In the News

Haeggquist & Eck named “Best Places to Work in San Diego” 

Haeggquist & Eck is proud to be named one of the “2024 Best Places to Work in San Diego” by the San Diego Business Journal, ranking #26 on the list. This award highlights companies with exceptional workplace cultures, and we’re honored to have earned this recognition based on extensive employee feedback.

At HAE, we are committed to creating an environment where our team thrives. Here are a few things that sets us apart:

  • Quality over quantity: We maintain a small caseload, so we can dive deep and provide the highest level of service.
  • No billable hour requirements: We believe in reducing stress and letting our team focus on what matters most — advocating for our clients.
  • Employee growth: We support our employees’ personal and professional development, including continuing education and skills advancement.
  • A diverse, inclusive team: We actively recruit women, people of color, and members of the LGBTQ+ community to foster a team that reflects the diversity of our clients.
  • Collaborative culture: Teamwork is at the heart of everything we do. You’ll always have support and opportunities to grow alongside passionate professionals.

If you’re passionate about making a difference and want to join our team, we’d love to hear from you!

Haeggquist & Eck Attorneys voted Best Lawyers in America 2025

Author: Haeggquist & Eck

We’re honored to announce that once again Haeggquist & Eck attorneys Alreen Haeggquist, Amber Eck, and Aaron Olsen have been voted Best Lawyers in America for 2025.

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 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.”

Sources:

https://www.bestlawyers.com/about-us

https://www.bestlawyers.com/search?q=Haeggquist+%26+Eck%2C+LLP&sort=relevancy

HAE Awarded Top Labor & Employment Settlements in California in 2023

Author: Haeggquist & Eck, LLP

We have been recognized for obtaining Top 50 Labor & Employment Settlements in California in 2023 on behalf of two of our clients, and Top 100 Labor & Employment Settlements in California in 2023 on behalf of one of our clients. Specifically, we secured placements in the Top 50 for cases #44 and #47, and in the Top 100 for case #68. We are honored to receive this recognition and remain committed to fighting for justice on behalf of our clients.

These victories are particularly significant as they highlight the dedication, effort, and expertise we pour into each case. The three cases recognized were all single plaintiff, involving gender discrimination and/or sexual harassment in the workplace. Notably, 2 out of the 11 single plaintiff cases in the Top 50 list were ours, with the rest being class action suits. This underscores the exceptional results we achieve for individual clients.

At Haeggquist & Eck, we are honored to receive this recognition and remain steadfast in our mission to fight for justice on behalf of our clients. No defendant is too large or powerful for us to tackle. 

Sources:

https://topverdict.com/lists/2023/california/top-50-labor-employment-settlements

https://topverdict.com/lists/2023/california/top-100-labor-employment-settlements

HAEGGQUIST & ECK SELECTED AMONG ‘BEST LAW FIRMS 2024’ BY US NEWS & WORLD REPORT AND BEST LAWYERS 

We are excited to share that Haeggquist & Eck has once again secured a place on the prestigious Best Law Firms list for 2024, as recognized by US News & World Report and Best Lawyers.

The 2024 rankings are founded on the well-established methodology of Best Law Firms, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative data on legal skillset, achievements and client successes collected through a submission process managed by Best Lawyers.

At HAE, our mission is simple and straightforward: to obtain life-changing results and closure for our clients through compassionate representation of the highest caliber.  

We are committed to representing clients throughout California and the nation in complex consumer, employment, and securities class action litigation, as well as individual employment litigation matters, and sexual assault. Our legal team has recovered millions of dollars for our clients in cases involving wrongful termination, sexual harassment, sexual assault, discrimination, retaliation, wage theft, consumer protection, and securities fraud class action cases. No defendant is too large or powerful for us to tackle. 

 

Federal Court Holds All Plaintiffs in Precedent-Setting Title IX Case Can Sue San Diego State University for Retaliation  

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

Press Release from Bailey & Glasser 

In the case’s second key ruling in the past month, U.S. District Court Judge Todd W. Robinson held yesterday that all the female student-athletes who filed the precedent-setting Title IX sex discrimination class action against San Diego State University can sue the school for retaliating against them for asserting their rights. 

On April 12, 2023, the Court held the five Plaintiffs present on a Zoom meeting during which a coach made threatening remarks could sue for retaliation. At that time, however, it held the other twelve Plaintiffs could not. Yesterday, October 10, 2023, the Court amended its previous order and held that all seventeen Plaintiffs could pursue retaliation claims. It noted that SDSU’s actions allegedly “dissuaded some team members from joining the lawsuit or participating as witnesses,” which hampered all Plaintiffs’ “ability to proceed with their Title IX lawsuit without interference.” It ruled that all of the Plaintiffs could seek damages from SDSU for retaliation in the past and those who were enrolled at the school when the case was filed could seek a court order barring SDSU from retaliating in the future.    

“The Court has now made clear that all of the women athletes will be able to hold SDSU accountable for retaliating against them and interfering with their ability to prove their claims,” said Bailey Glasser partner and Title IX Team Leader Arthur Bryant, lead counsel for the women. “Title IX is the law. It prohibits sex discrimination. SDSU should be complying with the law, not retaliating against its female athletes for trying to make it do so.” 

“Our justice system depends on the simple point that litigants cannot intimidate or scare away potential witnesses,” said Bailey Glasser partner Joshua Hammack in Washington, D.C., who took the lead in briefing and arguing the issues. “SDSU tried to do exactly that, and the Court agreed all Plaintiffs deserve their day in court on the resulting retaliation claim.” 

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. 

Plaintiffs’ retaliation claims arise from the following facts: The lawsuit was filed on February 7, 2022, charging the school with depriving women of equal opportunities to compete for athletic financial aid. At that time, SDSU knew the women were preparing to add an equal treatment claim unless SDSU agreed to stop discriminating against female student-athletes. 

Just over a week later, on February 16, 2022, members of the women’s varsity track and field team were called to an impromptu Zoom meeting. At the start of that meeting, SDSU made clear to the five Plaintiffs on the call and nearly forty of their teammates that it was disappointed with the team members who had filed the Title IX suit and cautioned the team that athletics participation was a privilege, not a right, implying that those who assisted with the lawsuit could be removed from the team. This threat made some members of the team wary of joining in the case or helping the women who had filed suit prove their claims. When Plaintiffs asked SDSU to take specific steps to minimize the harm these comments caused, SDSU refused. 

Plaintiffs in the case are former SDSU women’s rowing and track and field team members Madison Fisk, Raquel Castro, Greta Viss, 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 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. 

Less than a month ago, on September 15, 2023, the Court ruled on SDSU’s motion to dismiss in part Plaintiffs’ Third Amended Complaint and found that all Plaintiffs can seek money damages from SDSU for depriving women athletes of equal athletic financial aid. 

Now, with the equal athletic financial aid, equal treatment, and retaliation claims moving forward, the case will proceed to discovery and a decision on the merits.   

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

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.

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