Maria C. Rodriguez

Rodriguez scored two big wins for convenience store chain Circle K.

That first win hinged on an admission by the lead plaintiff, who filed the lawsuit under the Fair Credit Reporting Act but said in a deposition his true motivation for filing the lawsuit had nothing to do with his claims. She secured the dismissal of the federal class action complaint against the company last year.

In December, Rodriguez and her team secured the second win against the same plaintiffs, after they filed an identical complaint in state court. Limon v. Circle K Stores, Inc., CV-20-002630 (Stanislaus Super. Ct., filed Jun. 11, 2020). Limon v. Circle K Stores Inc., 1:18-cv-01689-SKO (E.D. Cal., filed Dec. 11, 2018).

Now, the case is on appeal.

The cases are important because they represent “an abuse of the legal system,” she said.

The plaintiff’s lawsuit was challenging provisions in Circle K’s disclosure and authorization forms that gave the company authority to run background checks.

But in the deposition, he said he was “mad about the way the manager spoke to him, essentially. He had no issue with the background check whatsoever,” Rodriguez said. “Yet the lawyers crafted this national … class case.”

Litigation is only one part of her Rodriguez’s practice. In recent years, she has helped develop an anti-harassment training program for seven major Hollywood studios, workplace training for entertainment clients, and diversity initiatives for McDermott.

“I think the thing I’m most excited about is working on more of these initiatives that deal with corporate culture,” Rodriguez said. “Really working to understand [a client’s] workforce to find what they can improve, whether it’s hiring and promoting or developing talent – that’s really fun. It’s very proactive.”

— Jessica Mach