Joshua C. Vaughn

Joshua C. Vaughn, a Pittsburgh employment defense attorney, represents employers in collective, class, and hybrid actions brought under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and state wage and hour laws. He has defended employers in the healthcare, financial services, retail, and technology industries in state and federal courts throughout the United States.

Josh has successfully defeated conditional certification in threatened nationwide collective actions, opposed class certification under Rule 23, and has successfully resolved many other cases involving complicated legal and business issues that arise in wage and hour litigation. Josh has significant experience defending against claims for overtime (exemption misclassification, off-the-clock, overtime rate calculation), misclassification of independent contractors, minimum wage, meal and rest breaks, “suitable seats,” reporting time and split shifts, expense reimbursements, waiting-time penalties, and wage statement and wage notice violations.

Josh also has significant experience assisting clients with reviewing, drafting, and rolling out arbitration agreements; enforcing arbitration agreements; and representing clients in individual and mass arbitrations. 

As the shareholder in charge of Littler’s Home Care Toolkit, Josh also counsels and defends home care agencies on the unique pre-employment, ongoing employment, and end-of-employment issues. He has represented home care agencies in class and collective action litigation brought by private plaintiffs and the U.S. Department of Labor, investigations by federal and state labor departments, investigations by federal and state equal employment agencies, investigations by the U.S. Office of Inspector General, and has presented seminars and webinars to multiple home care franchise systems, associations, and industry groups.

In addition to his practice defending and advising employers with respect to complex wage and hour litigation, Josh has helped employers enforce noncompete agreements, and has defended employers against a variety of single plaintiff claims, including claims involving race, age, gender, disability discrimination, harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, wrongful termination, intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress, and unjust enrichment.

Josh regularly partners with clients to conduct wage and hour and employment practices audits, provide guidance regarding hiring and terminations, conduct supervisor and management training related to wage and hour compliance, provide advice regarding complex litigation strategy, and assist clients with conducting employment law due diligence related to mergers and acquisitions.

In the fall 2018 and 2021, Josh served as an adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where he taught a course on Technology and Employment law. Josh also regularly writes and speaks at seminars on employment topics facing employers.