Sarah E. Wyss

Sarah represents and counsels clients in many areas of Labor and Employment law, including providing guidance to employers regarding non-discrimination laws and claims of unlawful retaliation and wrongful termination.

Sarah defends employers in administrative proceedings and lawsuits involving allegations of discrimination based on race, sex, national origin, age, religion and other protected characteristics. Sarah also advises employers in complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act and other federal and state laws involving the workplace.

Sarah also assists employers in developing policy statements covering all aspects of the employment relationship. She prepares employment agreements, separation agreements and restrictive covenant agreements, complying with varying state laws to safeguard against unfair competition by former employees.

Before joining Calfee in 2022, Sarah worked as an Associate Attorney at a nationally recognized employment law firm.

Prior to law school, Sarah gained valuable experience as a judicial extern with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, working with Magistrate Judge William Baughman. During law school, Sarah worked as an extern at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Solicitor, and the National Labor Relations Board.

In 2020, Sarah earned her J.D. from Cleveland State University College of Law, graduating summa cum laude.

She earned her B.A. in 2017 in Political Science, with minors in History, Legal Studies, and Public Service Leadership from Baldwin Wallace University, graduating summa cum laude.

Honors & Recognitions

• CALI Excellence for the Future Awards: Health Care Law & Ethics, Scholarly Writing, Secured Transactions, Constitutional Law Seminar, & International War Crimes

Education

J.D., summa cum laude, Cleveland State University College of Law, 2020

B.A., summa cum laude, Political Science, Baldwin Wallace University, 2017

Experience

• The former employee of Calfee’s client, an Ohio manufacturing company, filed a lawsuit against the company, alleging that he was a victim of age discrimination because his employment was terminated. The Plaintiff had operated his machinery at approximately 10-20% of the speed at which other employees ran their machines, resulting in significant delays and backups. When the company’s plant manager repeatedly instructed him to run his machine at the appropriate speed, Plaintiff refused or would do so only to turn the speed back down when the plant manager walked away. Since his termination, the company’s ability to run and ship products on time has increased dramatically. On behalf of the company, we aggressively defended against the Plaintiff’s allegations. While we were prepared to file a summary judgment motion, we ultimately resolved the case for significantly less than the nuisance value.
• Calfee is serving as counsel for the Defendants in a recent matter involving a former employer who brought claims against the client company for Intentional/Negligent Misrepresentation, Breach of Contract, Promissory Estoppel, Breach of the Implied Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Dealing, Unjust Enrichment, Violation of state Wage Law for failure to pay wages and PTO on the date of his alleged termination, and COBRA Notice Violation. Following a meeting with company management in which the employee was not granted a salary increase they were seeking, the employee departed the company premises for the day, not indicating that they were resigning or would be unavailable for any length of time. After several workdays passed without the Company hearing from Plaintiff despite the Company's attempts to contact the employee, including requesting local law enforcement to perform a wellness check (which proved the employee to be alive and well), it was clear to the Company that Plaintiff had abandoned their job. In the lawsuit, among other damages, the Plaintiff claims they were owed a higher salary than the one indicated in their job offer letter, for the time worked at the Company, that they are owed reimbursement for expenses and various other damages. Calfee aggressively represented the Defendants through initial written discovery, demonstrating to Plaintiff and his counsel that their allegations were untruthful and that they had no legal basis to pursue them. On behalf of our clients, we negotiated a settlement for less than one month of salary to Plaintiff, significantly less than a nuisance value.
• Calfee is serving as counsel for the Defendant in a matter involving a former employee of Calfee's client, a packaging company, producer, and supplier with operations in the U.S. and Canada. The former employer filed a petition against the client company alleging workers' compensation retaliation. Calfee vigorously defended against these baseless claims and was able to negotiate the case to a favorable resolution at a nuisance value.

Professional & Community

• Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, Member
• Ohio State Bar Association, Member