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Walter Lewis Haines
Employment Law
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One Worker’s Complaint Can Reveal a Companywide Problem: Walter Haines Built His Career on Employment Class Actions
A missing hour of overtime may look like one employee’s payroll problem. A missed meal break may appear too small to challenge. But when the same practice affects hundreds or thousands of workers, the dispute becomes something larger—a system that may require a class action to change. Walter Haines has spent nearly five decades learning how to recognize that difference.
Haines formed United Employees Law Group in 2005 with a particular focus on employees pursuing unpaid wages. Under his leadership, the practice has assisted with more than 600 class actions and more than 2,000 cases filed across California. Those matters have produced more than $775 million in settlements and awards for workers, often through litigation against corporations with vastly greater financial and institutional resources than any individual employee.
The scale becomes clearer in the names and numbers. Haines’s record includes a $14 million result in Voight v. Cisco Systems, Inc., $11 million in Gruender v. First American Title, $9.9 million in Salsgiver v. Yahoo!, Inc., and $5.8 million in Connell v. Sun Microsystems, Inc. These were not neighborhood employers quietly resolving isolated disagreements. They were major companies confronted through litigation designed to address workplace practices affecting groups of employees.
In Sevag Chalian v. CVS Pharmacy, Inc., a federal judge confirmed Haines as class counsel and approved a settlement fund exceeding $10.37 million. That judicial appointment matters. Class counsel must represent not simply the person who brought the lawsuit, but an entire group of workers whose financial interests depend on the lawyers directing the case.
The $2.2 million settlement in Augusto De Leon v. Ricoh USA, Inc. provides another example. The agreement created a non-reversionary fund, meaning money committed to resolving the case would not return to the employer. The settlement addressed wage-related claims affecting employees in positions that included technicians and field-support representatives, turning alleged payroll violations into a structured recovery for the workforce covered by the agreement.
Federal courts have repeatedly appointed or confirmed Haines as class counsel in cases involving CVS, Salas Concrete, O’Reilly Auto Enterprises, CGI Federal, Hurley International, and other employers. His work is documented across all four federal districts in California. In reviewing his qualifications, one federal court cited his extensive experience in wage-and-hour disputes and found him capable of representing the class vigorously.
That experience is particularly relevant because workplace cases rarely begin on equal footing. Employers control payroll systems, internal communications, scheduling data, policies, and many of the records needed to understand what happened. An employee may know that something feels wrong without knowing whether the problem is personal, widespread, or legally actionable. Haines built his practice around investigating that larger picture.
His professional recognition includes selection to Southern California Super Lawyers in 2014 and 2015. The Anaheim office’s 4.8-star Google rating, based on 162 reviews, adds a substantial measure of public feedback to the courtroom record.
One employee may arrive with one pay stub, one termination, or one unanswered question. What separates Walter Haines is his experience determining whether that individual problem points to something much bigger—and whether collective legal action can make a corporation answer for it.
That combination of experience, reputation, verified professional standing, and public credibility is why Walter Haines was included on FreddieFender.com.
Credentials
- Bachelor of Business Administration, Pace University (1964).
- Juris Doctor, San Fernando Valley College of Law (1974).
- Active member of the State Bar of California, Bar No. 71075; licensed since 1976.
- Admitted to practice before the United States Tax Court.
- Member of the California Employment Lawyers Association.
Career Highlights / Proven Experience
Career Highlights
- Employee-Side Firm Founder: Founded United Employees Law Group in July 2004 and serves as its founding partner. The firm is dedicated exclusively to representing California employees and does not represent employers in employment litigation.
- Nearly Five Decades of Legal Experience: Has practiced law since 1976, giving him nearly 50 years of experience spanning employment litigation, class actions, consumer matters, and related civil practice.
- More Than 600 Class Actions: Haines reports assisting in more than 600 class-action cases against major national and Fortune 500 corporations, along with more than 2,000 total cases filed throughout California.
- More Than $775 Million in Participating Matters: Haines and United Employees Law Group report participating—frequently alongside associated or coordinating counsel—in class, representative, and PAGA matters producing more than $775 million in settlements and awards for California employees.
- Court-Recognized Class-Action Experience: In a sworn declaration discussed by a federal court in 2022, Haines documented representing more than 1,500 clients in wage-and-hour disputes, including over 300 class actions at that point in his career. The court found that Haines and his fellow class counsel appeared experienced, free from conflicts, and prepared to represent the employee class vigorously.
- Repeated Appointment as Class Counsel: Federal courts have appointed or confirmed Haines or United Employees Law Group as class counsel in numerous wage-and-hour matters, including Cavazos v. Salas Concrete, Inc., Morgret v. Applus Technologies, Inc., Avila v. Cold Spring Granite Corporation, and Mitchinson v. Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores, Inc.
- Statewide Federal Litigation Record: His documented employment litigation extends across the United States District Courts for the Central, Northern, Eastern, and Southern Districts of California.
- Longstanding Practice Leadership: Before and alongside United Employees Law Group, Haines led the Law Offices of Walter Haines, served as a partner with Haines, Russ, McMurray & De Reca, and served as president of United Consumer Law Group.
- Super Lawyers Recognition: Selected to the Southern California Super Lawyers list for Employment and Labor Law in 2014 and 2015.
Proven Experience
- $14 Million Cisco Systems Result — Voight v. Cisco Systems, Inc.: Helped obtain a $14 million employment class-action result for employees pursuing wage-and-hour claims against one of the country’s largest technology companies.
- $11 Million First American Title Result — Gruender v. First American Title: Participated in an $11 million recovery through class litigation involving overtime compensation, meal periods, rest breaks, and related California wage protections.
- $9.9 Million Yahoo Result — Salsgiver v. Yahoo!, Inc.: Helped secure a $9.9 million wage-and-hour class result for employees of another major technology company.
- $5.8 Million Sun Microsystems Result — Connell v. Sun Microsystems, Inc.: Participated in a $5.8 million recovery involving overtime and related employee compensation claims.
- $5.625 Million Hallmark Settlement — Fuzell v. Hallmark Marketing Corporation: Helped obtain a $5.625 million employee class settlement that received final approval from a federal court.
- Multiple Additional Multi-Million-Dollar Results: Haines’s reported record includes a $5.4 million result in Louis v. Kaiser Foundation Health Plan; $5.3 million in Beauchamp v. Kaiser Foundation; $4.875 million in Port v. Southern California Permanente; $3.3 million in Hazel v. Connecticut General; and $3 million in Raza v. Broadcom Corporation.
- $2.5 Million Employee Settlement — Morgret v. Applus Technologies, Inc.: Served as class counsel in a wage-and-hour settlement covering employees of an industrial inspection company. The federal court granted final approval of the $2.5 million settlement, with participating workers expected to receive approximately $3,068 on average.
- $2.2 Million Ricoh Settlement — De Leon v. Ricoh USA, Inc.: Represented the plaintiff in a wage-and-hour class and collective action that produced a court-approved, non-reversionary $2.2 million fund for 991 current and former hourly employees. Approximately $1.47 million was designated for direct distribution, only one employee opted out, and no class member objected.
- $500,000 Quarry-Worker Settlement — Avila v. Cold Spring Granite Corporation: Served as class counsel in a wage-and-hour settlement covering 89 hourly employees. Every participating worker received compensation averaging approximately $3,341, with no objections or opt-outs. The federal court characterized the settlement as a strong result for the class.
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