Matthew Thomas Deffebach

Employment Litigation

• Lagos, et al. v. Cogent Communications (S.D. Tex. 2014) (granting Motion to Decertify nationwide collective action)
• Ihegwood v. Harris County Hospital District, 929 F. Supp. 2d 635 (S.D. Tex. 2013) (granting summary judgment on Title VII and ADA claims)
• Peterson Group v. PLTQ Lotus Group, 417 S.W.3d 46 (Tex. App. – Houston [1st Dist.] 2013) (reversing on alter ego finding)
• Grenado v. White Cap Construction, (El Paso County Court of Law 2012) (granting summary judgment on Chapter 21 discrimination and retaliation claims)

Litigation

• Defense of breach of contract
• Defense of ERISA denial of benefits
• Defense of non-subscriber negligence
• Defense of fraud, breach of contract, and breach of fiduciary duty
• Defense of non-subscriber negligence

Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) and Workplace Disasters 

• Assisted a client with an investigation into a five-alarm fire, which caused over $35 Million in damages
• Successfully defended clients in OSHA administrative trials including fatality matter in Texas, PSM inspection in Texas, fall protection case in California, state-wide machine guarding case in Maryland, and PPE matter in California
• Defended a national employer in two separate OSHA proceedings where the Department of Labor withdrew its citations entirely on the eve of trial in both matters

• Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation
• Trinity University Alumni Association
• American Society of Safety Engineers
• Retail Industry Leaders Association
• American Bar Association OSHA Subcommittee

• Recognized as a leader in Employment, Lexology Client Choice Awards, Lexology, 2022
• Recognized in Chambers USA, Chambers and Partners, for Labor & Employment (Texas), 2019-2023; for Occupational Safety and Health (Nationwide), 2022-2023.
• Named a "Labor & Employment Star," Benchmark Litigation, Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC, 2019-2021.
• Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America, Woodward/White, Inc., in Litigation - Labor and Employment, 2015-2024, Employment Law- Management, 2023-2024. 
• Included in the Houston Business Journal’s 2015 Law Guide of Houston’s Largest Law Firms and Their Top Lawyers, American City Business Journals, 2015.
• Selected for Inclusion in Texas Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters, in Employment and Labor, 2010-2023.
• Received the 2013 International Law Office (ILO) and Lexology Client Choice award as the sole recipient in the Employment and Labor category in Texas, Globe Business Publishing Ltd, 2013.
• Named a "Rising Star" and one of 10 employment lawyers under 40 to watch, Law360 by Portfolio Media, Inc., 2010.
• Selected for inclusion in Texas Super Lawyers – Rising Stars Edition, Thomson Reuters, 2005-2010.
• Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization as a labor and employment law specialist.

• "OSHA Announces Expansion of Submission Requirements for Injury and Illness Data for High-Hazard Industries,” author, OSHA Client Update, August 3, 2023.
• "OSHA Launches National Emphasis Program For Warehouses and Distribution Centers,” author, OSHA Client Update, August 1, 2023.
• “Employers Should Prepare for Increased Fall-Related Inspections,” author, OSHA Client Update, June 2, 2023.
• “Ethical Issues in Hiring Decisions and Legal Issues Using AI,” “OSHA Updates,” presenter, Employment Law Updates, San Antonio, TX, May 9, 2023.
• “Sticky Employee Leave Issues,” presenter, Employment Law Updates, Houston, TX, April 27, 2023.
• “Ethical Issues in Hiring Decisions and Legal Issues Using AI,” “What Is Happening with OSHA?” presenter, Employment Law Updates, Dallas, TX, April 4, 2023.
• “OSHA Expands Enforcement Measures to Deter Violations,” author, OSHA Client Update, February 17, 2023.
• "Cal/OSHA Standards Board Adopts COVID-19 Prevention Non-Emergency Regulations,” author, OSHA Client Update, December 28, 2022.
• “OSHA Issues Notice of Potential Changes to Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals,” author, OSHA Client Update, September 28, 2022.
• “Back to the Office: Implementing a Successful Strategy,” speaker, French American Chamber of Commerce – Texas, May 5, 2021.
• “2021 OSHA COVID-19 Workplace Requirements,” presenter, Training Leader, March 16, 2021.
• "The Impact of a Biden Administration on Texas Businesses," presenter, The Texas Lawbook webinar, March 2, 2021.
• “OSHA Issues Revised COVID-19 Guidance for Workplaces,” presenter, myLawCLE, February 22, 2021.
• “Strange Bedfellows: The Interplay Between CAL and Federal OSHA and OSHA’s Short-Term Agenda,” co-presenter, RILA’s Asset Protection Webinar Series, August 13, 2020.
• “Legal Aspects of Safety and Effective Communication in Legal Proceedings,” presenter, The Center for Risk Management at College of the Mainland, May 29, 2020.
• “Employers Providing Face Masks Should Review Their Health and Safety Obligations,” co-author, LexisNexis, April 6, 2020.
• “COVID-19 and OSHA,” co-author, LexisNexis, March 18, 2020.
• “CAL OSHA, OSHA, and Labor and Employment Update,” presenter, National Armored Car Association’s Annual Meeting, San Diego, California, October 1, 2019.
• “The Lawyer, the Witness and the War Room: Effective Communication and Preparation in Litigation,” presenter, National Safety Council’s 2019 Congress & Expo, San Diego, California, September 10, 2019.
• “Understanding Ethical Responsibilities and Legal Liabilities in Safety,” presenter, The Center for Risk Management at College of the Mainland, La Marque, Texas, March 22, 2019.
• “OSHA Updates for Employment Attorneys,” presenter, Houston Bar Association’s Labor & Employment Section’s Lunch Meeting, Houston, Texas, March 18, 2019.
• “How to Avoid Turning Your Investigation Into a Liability,” presenter, Safety 2018, the American Society of Safety Engineers’ Professional Development Conference, San Antonio, Texas, June 5, 2018.
• “Successfully Navigating Safety-Related Investigations and Legal Proceedings,” presenter, The Center for Risk Management at College of the Mainland, La Marque, Texas, March 2, 2018.
• “The Big Event: The OSHA Trial,” presenter, The American Society of Safety Engineers’ Safety 2017 Professional Development Conference & Exposition, Denver, Colorado, June 20, 2017.
• “What Information Can an Employer Legally and Ethically Use in Making Employment Decisions,” presenter, The Gulf Coast Symposium on HR Issues, Houston, Texas, May 10, 2017.
• “Legal Aspects of Safety,” presenter, The Center for Risk Management at College of the Mainland, La Marque, Texas, April 20, 2017.
• "Helping Employer Clients Stay in Compliance with the Ever-Changing Realm of Employment Law," Chapter author,  Aspatore Books 2016-2017 edition of Complying with Employment Regulations: Leading Lawyers on Analyzing Legislation and Adapting to the Changing State of Employment Law.
• “Personal and Corporate Safety-Related Liability: Who and What can be Sued?” presenter, November ASSE & AIHA Chapter Meeting, Houston, Texas, November 3, 2016.
• “We Have to Do WHAT? Recent Developments in OSHA Law and Practical Advice for Addressing Them,” presenter, 2016 Asset Protection Summer Webinar Series - Retail Industry Leaders Association, webinar, August 30, 2016.
• "The Relationship Between Legal and Safety." presenter, National ASSE Conference, Atlanta, Georgia, June 27, 2016
• “We Have to Do WHAT? Recent Developments in OSHA Law and Practical Advice for Addressing Them.” presenter, Retail Asset Protection Conference, Dallas, Texas, April 18, 2016.
• “Personal and Corporate Safety-Related Liability: Who and What Can Be Sued?” presenter, 2016 Indiana Safety and Health Conference & Expo, Indianapolis, Indiana, March 21, 2016.
• “More Claims, More Problems: Ethical Issues in Workplace Investigations,” presenter, Ethics in Employment Law, Houston, Texas, October 29, 2015.
• “Ethics in Workplace Investigations,” presenter, Ethical Principles for Corporate Counsel in Energy, Houston, Texas, October 15, 2015.
• “OSHA Update 2015,” presenter, Haynes and Boone, Houston, Texas, August 19, 2015.
• “OSHA Law Update: Recent Activity, New Rules and Preserving the Attorney-Client Privilege,” presenter, Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) Retail Asset Protection Conference, Orlando, Florida, May 4, 2015.