Katz Banks Kumin LLP

02/02/2026

Today, a career scientist at the National Institutes of Health filed a whistleblower complaint with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel alleging unlawful retaliation for speaking out about the politicization of science and the cancellation of critical public health research.

Dr. Jenna Norton, a Program Director at NIH, alleges that after raising concerns internally, with Congress, and publicly in her personal capacity, she was placed on indefinite, involuntary administrative leave without explanation, in violation of federal whistleblower protections.

Katz Banks Kumin and Dunn Isaacson Rhee represent Dr. Norton in this matter and are seeking her immediate reinstatement and confirmation that the personnel action taken against her was unlawful.

Learn more about the case here: https://katzbanks.com/news/nih-scientist-files-whistleblower-complaint-alleging-retaliation-by-hhs-and-nih-for-speaking-out-against-politicization-of-science-and-unlawful-grant-terminations/

01/28/2026

Social Security whistleblower client Charles Borges and KBK partner Debra Katz joined Amna Nawaz on PBS NewsHour to discuss allegations that DOGE officials illegally accessed sensitive data in March 2025.
Watch the interview ⬇️

Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice confirmed, in a court filing for another case, that DOGE officials had access to this data and hosted information on a third-party server.

Learn more here: https://katzbanks.com/news/borges-doj-filing/

The Social Security Administration says members of Elon Musk’s DOGE team working at the agency accessed and shared sensitive data. The latest disclosure from the Trump administration seemed to confirm...

09/16/2025

Today, a New York State Court dismissed all of Harvey Weinstein's groundless fraud claims against KBK client Irwin Reiter.

A New York state Court found Mr. Weinstein's vague, baseless claims of fraud against Mr. Reiter were a deliberate tactic to intimidate Reiter before Weinstein's sexual abuse retrial in New York. A judge dismissed Weinstein's claims, then ordered Weinstein to pay Mr. Reiter’s attorneys’ fees in a critical ruling under NY’s Anti-SLAPP law, characterizing the suit as a “tactical vehicle to target Reiter on the eve of Weinstein’s second criminal trial.”

KBK partner Hugh Baran said, "Harvey Weinstein and other abusers should take note: New York courts will not be used as a weapon to torment those who exposed or suffered serial sexual abuse.”

Mr. Reiter bravely came forward in 2017 to blow the whistle on Weinstein’s history of sexual abuse.

Read more at Variety https://variety.com/2025/film/news/harvey-weinstein-revenge-lawsuit-whistleblower-dismissed-1236520947/

07/01/2025

New restrictions on noncompete agreements in Florida, Virginia, and Wyoming go into effect today. States have widely varying restrictions on noncompete agreements, ranging from complete bans on noncompete agreements, restrictions to certain wage thresholds and industries, or no restrictions at all.

Senior associate Rachel Green authored a deep dive into the current state of every noncompete law across all 50 states. In addition to their commentary on noncompete laws, the firm compiled an interactive map to better understand the status of noncompete agreements in every state.

Read Mx. Green’s piece here: https://katzbanks.com/employment-law-blog/noncompete-guide/

Check KBK’s U.S. Noncompete Agreement Restrictions 50 State Survey here: https://katzbanks.com/noncompete-map/

04/28/2025

KBK has joined The Legal Aid Society in filing a class action lawsuit on behalf of home health care workers against Public Partnerships, LLC (PPL), for its widespread wage theft violations since it became the sole intermediary for New York’s Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP)—a New York State Medicaid program that empowers older adults and people with disabilities to hire, train, and manage their own home care workers.

Regarding the allegations, KBK Partner Hugh Baran commented that, “Our lead plaintiff in the case, Mr. Calderon, is a home care worker who has not been paid by PPL since the start of the month. Not only is that unfair and morally wrong, it is against the law. PPL has not paid tens of thousands of home care workers in New York accurately, on time, or at all, putting them on the brink of financial ruin."

The complaint seeks damages for PPL’s failure to pay required wages — including overtime and wage parity compensation — under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the New York Labor Law, and the New York Wage Parity Act.

https://katzbanks.com/news/ny-home-care/

04/09/2025

Katz Banks Kumin LLP has joined Democracy Forward in representing Jocelyn Samuels, a Commissioner for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, in filing suit against the Trump Administration. The lawsuit challenges the President’s unlawful termination of Ms. Samuels as a Commissioner in January. EEOC Commissioners have fixed terms dictated by law.

Partner Lisa Banks said, “In removing Commissioner Samuels, President Trump undermined the civil rights protections afforded by the EEOC to all working Americans. As stated in the civil complaint filed today, removing Commissioner Samuels without cause from an independent, multi-member agency like the EEOC is illegal, plain and simple, which is why it has never been done in the agency’s 61-year history. This is just one more example of President Trump’s partisan effort to weaken our federal government and the constitutional foundation of this country."

Read more: https://katzbanks.com/news/samuels-lawsuit/

04/04/2025

Katz Banks Kumin LLP is proud to join an amicus brief opposing recent actions by the Trump Administration that target law firms which represent clients and causes that are disfavored by the President.

The brief asserts that recent executive orders that deprive law firms of security clearances and access to federal buildings, including courthouses, and which threaten the firms' clients with loss of government contracts, are unconstitutional and an attack on the rule of law.

Read more on this here: https://katzbanks.com/news/trump-amicus/

The attorneys at Katz Banks Kumin will continue to represent individuals who blow the whistle on wrongdoing, including those in the Trump Administration. Learn more about the firm’s whistleblower work here: https://katzbanks.com/practice-areas/whistleblower-law/

04/04/2025

Hugh Baran was featured in an article in Law360 regarding the KBK's recent public comment opposing proposed changes to the American Arbitration Association’s Employment Arbitration Rules. 150 law firms, bar associations, and organizations joined KBK in this comment.

In the article, Mr. Baran discusses the ways that these rules, if adopted, would place unfair burdens on workers who are forced to resolve employment disputes through arbitration.

Read the article: https://katzbanks.com/news/aaa-rules-law-360/

More about KBK’s advocacy in this area: https://katzbanks.com/news/unfair-arbitration-rules/

02/18/2025

KBK partner Avi Kumin planned and will moderate a panel at the Federal Bar Association Qui Tam Conference this Friday, February 21st.

The panel, "Dealing with Retaliation Claims" will be an in-depth discussion over the logistical, legal, and ethical challenges attorneys face on both sides when managing False Claims Act and other retaliation claims brought alongside qui tam cases.

Learn more about the panel here: https://katzbanks.com/news/fba-panel/

02/04/2025

Katz Banks Kumin and Hutchinson Black and Cook, LLC have filed an objection to the proposed settlement in House v. NCAA on behalf of ten female student-athletes, arguing that it fails to provide fair compensation to female student-athletes. The objection, filed by John Clune, Ashlyn Hare, and Rebecca Peterson-Fisher, highlights that the settlement’s allocation formula for past NIL damages (totaling $1.976 billion) conflicts with Title IX, making the proposed settlement as currently structured unfair to female student-athletes.

The objection, filed on January 31, 2025, urges the court to reject or revise the settlement to ensure equitable relief for all athletes. Read more about the filing here: https://katzbanks.com/news/hutchinson-black-and-cook-and-katz-banks-kumin-file-objection-on-behalf-of-ten-female-athletes-to-class-settlement-in-house-v-ncaa/

01/28/2025

Lisa Banks and Debra Katz are representing Charlotte A. Burrows, former Chair and Commissioner of the EEOC. She was fired on Monday by President Trump.

Statements from Ms. Burrows and Ms. Banks here: https://katzbanks.com/news/burrows/