James M. Sconzo
Partner

Connecticut

Email: jms@jordenusa.com
Phone: 860.392.5022
Fax: 860.392.5058

James Sconzo chairs the Labor & Employment Practice Team. He is principally involved in representing employers in a broad array of employment and labor matters. He also has significant experience in ERISA litigation, commercial litigation, directors and officers' liability and the representation of professionals, such as attorneys, insurance specialists, accountants and others.

Mr. Sconzo has represented employers in a broad range of industries, including entertainment, financial services, transportation, education, healthcare, technology, manufacturing and not for profits. He has defended employers in state and federal courts, before administrative agencies and in arbitration. He has successfully defended employers from claims of age, race, sex and disability discrimination, as well as sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract and common law tort claims. He has represented employers in single plaintiff, multiple plaintiff and class action contexts. He has defended municipalities, school boards, the State of Connecticut and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from civil rights claims. Mr. Sconzo has defended a number of colleges and universities from claims of wrongful denial of tenure, breach of contract and in faculty discipline matters. Mr. Sconzo conducts workplace investigations and training in the areas of sexual harassment prevention, diversity and privacy. He counsels employers on employment and non-disclosure/non-compete agreements and the many laws regulating the workforce, such as the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the WARN Act and Title VII.

In addition to his substantial experience in labor and employment matters, Mr. Sconzo has had extensive experience in ERISA litigation and commercial litigation, including D&O, E&O and professional liability matters.

Mr. Sconzo has acted as a mediator and arbitrator, and regularly counsels clients on alternative dispute resolution.

Prior to joining Jorden Burt, Mr. Sconzo was a partner at a large Connecticut law firm where he organized and chaired that firm's labor and employment practice group.

Representative Matters

• Beary v. ING Life Ins. and Annuity Co., ___F.Supp2d ___ (D.Conn. 2007), 2007 WL3274426
• Sebold v. Middletown, 2007 WL 2782527 (D.Conn. 2007)
• Boland v. Middletown, 2007 WL 2071630 (D.Conn. 2007)
• Comins v. Flodesign, Inc., 2006 WL 2349541 (D.Conn. 2006)
• Favale v. Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport, 235 F.R.D. 553 (D.Conn. 2006)
• Brooks v. Sweeney, 2007 WL 1976089 (Conn.Super.2007)
• Goldfarb v. Town of West Hartford, 474 F.Supp.2d 356 (D.Conn. 2007)
• Morron v. City of Middletown, 464 F.Supp.2d 111 (D.Conn. 2006)
• Clayton v. City of Middletown, 237 F.R.D. 538 (D.Conn. 2006)
• Santoro v. Town of Hamden, 2006 WL 2536595 (Conn.Super. 2006)
• Rivera v. Men's Wearhouse, Inc., 2006 WL 1801705 (D.Conn. 2006)
• Whitaker v. Clear Channel Broadcasting, Inc., 2005 WL 3478352 (D.Conn. 2005)
• Favale v. Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport, 233 F.R.D. 243 (D.Conn. 2005)
• Bond v. City of Middletown, 389 F.Supp.2d 319 (D.Conn. 2005)
• Deguzman v. Kramer, 2005 WL 2030447 (D. Conn. 2005)
• Strohmeyer v. Metropolitan Life Ins. Co., 2005 WL 3963770 (D.Conn. 2005)
• Strohmeyer v. Metropolitan Life Ins. Co., 365 F.Supp.2d 258 (D.Conn. 2005)
• Russ v. Town of Watertown, 2005 WL 734344 (D.Conn. 2005)
• Kasper v. City of Middletown, 352 F.Supp.2d 216 (D.Conn. 2005)
• Levesque v. Town of Vernon, 341 F.Supp.2d 126 (D.Conn., 2004)
• McEwan v. Town of New Canaan, 2004 WL 1897116 (D.Conn. 2004)
• Stiller v. Colangelo, 221 F.R.D. 316 (D.Conn., 2004)
• Geter v. Greater Bridgeport Adolescent Pregnancy Program, 2004 WL 513771 (D.Conn. 2004)
• Jenkins v. Area Co-op. Educ. Services, 2004 WL 413267 (D.Conn. 2004)
• Williams v. City of Torrington, 2003 WL 23185866 (D.Conn. 2003)
• Caffery v. Stillman, 79 Conn.App. 192, 829 A.2d 881 (Conn. App. 2003)
• Nastro v. D'Onofrio, 263 F.Supp.2d 446, 50 UCC Rep.Serv.2d 888 (D.Conn. 2003)
• Jenkins v. Area Cooperative Educ. Services, 248 F.Supp.2d 117 (D.Conn. 2003)
• Adair v. Pfizer, Inc., 245 F.Supp.2d 437 (D.Conn. 2003)
• King-Hardy v. Bloomfield Bd. of Educ., 2002 WL 32506294 (D.Conn. 2002)
• Conlon v. Austin, 48 Fed.Appx. 816, 2002 WL 31262078 (2nd Cir. Conn. 2002)
• King-Hardy v. Bloomfield Bd. of Educ., 2002 WL 32500923 (D. Conn. 2002)
• St. Ledger v. Area Co-op. Educational Services, 228 F.Supp.2d 66 (D.Conn. 2002)
• Legg v. DellaVolpe, 228 F.Supp.2d 51 (D.Conn. 2002)
• Bligh v. Town of Bloomfield, 33 Fed.Appx. 573, 2002 WL 562208 (2nd Cir. Conn. 2002)
• Imme v. Federal Express Corp., 193 F.Supp.2d 519, 146 Lab.Cas. P 59,530 (D.Conn. 2002)
• King-Hardy v. Bloomfield Bd. of Educ., (D.Conn. 2002)
• Oneto v. Town of Hamden, 169 F.Supp.2d 72 (D.Conn. 2001)
• Conlon v. Austin, 2001 WL 34546530 (D.Conn. 2001)
• Local 1150 Intern. Brotherhood of Teamsters v. SantaMaria, 162 F.Supp.2d 68, 168 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2947, 144 Lab.Cas. P 11,157 (D.Conn. 2001)
• McCall v. City of Danbury, 16 Fed.Appx. 77, 2001 WL 964219 (2nd Cir. Conn. 2001)
• Jones v. Gem Chevrolet, 166 F.Supp.2d 647 (D.Conn. 2001)
• McCall v. City of Danbury, 116 F.Supp.2d 316 (D.Conn. 2000)
• Louis v. Pinkerton, Inc., 216 F.3d 1072 (2nd Cir. Conn. 2000)
• Larsen v. Lynch, 1998 WL 229919 (D.Conn. 1998)
• Violissi v. City of Middletown, 990 F.Supp. 93, 40 Fed.R.Serv.3d 689 (D.Conn. 1998)
• Mullen v. Horton, 46 Conn.App. 759, 700 A.2d 1377 (Conn. App. 1997)
• Hill v. Pinkerton Sec. & Investigation Services, Inc., 977 F.Supp. 148 (D.Conn. 1997)
• Nutt v. Norwich Roman Catholic Diocese, 921 F.Supp. 66 (D.Conn. 1995)
• Fulco v. Norwich Roman Catholic Diocesan Corp., 226 Conn. 404, 627 A.2d 931, 8 IER Cases 1216 (Conn. 1993)
• Fulco v. Norwich Roman Catholic Diocesan Corp., 223 Conn. 917, 614 A.2d 821 (Conn. 1992)
• Kelly v. Figueiredo, 223 Conn. 31, 610 A.2d 1296 (Conn. 1992)
• Fulco v. Norwich Roman Catholic Diocesan Corp., 27 Conn.App. 800, 609 A.2d 1034, 30 Wage & Hour Cas. (BNA) 1778, 7 IER Cases 1344 (Conn. App. 1992)

Speeches and Publications

• Panel Moderator: "Strategic Planning When Representing a Client in an Employment Dispute: The Perspectives of Management and Employees", Connecticut Bar Association Annual Meeting, June 9, 2008, Connecticut Convention Center, Hartford, Connecticut.
• Speaker: "Top Ten Employment Issues In 2008," Human Resource Association of Central Connecticut, January 23, 2008.
• Author: "E.E.O.C. v. BCI Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of L.A.: Subordinate Bias Liability - 'The Cat's Paw'", In-House Defense Quarterly, Fall 2007.
• Speaker: "Bottom Line: The One Thing You Must Know About 10 Employment Law Issues," 2007 Advanced Employment Issues Symposium, Las Vegas, NV., Nov. 8-9, 2007
• Panelist: "Let's Talk Labor Law," GC New England Roundtable, Spring 2007
• Speaker: "Subordinate Bias Liability Under Title VII," The Connecticut Bar Association 2007 Annual Meeting, June 18, 2007, Connecticut Convention Center, Hartford.
• Speaker: "Family and Medical Leave Act Master Class," May 8, 2007, Cromwell, CT
• Author: "NASD Eyes Roving Reps," Expect Focus, Spring 2007
• Author: Financial Services Sector Targeted In Litigation, Connecticut Law Tribune, January 22, 2007
• Author: "Financial Services Industry Prime Target For Wage And Hour Claims," Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, November 2006
• Author: "Judges Perform Gastric Bypass on Obesity Claims," Connecticut Employment Law Letter, November 2006.
• Speaker: "The Seven Habits of Highly Ineffective Crisis Management Organizations," Advanced Employment Issues Symposium, October 2006
• Speaker: "Pros and Cons: How Much Can EPLI Minimize Your Company's Risks?" & "Sexual Harassment: Get Your Supervisors Trained Now," Advanced Employment Issues Symposium, Washington, DC, 2005
• Contributing author: "50 Employment Laws in 50 States," M. Lee Smith Publishers, 2005-2008
• Author: "Supervisors and Sexual Harassment," Connecticut Lawyer, December 2003/January 2004
• Author: "Understanding Your Duty to Investigate Complaints of Sexual Harassment," Connecticut Employment Law Letter, December 2002
• Author: "Whistleblower Law Seeks Culture Change; Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 Protects Reporters of Abuse," The Connecticut Tech Tribune, November 2002
• Author: "Watch Out For Whistleblowers," Connecticut Employment Law Letter, October 2002
• Author: "Individual Liability After Perodeau; Connecticut's Anti-Discrimination Statute is Clarified," The Connecticut Law Tribune, May 2002
• Author: "Individuals Aren't Liable Under Connecticut Discrimination Laws," Connecticut Employment Law Letter, April 2002
• Author: "FMLA Leave Can Run Concurrently With Disability Leave," Connecticut Employment Law Letter, October 2001
• Author: "Are Individuals Liable Under Connecticut's Discrimination Laws?" Connecticut Employment Law Letter, September 2001
• Author: "Circuit City: What Does It Resolve?" The Connecticut Law Tribune, July 30, 2001
• Author: "Big Brother is Watching," (Electronic Monitoring), Connecticut Employment Letter, July 2001
• Author: "Have the Conflicts Over Arbitration Finally Been Resolved?" Connecticut Employment Law Letter, June 2001
• Author: "EEOC Cries Foul On Denial of Prescription Contraceptive Coverage," Connecticut Employment Law Letter, January 2001
• Author: "Winning the Battle, but Losing the War (Employee Retaliation)," Connecticut Employment Law Letter, January 2001
• Author: "Control Your Worker's Behavior," Connecticut Employment Law Letter, November 2000
• Author: "Don't Disclose What You Agreed Not To," Connecticut Employment Law Letter, November 2000
• Author: "'Inevitable Disclosure' Can Bar Unfair Competition," Connecticut Law Tribune, November 20, 2000
• Author: "Congress Clarifies Stock Option Impact on Overtime Calculations," Connecticut Employment Law Letter, October 2000
• Author: U.S. District Court Compilation of "Chambers' Practices," Connecticut Bar Association, October 2000
• Author: "Do Hours Make Them Ours? Potential Problems From Using 'Contingency' Workers," The Connecticut Law Tribune, November 1, 1999
• Author: "Employer Monitoring in the Workplace: Right of Risk? What to do About Personnel Problems in Your State," Business and Legal Reports, Summer 1999
• Author: "Settlement of Employment Practices Liability Claims," Occam's Razor, January - March 1998
• Author: "Violence In The Workplace: 50 State Compendium of Significant Case and Statutory Laws," American Law Firm Association, 1997
• Author: "Compendium of Significant Employment - Related Case Law and Statutes," American Law Firm Association, First - Sixth Editions, 1996 - 2003
• Speaker: 10th Annual Advanced Employment Issues Symposium, Washington, DC, and Las Vegas, October and November 2005
• Speaker: "The New Fair Pay Regulations to the FLSA," Advanced Employment Issues Symposium, Atlanta, October 6-8, 2004
• Speaker and Participant: "Mock Jury Trial of Sexual Harassment Lawsuit," Annual Meeting of the Connecticut Independent Insurance Agents, May 2004
• Speaker: "Connecticut Human Resources Law Update," Sterling Education Services, May 2004
• Speaker: "Emerging Issues in Directors and Officers and Employment Practices Liability," symposium at Marsh USA, Inc., April 2004
• Moderator: "Handling Retaliation Claims," Annual Meeting of the CBA, June 2003
• Speaker: "Sexual Harassment Overview and Prevention," Metroguard Insurance/Massamont Insurance Agency Employment Law Symposium, April 2003
• Panelist: "Risk Management For Municipalities in the 21st Century: Legal and Insurance Issues," Semi-Annual Joint Meeting of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, the Public Risk Management Association and the Connecticut Association of Municipal Attorneys, November 2002
• Speaker: 7th Annual Advanced Employment Issues Symposium, Chicago and Las Vegas, October and November 2002
• Panelist: "Settlement of Employment Claims," Annual Meeting of the CBA, June 2002
• Speaker: "Workplace Violence," Semi-Annual Meeting of the Connecticut Chapter of the Public Risk Management Association, July 2001
• Panelist: "Arbitration of Employment Disputes After Circuit City," Annual Meeting of the CBA, June 2001
• Speaker: "Privacy in the Workplace," Semi-Annual Meeting of the Connecticut Chapter of the Public Risk Management Association, July 2000
• Panelist: "Arbitration of Employment Disputes," Annual Meeting of the CBA, June 2000