Washington has strong laws designed to protect employees and consumers from unfair, discriminatory, and unlawful practices. In Seattle, additional local protections may also apply. These laws can affect everything from wages, workplace discrimination, harassment, and retaliation to consumer transactions, privacy, and the handling of personal information.
Yet violations still occur. Employees may be denied wages, subjected to discrimination, retaliated against for asserting their rights, or terminated unlawfully. Consumers may face deceptive business practices, misuse of sensitive information, data privacy violations, or other forms of corporate misconduct.
At Matern Law Group, PC, our attorneys advocate for people whose rights have been violated in the workplace and marketplace. We handle individual claims as well as class and representative actions involving conduct that affects larger groups of employees or consumers.
Contact Matern Law Group if you believe your rights have been violated in Seattle or elsewhere in Washington. Our team can help you understand your legal options and determine what steps may be available to you.
Washington employees are protected by federal, state, and, in some circumstances, Seattle laws governing wages, discrimination, harassment, leave, retaliation, workplace safety, and other employment practices.
Workplace rights issues may involve:
Employees may have protections under federal and Washington law as well as Seattle labor ordinances. Which laws apply depends on the circumstances, employer, location, and type of claim.
If you believe an employer has violated your rights, documenting what happened and seeking legal guidance can help you understand your options. Call us today.
Employees should not have to tolerate unlawful discrimination or harassment at work. Washington law provides protections against discrimination based on protected characteristics, and federal protections may also apply.
Harassment can include verbal, physical, or other conduct that creates an unlawful hostile work environment. Discrimination can affect hiring, firing, promotions, compensation, assignments, and other terms and conditions of employment. Employees may also have legal protections against retaliation for reporting unlawful conduct or asserting workplace rights.
Washington generally follows the at-will employment rule, but that does not give employers unlimited authority to fire workers for unlawful reasons. Employers may not terminate or retaliate against employees for exercising certain protected rights.
Retaliation can include termination, demotion, reduced hours, discipline, or other adverse actions. If you believe you were punished for reporting misconduct, requesting protected leave, raising wage concerns, or exercising another legal right, an attorney can help evaluate the circumstances.
Legal protections in Washington extend beyond the workplace. Consumers may have claims involving unfair or deceptive business practices, unauthorized charges, misleading representations, privacy violations, data breaches, or the improper collection and use of sensitive information.
Washington has also enacted privacy protections addressing certain categories of personal information, including consumer health data. As businesses collect increasingly large amounts of personal information, questions about how that information is collected, shared, sold, stored, and protected have become increasingly important.
Consumer and privacy matters may involve:
Our attorneys represent individuals in complex disputes involving employers, businesses, and other organizations. Depending on the case, legal representation may involve investigating what happened, reviewing documents, identifying applicable laws, negotiating with opposing parties, and pursuing claims through litigation.
Our attorneys can help with:
Because filing deadlines vary significantly depending on the type of claim and law involved, it can be important to seek legal advice promptly after discovering a potential violation.
Class actions can allow people with similar claims arising from common conduct to pursue their rights collectively. These cases may involve employees affected by the same workplace policies or consumers harmed by the same business practices.
Potential class actions can involve wage and hour practices, discrimination, consumer protection, privacy, data security, and other widespread conduct. Whether a case can proceed as a class action depends on the facts, applicable law, and whether the legal requirements for class treatment are satisfied.
Matern Law Group is committed to seeking justice, protecting individual rights, and holding employers and companies accountable. Our attorneys handle complex individual and class litigation with a strategic, client-centered approach.
Whether the issue arises in the workplace or marketplace, our goal is to help clients understand their rights and pursue meaningful legal remedies.
Legal action may provide an opportunity to:
If you believe your employee, consumer, or privacy rights have been violated in Seattle or elsewhere in Washington, contact Matern Law Group, PC for a consultation or fill out our online form.
Our attorneys have helped employees and consumers achieve significant results in complex employment and class action matters.
$8.5M Settlement
MLG secured a $8.5 million settlement resolving class and PAGA claims alleging meal & rest break, overtime, wage statement, & reimbursement violations.
View case result$3.2M Settlement
Matern Law Group secured a $3.2 million settlement for more than 4,600 restaurant employees over alleged California Labor Code violations.
View case result$20.5M Recovered
Save Mart retirees sued over canceled lifetime medical benefits, alleging ERISA violations; a preliminary settlement was reached and finalized in 2025.
View case result$4.3M Settlement
Matern Law Group secured a $4.3 million settlement for 628 restaurant and nightclub workers after nearly nine years of litigation.
View case resultEmployers and businesses wield significant power, and unfair treatment can upend an employee’s life. Discrimination and harassment can undercut an employee’s self-esteem, sense of safety, and mental and physical health. Often, our clients are eligible to receive compensation for the mistreatment they experienced. We will help you understand your rights as a Washington worker and guide you through the complicated legal system to obtain the justice you deserve.
Litigation is our specialty, and we believe all workers should be protected in the legal system. That’s why Matern Law Group works to empower, support, and champion each client. We are proud of our history of representing workers from across the state. Our clients come from all industries, backgrounds, and income levels. Our team has handled a variety of different disputes between companies and their employees. We have represented individual workers and groups of workers who experienced similar mistreatment. We care about protecting those who need it most. Whether or not you are familiar with the legal system or your rights as an employee, our attorneys and legal assistants will help you through the process and ensure a favorable outcome.
We aim to make our law firm more than just a business. With our team of experienced, tenacious employment lawyers, we are ready to protect your rights. If you believe you experienced illegal mistreatment, contact our team of attorneys and get a free consultation. You have a right to a safe, ethical workplace.
