Firm News

Alreen Haeggquist Is Named “Top 100 Leaders In Law 2023” By The San Diego Business Journal

October 17, 2023 by Haeggquist & Eck

Haeggquist & Eck, LLP is honored to announce that Managing Partner, Alreen Haeggquist, has been named 2023 Leaders in Law by the San Diego Business Journal (SDBJ). This recognition celebrates outstanding legal professionals in the San Diego County law community based on both professional accomplishments and community achievements.

Alreen’s personal journey has played a significant role in shaping her mission. Her own experiences of childhood abuse have ignited a fire within her to stand up for the victims and to ensure that no one, regardless of their wealth, power, influence, or status, can escape accountability. This personal drive motivated her to establish Haeggquist & Eck, LLP in 2008. As a lawyer with 21 years of experience, she has recovered millions of dollars for clients in cases involving sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful termination. Her legal battles include high-profile entities, ranging from The Salk Institute to Trader Joe’s, Kaiser Permanente, the San Diego Sheriff’s Department, and a President-elect, demonstrating her fearless determination.

However, Alreen’s impact goes beyond her legal work. She believes in breaking the silence and help women stand up to their abusers. In 2023, she bravely shared her own story in the book “Fired Up: Fueling Triumph from Trauma.” This book serves as both a tribute to her clients and an inspiration for others to reclaim their power.

Alreen is a true leader in the workplace. Her commitment to continuous improvement, employee benefits, and transparency cultivates a work environment that feels secure, motivating, and rewarding. Haeggquist & Eck was named San Diego’s Best Places to Work 2023 by San Diego Business Journal, proving she goes above and beyond for her partners and employees.

Furthermore, she gives back to the San Diego community by actively participating on boards and serving as an advisory member for various organizations. She is a founding board member of Think Dignity and a current board member of The Innocence Center. Moreover, she plays an integral role in the Friends Committee of the National Association of Women Judges. In addition, Alreen sponsors many legal associations and events annually such as the Lawyers Club of San Diego, Tom Homann LGBT Law Association, San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association, Think Dignity, and the San Diego County Bar Foundation.

Recently, she established the HAE Law Foundation, which contributes a percentage of her law firm’s profits to charitable causes. Not stopping there, Alreen empowers her employees to give back by providing them with an annual stipend to donate to a charity of their choice. Along with the HAE Team, we volunteer at least once per quarter. Their actions are a testament to the belief that real change comes from active participation in one’s community.

Alreen Haeggquist is not just a legal professional; she is a force for good. Her commitment to justice, her willingness to speak out, and her dedication to giving back to the community make her a true leader in San Diego.

Title IX Sex Discrimination Case Against SDSU Moves Forward Again: Court Holds All Women Athletes Can Sue For Damages, Future Discrimination Can Be Barred

September 19, 2023 by Reports

Haeggquist & Eck, LLP is proud to co-counsel on this landmark case with Bailey & Glasser, LLP and Casey Gerry.

Press Release from Bailey & Glasser:

The precedent-setting Title IX sex discrimination case against San Diego State University for discriminating against its female-student athletes continues to move forward. On April 12, 2023, U.S. District Court Judge Todd W. Robinson confirmed female student-athletes deprived of equal athletic financial aid can sue their schools for damages—and held ten of the women suing SDSU could do so. Late Friday afternoon, September 15, 2023, ruling on SDSU’s motion to dismiss in part Plaintiffs’ Third Amended Complaint, Judge Robinson held that all seventeen of the women suing SDSU can seek such damages.

The court also rejected SDSU’s argument that, because the case had already taken so long that the women are no longer student-athletes, they could not seek a court order stopping the school from discriminating in the future. It held that, if the case went forward as a class action, those who were student-athletes when the case was filed could also seek a court order protecting future student-athletes.

“This is a huge victory for the women athletes and everyone who cares about stopping sex discrimination at SDSU and nationwide,” said Arthur Bryant of Bailey Glasser, LLP, in Oakland, CA, lead counsel for the women. “The school has cheated its female student-athletes out of millions of dollars of equal athletic financial aid in the past few years alone—and it still hasn’t changed its ways. Now, all the women who decided to stand up and fight can make SDSU pay. And the school won’t be able to keep discriminating in the future just because it’s delayed judgment day so far. “

“This critical ruling confirms what we’ve said all along—these brave women deserve their day in court to hold SDSU accountable for its past discriminatory behavior and to prevent it from engaging in discriminatory behavior in the future,” said Joshua Hammack of Bailey Glasser, LLP in Washington, DC, who took the lead in briefing and arguing the issues. “This order ensures Plaintiffs can pursue both goals in court, which is an important victory for them, for justice, and for women everywhere.”

“We hope and believe this ruling will make a big difference,” said Plaintiff and former SDSU rower Natalie Figueroa. “A key point of our suit is that women were not given an equal opportunity to receive athletic financial aid. That was discrimination. I and other female student-athletes could and would have gotten more aid if we were given an equal opportunity to do so.”

In addition to Figuero, the lawsuit was filed by past and then current SDSU student-athletes Madison Fisk, Raquel Castro, Greta Viss, Clare Botterill, Maya Brosch, Olivia Petrine, Aisha Watt, Helen Bauer, Carina Clark, Erica Grotegeer, Kaitlin Heri, Kamryn Whitworth, Sara Absten, Eleanor Davies, Alexa Dietz, and Larisa Sulcs.

In addition to Bryant and Hammack, the women are represented by Bailey Glasser’s Lori Bullock in Des Moines, IA, and Cary Joshi in Washington, DC, along with co-counsel Amber Eck and Jenna Rangel of Haeggquist & Eck, LLP, and David S. Casey, Jr., and Gayle Blatt of Casey Gerry in San Diego.

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits all educational institutions that receive federal funds, including SDSU, from discriminating on the basis of sex. It requires schools to provide male and female student-athletes with equal participation opportunities, athletic financial aid, and treatment, and prohibits them from retaliating against anyone for challenging sex discrimination at the school. In the SDSU case, the women are suing for equal athletic financial aid, equal treatment, and retaliation.

Haeggquist & Eck named 2023 “Best Places to Work in San Diego” by the San Diego Business Journal

September 1, 2023 by Haeggquist & Eck

The San Diego Business Journal’s Best Places to Work Awards program recognizes outstanding companies whose benefits, policies and practices are among the best in the region. HAE is truly honored to win this award because it cannot be bought. The Best Places to Work award is based on an extensive review process and anonymous surveys of our employees. 

Creating a great workplace where employees are eager to give their best effort every day is challenging. Being named to the list demonstrates that our organization has what it takes to recruit and retain a highly engaged workforce.

Haeggquist & Eck celebrated its 15^th anniversary in 2023. In addition to the amazing insurance benefits we provide, here are some additional benefits to working at HAE:

We focus on quality of cases, not quantity. As an attorney, you will have a relatively small number of cases, so you can go dive deep into each case and provide the best possible representation and service for your clients.

We have no billable hour requirements. Litigation is stressful by itself. You don’t need to add the stress of billable hours.
We support your development as an employee, as a person, and as a citizen. Any type of continuing education you want to take that advances your role at the firm and provides you with the opportunity to better serve your clients, we will support you and help make it happen.
You will be joining a high-energy team of professionals who are passionate and excited about their work and their mission in the world.
We proactively recruit women, people of color, and people from the LGBTQIA+ communities. We believe that people from historically marginalized communities have a special insight into the experiences and oppression that our clients have faced in their workplaces.
All work is collaborative. You’re never on your own. Your work will never be static. We all care about bettering our careers, bettering the firm, and bettering our client experience.

If you are interested in joining our team, let us know.

Haeggquist & Eck Attorneys voted Best Lawyers in America 2024 and Alreen Haeggquist is voted Lawyer of the Year for 2024.

August 24, 2023 by Haeggquist & Eck

We’re honored to announce that Haeggquist & Eck attorneys Alreen Haeggquist, Amber Eck, and Aaron Olsen have been voted Best Lawyers in America for 2024. Alreen Haeggquist was additionally voted Lawyer of the Year for 2024. This award is particularly impressive, as it is presented to a single lawyer in each practice area and geographic region.

At Haeggquist & Eck, we strive for excellence in all that we do to provide our clients with the best legal representation possible. These awards are meaningful to Haeggquist & Eck because they are the result of multiple peer review surveys. To be recognized by other lawyers as one of the Best Lawyers and Lawyer of the Year is truly gratifying and says a lot about our team.

“Best Lawyers is the oldest and most respected peer-review publication company in the legal profession.

Recognition by Best Lawyers is widely regarded by both clients and legal professionals as a significant honor, conferred on a lawyer by their peers. For more than four decades, our publications have earned the respect of the profession, the media and the public as the most reliable, unbiased source of legal referrals anywhere.

Our lists of outstanding lawyers are compiled by conducting exhaustive peer review surveys in which tens of thousands of leading lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers. If the votes for a lawyer are positive enough for recognition by Best Lawyers, that lawyer must maintain those votes in subsequent polls to remain in each edition. Lawyers are not permitted to pay any fee to participate in or be recognized by Best Lawyers.” Source: https://www.bestlawyers.com/about-us

Four Haeggquist & Eck Attorneys Named California Super Lawyers; Alreen Haeggquist & Amber Eck Named to Top 25 Women, Top 50 Attorneys Lists

May 15, 2023 by Haeggquist & Eck

We are proud to announce that Haeggquist & Eck attorneys Alreen Haeggquist, Amber Eck, Aaron Olsen, and Jenna Rangel have been selected for the 2023 California Super Lawyers list. Each year, no more than five percent of the lawyers statewide are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor.

In addition to being named Super Lawyers, Alreen Haeggquist and Amber Eck were each selected for inclusion in the Top 25 Women San Diego Super Lawyers list and the Top 50 San Diego Super Lawyers
list.

Alreen has been named a San Diego Super Lawyer every year since 2016 and was selected for inclusion in the Top 25 Women Super Lawyers and Top 50 San Diego Super Lawyers every year since 2019.

Amber has been named a San Diego Super Lawyer every year since 2017 and was selected for inclusion in the Top 25 Women Super Lawyers and Top 50 San Diego Super Lawyers every year since 2020.

Aaron has been named a San Diego Super Lawyer every year since 2015.

Jenna was named Super Lawyers Rising Star 2019-2020 and named San Diego Super Lawyer 2022-2023.

Why is Being Named Super Lawyers an Honor?

Super Lawyers is not a list you can pay to be included. Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and
professional achievement. The annual selections are made using a patented multiphase process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, an independent research evaluation of candidates and peer
reviews by practice area. The result is a credible, comprehensive, and diverse listing of exceptional attorneys.

Please join us in congratulating Alreen, Amber, Aaron and Jenna for this incredible honor!

Sex Discrimination Case Against SDSU Moving Forward on All Counts: Equal Athletic Financial Aid, Retaliation, and Equal Treatment

April 14, 2023 by Haeggquist & Eck

SDSU Women Win Nation’s First Ruling that Female Student-Athletes Denied Equal Athletic Financial Aid Can Sue Their Schools for Damages

Haeggquist & Eck, LLP are Co-Counsel on this landmark case with Bailey & Glasser, LLP and CaseyGerry.

Justice marches forward: U.S. District Court Judge Todd W. Robinson held on April 12, 2023 that the female student-athletes suing San Diego State University (SDSU) for violating Title IX can pursue all three of their claims – for equal athletic financial aid, equal treatment, and retaliation. The decision is the first in the nation to hold that female student-athletes deprived of equal athletic financial aid can sue their schools for damages.

“This is a major step forward for women and against sex discrimination at SDSU and nationwide,” said Arthur H. Bryant of Bailey & Glasser, LLP, in Oakland, CA, lead counsel for the women. “When we filed these claims, I said SDSU seemed to be aiming for the Title IX sex discrimination trifecta. It has been cheating its female student-athletes out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in equal athletic financial aid each year. It is giving its male student-athletes far better treatment than its female student-athletes. And it blatantly retaliated against its female student-athletes for standing up for their rights. Now, it can be held accountable.”

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits all educational institutions that receive federal funds, including SDSU, from discriminating on the basis of sex. It requires schools to provide male and female student-athletes with equal opportunities, athletic financial aid, and treatment, and prohibits them from retaliating against anyone for challenging sex discrimination at the school.

On November 1, 2022, the Court denied SDSU’s motion to dismiss the women’s equal treatment claims, but entered an order dismissing the equal athletic financial aid and retaliation claims unless the women provided more details to support them. The Court’s April 12, 2023, ruling allows all three claims to proceed, although it limits the ability of some of the women to pursue some of the claims.

In regard to the athletic financial aid claims, the Court noted: “Plaintiffs’ Second Amended Complaint provides data going back to 2010 showing that SDSU has provided female student-athletes as a group between 4.17% and 8.98% less financial aid than the proportional amount for the eleven years for which data is available.” It said: “the Court finds that collegiate female student-athletes bringing a Title IX disproportionate financial aid claim can allege an injury-in-fact by providing sufficient facts to show that: (1) a barrier deprived them of the opportunity to compete on an equal basis as the male student-athletes for a proportional pool of money; and (2) that they were able and ready to compete for that money.” And it added: “The Court has the power to award compensatory damages by awarding damages that put Plaintiffs in as good of a position as they would have been had SDSU provided proportional pools of athletic financial aid to men and women, thereby affording the female student-athletes the opportunity to compete for a proportional pool of money.”

Plaintiff Greta Viss said, “We are delighted that all three claims in our case are going forward. SDSU’s male athletes got their one shining moment on the basketball court. We aren’t being given the same treatment or support, so we are fighting for our shining moment in federal court.”

In addition to Viss, the lawsuit was filed by past and current SDSU student-athletes Madison Fisk, Raquel Castro, Clare Botterill, Maya Brosch, Olivia Petrine, Aisha Watt, Helen Bauer, Carina Clark, Natalie Figueroa, Erica Grotegeer, Kaitlin Heri, Kamryn Whitworth, Sara Absten, Eleanor Davies, Alexa Dietz, and Larisa Sulcs.

In addition to Bryant, the women are represented by Bailey Glasser’s Lori Bullock in Des Moines, IA, and Cary Joshi and Joshua Hammack in Washington, DC, along with co-counsel Amber Eck and Jenna Rangel of Haeggquist & Eck, LLP, and David S. Casey, Jr., and Gayle Blatt of Casey Gerry in San Diego. Hammack took the lead in briefing and arguing the issues.

“This ruling represents an important milestone for this remarkable group of female athletes as they fight to hold SDSU accountable for intentional sex discrimination,” said Jenna Rangel of San Diego law firm Haeggquist & Eck. “The significance of Judge Robinson’s decision truly cannot be overstated. We look forward to advancing this case both on behalf of these incredible plaintiffs and for female athletes throughout the country.”

Bryant has successfully represented more female (and male) athletes and potential athletes in Title IX litigation against schools and universities than any lawyer in the country. He leads the Bailey Glasser Title IX team that has recently won groundbreaking settlements for female student-athletes at eight universities that announced they were eliminating women’s varsity intercollegiate athletic teams: Brown University, the College of William & Mary, the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, East Carolina University, Dartmouth College, the University of St. Thomas, La Salle University, and Dickinson College. The team also won a historic settlement – the first Title IX victory ever for male student-athletes – with Clemson University after the school became the first facing class actions suits by both its male and female student-athletes for violating Title IX by discriminating against them in different ways.

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