Meghan E. Tepas
Partner
Phone: (312) 360-6454
Fax: (312) 360-6520
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Mary C. Martin
Call(312) 360-6727Email[email protected]
It is amazing what can be accomplished when nobody cares about who gets the credit.
About
About
Meghan Tepas is a Partner in the Litigation and Labor & Employment Practice Groups.
Meghan is passionate about litigation and dogged in her fight to achieve success for her clients, no matter how difficult the case. She approaches each case with creativity, out-of-the-box thinking, and determination. Meghan can and does litigate disputes of all types—including breach of contract, family business disputes, employment disputes, and disputes relating to trusts and fiduciary duty obligations. She also regularly drafts contracts and counsels employers and employees relating to non-compete agreements and restrictive covenants, anti-sexual harassment, and employment discrimination issues.
Outside of work, Meghan loves her all women-lawyers book club, taking French classes, and yoga.
Representative Matters
Representative Matters
Fiduciary Duty and Trust Litigation
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After substituting in as counsel when client was facing judgment being entered against it, Meghan was successful in having Corporate Shareholder Derivative lawsuit against her client dismissed for lack of standing, and successfully defended the dismissal on appeal.
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Successfully defeated motion to dismiss against trust beneficiary client in a multi-million dollar Breach of Trust action against regional corporate trustee.
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Represented family business client in five-day mediation in contentious Breach of Fiduciary Duty action and secured favorable settlement.
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Secured dismissal of multi-count lawsuit alleging Breach of Employment Agreement, Breach of Fiduciary Duty, Fraud, and Shareholder Oppression on behalf of Illinois asset management company, which was affirmed on appeal.
Employment Litigation
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Obtained summary judgment on behalf of national health care client in case filed by employee alleging ADA and FMLA violations. (Federal Court, Indiana)
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Drafted, argued, and won motion to dismiss on behalf of public employer entity accused of violating former employees’ contractual and constitutional right to retiree health care benefits.
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Served as part of the litigation team for global corporate client in a multiple-plaintiff, multiple-defendant child sex abuse case.
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Successfully defeated requests for Temporary Restraining Order on the basis of alleged violations of Non-Compete, Non-Solicitation, and Non-Disclosure agreements.
Contract and Miscellaneous Litigation
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Successfully defended national corporation client against multi-million dollar claw-back action relating to Stanford Ponzi Scheme, and submitted amicus brief to the Texas Supreme Court in related class-action litigation. (Federal Court, Texas)
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Secured dismissal, with prejudice, of complaint alleging Breach of Business Brokerage Contract on behalf of North Carolina technology company.
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Obtained dismissal of lawsuit and appeal of Breach of Contract action on behalf of regional financial institution client.
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Defended national residential alarm services company in multiple Lanham Act lawsuits alleging Unfair Competition and False Advertising. (Federal court, Florida).
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Successful in securing dismissal of complaint alleging violations of Illinois Securities Law, Breach of Contract, and Conspiracy with prejudice, at the outset of the lawsuit.
Employment Counseling
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Conducted months-long investigation and counseled client board of directors through leadership transition following multiple allegations of sexual harassment.
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Conducts company-wide audits to ensure wage and hour and FLSA compliance.
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Regularly counsels clients on COVID restrictions and employer best practices.
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Regularly drafts employment contracts and employee policies and handbooks.
Honors & Awards
Honors & Awards
- 40 Illinois Attorneys Under 40 to Watch, Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, 2020
- Illinois Super Lawyers - Rising Stars - 2019 (cited in multiple years)
- Illinois Leading Lawyers - Emerging Lawyers - 2020 (cited in multiple years)
Professional Activities
Professional Activities
- Steering Committee Member, Freeborn & Peters LLP Women's Leadership Council, 2022
Speaking Engagements
- Presenter, Freeborn & Peters LLP COVID-19 Webinar, "Getting Back to Business: Safely, Legally, and Effectively," (May 28, 2020).
- Co-Presenter, “Commercial Contracts in the Time of COVID-19”, Publicity Club of Chicago Webinar, (April 8, 2020).
Perspectives
Perspectives
News
Insights
Events
Media
Media
Publications
- Contributor, "Employment Termination: Employer Obligations and Workplace Considerations: 2022 Edition," Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education.
- Guest, "Attorneys as Employees," In Re Podcast, Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, August 4, 2022.
- Author, The U.S. Supreme Court Clarifies Employers’ Legal Obligations to Transgender and Homosexual Employees, August 31, 2020.
- Co-Author, Client Alert: New Employment Laws in 2019 and 2020 Increase Employer Obligations, June 22, 2020.
- Co-Author, Client Alert: U.S. Treasury and SBA Offer Additional Guidance on “Paycheck Protection Program” (PPP), April 3, 2020.
- Co-Author, Client Alert: CARES Act Creates New $349 Billion SBA Loan Program to Offer Loans to Eligible Small Businesses, April 1, 2020.
- Author, Client Alert: Considering Layoffs Due to COVID-19? Keep These Things in Mind, March 23, 2020.
- Author, Client Alert: Commercial Contracts in the Time of Coronavirus: Am I still required to perform?, March 20, 2020.
- Author, Employers' Legal Obligations to Transgender Employees-Upcoming Supreme Court Case to Shed Light on the Law, October 3, 2019
- Author, "Curtailing The Tail of Liability for Dissolved Corporations," Civil Litigation Flashpoints, published by the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, June 2014.
- Author, "What’s in a Name?" Civil Litigation Flashpoints, published by the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, February 2013.
- Author, "A Look at Traditional Islam’s General Discord with a Permanent System of Global Cooperation," Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies, 2009.