Practice areas: Employment & Labor
Licensed in New York since: 1984
Education: Fordham University School of Law
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2007 - 2025 Call today:
855-573-2610
Pechman Law Group PLLC
488 Madison AvenueSuite 1704
New York, NY 10022 Visit website
Lou Pechman handles cases in all areas of workplace law, including sex harassment litigation, employment discrimination, employment contracts, non-competition agreements, independent contractor issues, overtime and pay disputes, and union-management relations. As a practitioner for over 40 years in the employment law field, Lou offers both individual employees and employers practical and expert guidance on resolving employment law issues, either by active litigation or by confidential negotiation or mediation.
Lou has been selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America and as a New York Super Lawyer in the area of Labor and Employment Law since 2006. He has a AV-Preeminent for Ethical Standards rating by Martindale-Hubbell and a 10.0 Superb Rating from Avvo. Lou has also been selected as a Fellow of the American Bar Association, an honorary organization limited to 1% of attorneys who have demonstrated outstanding achievements and dedication to the highest principles of the legal profession. Pechman Law Group PLLC, has been nationally recognized by U.S. News’ Best Law Firms as a Tier 1 law firm in Employment Law for Individuals and Labor Law for Management. Lou has previously been recognized by Super Lawyers as one of the “Top 100” lawyers in New York City, and by Law Dragon as one of the 500 Leading U.S. Corporate Employment Lawyers.
A former Chair of the New York County Lawyers’ Association Committee on Labor Relations and Employment Law, Lou moderates NYCLA's annual programs on “How to Handle an Employment Discrimination Case” and “How to Handle a Wage and Hour Case.” Lou is also one of the most experienced practitioners in New York in the fast-emerging area of wage and hour law. He has litigated over 500 federal and state court cases involving claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) and the New York Labor Law. Lou is also the founder of waiterpay.com, a site that focuses on the complex wage and hour issues in the New York restaurant industry. Lou is currently an Adjunct Professor at Fordham University School of Law teaching the course “Wage Theft: Employee Rights and Employer Responsibilities.”.
Lou’s strong record of success includes work as an attorney at some of the leading employment law firms in New York, as in-house labor counsel with the New York Daily News, and as a Field Examiner with the National Labor Relations Board. Admitted to the New York and New Jersey Bars, he is a graduate of the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations and the Fordham University School of Law.
Practice areas
Employment & Labor: Employee, Employment & Labor: Employer- 50% Employment & Labor: Employee
- 50% Employment & Labor: Employer
First Admitted: 1984, New York
Professional Webpage: https://pechmanlaw.com/team-member/louis-pechman/
Bar / Professional Activity
- United States Supreme Court
- United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
- United States District Court, Southern District of New York
- United States District Court, Eastern District of New York
- United States District Court, Western District of New York
- United States District Court, District of New Jersey
- New York County Lawyers' Association, Former Chair, Labor Relations and Employment Law Committee
- New York City Bar Association, Former Chair, Restaurant and Hospitality Law Committee
- American Bar Association, Member, Section on Labor and Employment Law
- New York State Bar Association, Member, Section on Labor and Employment Law.
Verdicts / Settlements (Case Results)
- Rios v. Spirit Pharmaceuticals LLC, No. 23-CV-03637 (JMW), 2025 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 101232 (E.D.N.Y. May 28, 2025) ($1.5 million settlement in a wage theft case for factory workers)
- Guerrero v. Montefiore Health Sys., 2025 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 55579 (S.D.N.Y. Jan. 15, 2025) ($1.8 million settlement for unpaid overtime and minimum wage violations on behalf of housekeeping employees)
- Almonte v. Jam Maintenance LLC, No. 22-CV-1820 (JPO) (BCM) (Dec. 12, 2024) ($245,000 settlement for ten building porters and superintendents with minimum wage and overtime claims)
- Flores Gaspar v. Advanced Domino, Inc., No. 23 Civ. 5165 (BMC) (Aug. 12, 2024) ($150,000 settlement on behalf of four workers at Brooklyn supermarket)
- Salazar V. Bija 203 Inc., No. 21 Civ. 11028 (PAC)(SN) (Aug. 7, 2024) ($167,722 judgment on behalf of four workers at Manhattan restaurant)
- Stefanovic v. Old Heidelberg Corp., No. 18 Civ. 2093 (LTS)(JW) (Dec. 8, 2022) (settlement of $170,000 for waitstaff with minimum wage and overtime claims)
- Cortes v. Juquila Mexican Cuisine Corp., No. 17 Civ. 3942 (RER) (E.D.N.Y. April 5, 2021) ($343,191 judgment for workers at a Queens restaurant)
- Dolores v. Titan Construction Servs. LLC, No. 19-CV-11056 (BCM), 2021 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12351 (S.D.N.Y. Jan. 22, 2021) ($650,000 settlement for 17 construction workers with overtime claims)
- Mejia v. KVK-Tech, Inc., No. 2:19-cv-04841-JDW, 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 162235 (E.D. Pa. Sep. 4, 2020) ($475,000 settlement for a group of 30 construction workers in Pennsylvania)
- Aguilar v. NYC Sable Inc., No. 19-CV-07135 (SN) (S.D.N.Y. March 26, 2020) ($85,000 settlement for a counter worker and delivery person who worked at Sables Smoked Fish)
- Yu v. Hasaki Restaurant, Inc., 944 F.3d 395 (2d Cir. 2019) (won landmark decision holding that Rule 68 Offer of Judgment in a FLSA case did not require court fairness review)
- Lomeli v. Falkirk Management Corp., NY. Sup. Ct., Orange County, March 10, 2023, Index No. 1580-16 ($750,000 settlement for a group of banquet servers at Falkirk Estate and Country Club with tip misappropriation claims)
- Porter v. Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner, & Smith Inc., No. 3:17-cv-08043-FLW-TJB (D.N.J. June 8, 2020) ($550,000 settlement for a class of IT workers at Merrill Lynch in New Jersey with overtime claims)
- Sajvin v. Singh Farm Corp., No. 17-cv-4032 (AMD) (RER), 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 150161 (E.D.N.Y. Sep. 4, 2018) ($79,269 judgment for a single worker against a fresh produce market in New York)
- Velandia v. Serendipity 3, Inc., 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 116594 (S.D.N.Y. Jul. 12, 2018) (Settled minimum wage, overtime, and tip credit lawsuit filed by bussers and servers at Serendipity, the iconic restaurant in Manhattan, for $975,000)
- Hussain v. Burton and Doyle of Great Neck, LLC, No. 14 Civ. 5924 (SL) (June 16, 2020) ($560,000 judgment after a five day trial for servers with minimum wage and overtime claims at a Long Island steakhouse)
- Garcia v. Vill. Red Rest. Corp., No. 15 Civ. 6292 (S.D.N.Y. April 8, 2022) ($1.1 million settlement for front of house workers at The Waverly Diner)
- Espinosa v. Abraham Refrigeration A/C Corp., 2020 WL 1130743 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 9, 2020) ($106,033 trial judgment obtained for refrigeration mechanic for claims of unpaid minimum and overtime wages)
- Martinez v. Junee Management Inc, No. 19 Civ. 2023 (E.D.N.Y. 2019) (Settlement of overtime and minimum wage claims on behalf of five warehouse workers in the amount of $169,000)
- Choi v. Bayside BCD Inc, No. 16 Civ. 6495 (S.D.N.Y. 2019) (Settlement of wage theft class action on behalf of restaurant workers at BCD Tofu House in the amount of $2.84 million)
- Drozd v. 340 W. 46th St. Corp., 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17746 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 1, 2018) (Settled age discrimination and wage theft case filed by waitresses against Le Rivage, a restaurant in Manhattan, for $1.2 million)
- Picard et al. v. Bigsbee Enterprises, Inc. et al., Sup. Ct., Albany County, No. 1984-13 ($550,000 settlement for a class of severs at a group of Albany, New York restaurants)
- Manley v. Midan Restaurant Inc., 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 44560 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 27, 2017) ($912,500 settlement for a class of front of house employees at a Chelsea restauarant)
- Chhab v. Darden Restsaurants, Inc., 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 67629 (S.D.N.Y. May 19, 2016) (Represented waiters at Capitale Grille restaurant, obtaining a $2.38 million settlement for wage theft violations)
- Eren v. Gulluoglu, LLC, 2017 WL 4351516 (E.D.N.Y. Jan 15, 2016) ($451,956.39 judgment on behalf of bakery employees who had been misclassified as exempt from overtime and denied overtime wages)
- In re Chickie's & Pete's Wage & Hour Litig., Civil Action No. 12-6820, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30366 (E.D. Pa. Mar. 7, 2014) ($1.6 million settlement for a group of waiters and waitresses at Chickie's and Pete's in Philadelphia)
- Galantowicz v. Rhino Room Inc., No. 12-CV-00971-JJM, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 73911 (W.D.N.Y. June 8, 2015)(settlement for group of front-of-house employees at Buffalo Chop House)
- Morris v. R.A. Popp Enterprises, No. 11 Civ. 263 (D.N.E. May 31, 2016) (settlement for waiters and busboys at Wheatfields restaurants in Omaha, Nebraska)
- Dias v. PS Bros. Gourmet, Inc., 2017 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 3147 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. 2017) (Obtained a judgment of $1.4 million for five former workers of Indus Valley Restaurant in Manhattan)
- Toyama v. Hasaki Restaurant, Inc., 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 175006 (S.D.N.Y. Dec. 18, 2014) (Won summary judgment dismissal of sex harassment case filed by waitress against Japanese restaurant)
- In Re Milos Litigation, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 138473 (S.D.N.Y. Sep. 8, 2011) - (Settlement of wage theft of servers at Milos Restaurant in the amount of $1.975 million)
- Anemone v. MTA, 629 F.3d 97 (2d Cir. 2009) (Represented Inspector General of MTA and obtained dismissal of case alleging termination of MTA Director Security violated his first amendment free speech rights)
- Duchene, et al. v. Michael Cetta, Inc. d/b/a Sparks Steak House, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 85955 (S.D.N.Y. Sep. 10, 2009) - (Record settlement of FLSA and NYLL claims in the amount of $3.15 million against Sparks Steak House)
- Sanders v. Madison Square Garden, L.P., No. 06 Civ. 589 (S.D.N.Y.) (Represented Isiah Thomas in landmark sex discrimination trial)
- Angrisani v. Long Island R.R., No. CV-01-8453 (SJF)(MDG), 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 42240 (E.D.N.Y. May 25, 2005) (Represented the Long Island Rail Road in discrimination case)
- Shannon v. New York City Transit Authority, 332 F.3d 95 (2d Cir. 2003) (Represented New York City Transit Authority and obtained dismissal of bus driver's claim of disability discrimination due to his color blindness)
Educational Background
- Fordham University School of Law, J.D.
- Cornell University, Industrial and Labor Relations, B.S.
Scholarly Lectures / Writings
- 2020 - Present, Adjunct Professor, "Wage Theft: Employee Rights and Employer Responsibilities", Fordham University School of Law
- 1996 – 2024, Moderator, “How to Handle an Employment Discrimination Case”, New York County Lawyers’ Association
- 2010 – 2025, Moderator, “How to Handle a Wage and Hour Case”, New York County Lawyers’ Association
- 2017-2025, Moderator, “FLSA Math: How to Calculate Wage-Related Damages", New York City Bar Association
- 2019-2025, Program Chair, "Opening a Restaurant in New York City: Legal Issue Bootcamp", Restaurant & Hospitality Law Committee
- March 3, 2020, Author, Rights of Undocumented Workers in Wage Theft Cases, New York Law Journal
- 2020, Speaker, "Employment Law Institute", New York City Bar Association
- 2019, Speaker, "Tip Pooling and Other Wage and Hour Issues in the Hospitality Industry: New FLSA Amendments", Strafford CLE Webinar
- June 12, 2017, Speaker, “Trends in Wage and Hour Claims and Class Actions”, American Conference Institute
- October 24, 2017, Program Chair, "FLSA Math: How to Calculate Wage-Related Damages", Ethical Issues in Employment Law, New York City Bar
- October 24, 2016, Moderator, “FLSA Settlement Issues One Year After Cheeks”, New York City Bar
- September 29, 2016, Moderator, “Top Ten FLSA Litigation Issues: 2016 Edition Webinar”, Bloomberg BNA
- March 11, 2016, Panelist, “Prosecuting & Defending Wage and Hour Cases”, Employment Law Institute at the NYC Bar Association
- March 18, 2016, Panelist, “Opening A Restaurant in New York: Legal Boot Camp”, New York City Bar Association
- March 2, 2016, Speaker, "The Tipping Conference", New York City Hospitality Alliance
- September 30, 2015, Moderator, “Top Ten FLSA Litigation Issues: 2015 Edition Webinar”, Bloomberg BNA
- June 22, 2015, Speaker, “Developments in Gender Discrimination Law”, Employment Discrimination Law & Litigation, Praticising Law Institute Program
- February 2, 2015, Panelist, “Have We Reached the Tipping Point for Tips?”, NYC Hospitality Alliance
- October 6, 2015, Moderator, “Current Issues in Settlement of FLSA Cases”, New York City Bar Association
- October 10, 2014, Speaker, “FLSA On the Clock, Off the Books, and Underpaid?”, NELA/NY Fall Conference, New York Employment Lawyer’s Association
- June 20, 2013, Speaker, “Representing Multiple Plaintiffs in Employment Discrimination Litigation”, Practising Law Institute
- June 6, 2013, Moderator, “Reforming the FLSA”, NYU 66th Annual Conference on Labor: Regulation of Compensation, New York University School of Law, Center for Labor and Employment Law
- May 21, 2011, Moderator, “An Introduction to Wage and Hour Cases”, Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York
Honors
- 10.0 Superb Rating, Avvo
- Employment and Labor Law, Best Lawyer
- Rated AV® – Preeminent, Martindale Hubbel
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2007 - 2025
