Biography
Matthew J. Matern is the founding attorney of Matern Law Group PC. With over 25 years of experience as a trial lawyer, he has built a thriving practice on one driving mission: providing all members of the community with fair and equitable access to the highest-quality legal representation available.
Throughout his career, Mr. Matern has championed the cause of vulnerable employees in discrimination, harassment, and wage and hour disputes in state and federal courts. As a lead trial attorney, he counsels clients at both the single-litigant and class-action level, restoring the balance of power to those who have been victimized by illegal practices such as public safety and health violations, sexual and racial discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful termination.
In addition to leading a team of world-class attorneys, Mr. Matern plays an active role in all aspects of the firm’s civil litigation cases – from case inception, law and motion, discovery, and settlement negotiations through final resolution.
Committed to reaching the best possible outcome for each individual case, his efforts have resulted in millions of dollars in settlements and compensation packages, improved working conditions for thousands of employees, clearer definitions of actionable offenses, and landmark courtroom decisions – including a groundbreaking California judgment on “me too” witness testimonies.
Beyond his legal work, Mr. Matern is proudly dedicated to serving his community. He is an active advocate for numerous organizations that protect employee and consumer rights and works to increase philanthropic cooperation through The Satyagraha Foundation – a nonprofit organization he founded in 2017.
Accomplishments/Quick Facts
Selected to the Southern California Super Lawyers list every year since 2009
Consistently rated by Avvo as “Excellent.”
Named as class counsel in over 15 State and Federal class action claims
Led trial teams that have won multimillion-dollar settlements
Set important legal precedents, including a groundbreaking California judgment on “me too” witnesses in sexual harassment and discrimination cases.
A 21st Century Legal Approach
VERDICTS AND SETTLEMENTS
Ventura v. ABM – Secured a judgment of over $1,000,000.
Barba v. Blue Boys, Inc. – Secured a $500,000 award for emotional distress and a $2 million award for punitive damages.
Rich v. Koi Restaurant – Secured a judgement of over $500,000 in compensatory and punitive damages.
Pantoja v. Anton – a groundbreaking California judgment on “me too” witnesses in sexual harassment and discrimination cases.
Fuentes v. AutoZone, Inc. – an important case that helped more clearly define what constitutes sexual harassment.
Julian v. Glenair, Inc. – a precedent-setting case upholding an employee’s rights to be paid properly.
Franco v. Athens Disposal Company, Inc. – a leading case on class-action waivers
ABM Industries Overtime Cases – a case that protected the rights of 55,000 janitors to be paid in accordance with California law.
(Pauley v. CF Entertainment)
Ventura v. ABM Industries, Inc. – the first reported California case using the Unruh Act to prosecute a sexual assault at work.
Reversed a refusal to grant class-action certification by exposing a damaging conflict of interest. st.
Strengthened employee rights against “MeToo” offenders by overturning an outdated legal precedent.
Successfully filed a class-action suit against a regional oil refinery for the environmental and safety hazards it poses to the Torrance, California community.
Collectively, Matern clients have been awarded over $100 million in wage and hour case settlements, and the firm recently secured an arbitration award for $1.7 million in a sexual harassment case.
Settled two particularly difficult and complex related cases in Los Angeles Superior Court for the same Plaintiff for a total of $13.6 million – one case for $11 million, and the second for $2.6 million.
Awarded attorneys’ fees in an employment discrimination and sexual harassment arbitration in Los Angeles for a total of $1.4 million (with a 2.0 multiplier).
Led a trial team that won a sexual harassment trial with a $500,000 award for emotional distress and a $2 million award for punitive damages for two garment workers, plus a $950,000 award of attorneys’ fees.
Successfully represented plaintiffs in two significant trials, securing verdicts of $5.4 million and $700,000.
EDUCATION & ADMITTANCE
Mr. Matern received admittance to the State Bar of California in 1992.
J.D., Southwestern Law School
1992
B.A., Tulane University
1986
United States Supreme Court
United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
California Supreme Court
MEMBERSHIPS & AFFILIATIONS
In addition to Mr. Matern’s professional admittances, he is an active member of California’s legal community:
Member, California Employment Lawyers Association (CELA)
Member, Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA)
IN THE COMMUNITY
Mr. Matern is proudly committed to serving his community, whether it is through outstanding legal services or non-profit work. In pursuit of his passion for social justice, he founded The Satyagraha Foundation in 2017 to support philanthropic collaboration in charitable, educational, environmental, religious, literary, and scientific endeavors.
DO YOU HAVE A CASE? GET IN TOUCH
“IS IT ILLEGAL, OR JUST UNFAIR?”
A free call can get you the answers you’ve been searching for.
Legal cases can be lengthy, complicated, and confusing, but you don’t have to take on the system all by yourself. If you believe someone has violated your individual rights, or the rights of a large group of people in your community, we can help you find the right course of action.
