Michael Palmer is the Co-Managing Partner of Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight's New York office and Co-Chair of the firm’s Wage and Hour Practice Group. His practice focuses on the representation of individuals in complex litigations, including wage and hour class actions, False Claims Act and anti-kickback cases, and employment discrimination actions.
Michael serves as lead counsel in Johnson v. Oracle, an arbitration brought on behalf of a class of commissioned sales employees alleging that Oracle America owes the employees for millions of dollars in earned commissions. After Oracle refused to participate in the arbitration, the parties battled in federal court, first in district court and then the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Arguing the issue before the three-judge panel, Michael secured a win from the Ninth Circuit, affirming the lower court’s order compelling Oracle to arbitration.
Michael is also one of the lead trial attorneys in Abrishamcar v. Oracle, a California Private Attorneys General Act ("PAGA") action seeking civil penalties for the violation of state laws governing commission agreements and the timely and full payment of commissions. During the first and second phases of the trial, the Court issued a decision finding Oracle liable for violating the California Labor Code. Plaintiffs anticipate a trial on penalties to begin in 2025.
Michael likewise heads up an overtime class action against telecom company Alaska Communications Systems (“ACS”), in which it’s alleged that ACS misclassified sales employees as exempt from overtime pay under state and federal law. Michael won certification of a class of current and former sales employees and defeated ACS’s attempt to overturn the decision in the Ninth Circuit. After more than nine years of litigation, the parties agreed to settle the multi-million dollar class action in 2021. Also in 2021, Michael litigated a False Claims Act case against Roche Diagnostics and Humana, which administers Medicare Advantage plans, on behalf of a whistleblower who alleged that the defendants engaged in a kickback scheme, resulting in a settlement of more than $12 million. In 2017, Michael litigated a wage and hour case against Google, Inc. on behalf of contract recruiters who alleged that they were denied overtime pay, culminating in a $5.5 million class settlement.
Since graduating from the New York University School of Law in 2004, Michael has devoted his legal career to representing employees and public interest law—recovering millions of dollars for his clients and fighting for individuals’ rights. Michael has been selected multiple times to the New York Metro Super Lawyers list and has been recognized by Lawdragon as one of the 500 Leading Plaintiff Employment Lawyers.
Updated Oct 2024
