 2016
- Co-author, "New York's New $15 Minimum Wage Plan," Duane Morris Alert, April 29, 2016
- Co-author, "NLRB Abandons Well-Established Joint-Employer Standard," Duane Morris Alert, August 31, 2015
- Author, "U.S. Supreme Court Holds Federal Agencies Can Issue New Interpretations Without Engaging in the Formal Rulemaking Process," Duane Morris Alert, March 23, 2015
- Author, "N.Y. Wage-and-Hour Update: Gov. Cuomo Eliminates the Annual Wage Notice Requirement," Duane Morris Alert, January 5, 2015
- Author, "U.S. Supreme Court Decides Time Spent in the Security Screening Process Is Not Compensable Under the FLSA," Duane Morris Alert, December 11, 2014
- Author, "Supreme Court Invalidation of NLRB Recess Appointments Clouds Many Board Decisions," Duane Morris Alert, July 1, 2014
- Co-author, "New York City Amends Paid Sick Leave Law to Encompass Employers of Five or More," Duane Morris Alert, March 13, 2014
- Co-author, "Department of Labor Extends FLSA Minimum Wage and Overtime Protections to Direct Care Workers," Duane Morris Alert, September 30, 2013
- Co-author, "New York City Bill Prohibits Discrimination in Employment Based on Pregnancy," Duane Morris Alert, September 30, 2013
Media Hits
- Quoted, "Some Companies Have Cut Back on Background Screening," HR Magazine, Summer 2022
- Quoted, "Aegon PM Who Created Faulty Models Had Arrest Record," Ignites, September 11, 2018
Selected Speaking Engagements
- Speaker, "Developments in Workplace Law and Practice: Current Trends in Employment, Labor, Benefits, and Immigration and Their Impact on Your Business," Duane Morris LLP, New York City, May 8, 2024
- Speaker, "The Challenges of a Hybrid Workforce," Duane Morris Institute (DMi), Webinar, August 9, 2023
- Speaker, "New York City and State Legal Update," Duane Morris Institute (DMi), Webinar, February 7, 2023
- Speaker, "Nipping Retaliation Claims in the Bud," Duane Morris Institute (DMi), Webinar, July 12th, 2022
- Speaker, "Beyond the OSHA ETS COVID-19 Vaccine/Testing Mandates and Workplace Safety," Duane Morris Institute (DMi) Webinar, January 26, 2022
- Speaker, "OSHA’s ETS: Vaccine and COVID Testing," Duane Morris Institute (DMi), Webinar, November 10, 2021
Presenter, "Nipping Retaliation Claims in the Bud," Duane Morris Institute (DMi) Webinar, December 5, 2019
Speaker, "Trends in Employment Litigation – Pay Equity," Reinsurance Association Of America, Westin Grand Central, New York, July 18, 2018
Speaker, "Losing Sleep Over Wage and Hour and Healthcare Regulatory Requirements for Home Healthcare Workers," Duane Morris LLP, New York, January 23, 2018
- Speaker, Duane Morris' Developments in Workplace Law and Practice, New York, May 4, 2017
- Panelist, "Developments in Workplace Law and Practice: Employment, Labor, Benefits and Immigration," May 5, 2016