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Ariel (Ari) Y. Graff
Founding Partner Of Filosa Graff Law Firm
Mr. Graff specializes in employment law, with a focus on workplace harassment and discrimination, wrongful termination, breach of contract, whistleblowing, and wage and hour violations. He has successfully represented employees, executives and companies in all aspects of litigation, including federal and state court trials and appeals. Mr. Graff also devotes a significant portion of his practice to counseling and representing individual and corporate clients in drafting employment contracts, severance agreements, and workplace policies, as well as negotiating out-of-court settlements of employment-related claims.
Mr. Graff is a graduate of the UCLA School of Law, where he served as a Managing Editor of the UCLA Law Review. He received his B.A., cum laude, from Brandeis University. Avvo, a well-respected lawyer-rating agency, rates Mr. Graff at 10.0, its highest rating ("superb"). Mr. Graff was also selected to the 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 lists of Rising Stars in New York. Each year, no more than 2.5 percent of lawyers in the state are selected by Super Lawyers to receive this honor.
Mr. Graff is admitted to practice in New York State Courts, the U.S. District Courts for the Southern, Eastern, Northern and Western Districts of New York, and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. His work has been published in the UCLA Law Review and the University of Hawaii Law Review.
Representative Cases
- Secured certification of a class of more than 10,000 food service employees in federal wage and hour class action involving tens of millions of dollars in damages.
- Represented female executive against international Japanese bank in relation to allegations of gender discrimination involving millions of dollars in damages.
- Represented former executive of international bank in relation to claims for breach of contract involving millions of dollars in damages.
- Represented advertising sales employee in federal civil suit involving million-dollar breach of contract and overtime damages.
- Federal court jury verdict for employee in construction industry on claims for discrimination and wrongful termination on basis of religion.
- Successful defense of E-commerce Company in federal class action lawsuit alleging millions of dollars in damages.
- Jury verdict for employee on claims for assault and battery by co-worker in workplace.
- Secured dismissal of lawsuit alleging breach of contract claims against operator of online marketplace.
- Represented former executive in litigation and successful resolution of whistleblower claims for misuse of public funds by educational corporation.
- Litigation and $700,000 settlement for unpaid wages on behalf of 11 food service workers.
- Multi-million dollar jury verdict for employee in hospitality industry on claims for retaliation in violation of federal, state and local law.
