Attorneys at Matern Law Group are Passionate About Providing a Voice for Employees
By Shane Nelson
Special to the Daily Journal
About a year ago, longtime employment litigator Matthew J. Matern started hosting a weekly radio show on KABC in Los Angeles, discussing social issues and politics with activists, authors and California state officials.
Matern said interviewing guests on the program hasn’t been a complete departure from work he’s done as an attorney for the past 30 years.
“It’s like taking a deposition without having the same rules apply,” he said with a chuckle. “It’s really been a lot of fun.”
Discussion topics cover a great deal of ground, according to Matern, but environmental issues come up frequently, in part because those challenges are of significant interest to the attorney.
Matern said his firm – Matern Law Group PC – is litigating a case against Exxon Mobil Corp., representing a now certified class of property owners who claim oil leaks and fires at the Torrance refinery resulted in hazardous groundwater and air quality contamination. Arnold Goldstein v. Exxon Mobil Corporation, 2:17-cv-02477 (C.D. Cal., filed March 30, 2017).
The environmental class action is a significant departure from Matern Law Group’s longtime focus on representing plaintiffs in individual employment complaints – cases often involving wrongful termination, harassment or discrimination claims — as well as the shop’s extensive background in wage-and-hour class actions.
Matern said litigating against Exxon Mobil has required a substantial commitment, mentioning the cost and time required to square off against a massive oil corporation.
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