Britney Torres


Littler Mendelson • Sacramento


Since joining Littler Mendelson P.C. in 2015, Britney Torres has been dedicated to guiding clients through the complexities of employment law, which she was initially drawn to due to its profound impact on people's daily lives.


In recent years, she has shifted her focus towards advising clients on preparing for the future workplace in a sustainable manner. She emphasizes the importance of environmental, social, and corporate governance alongside inclusion, equity, and diversity considerations. 


"I found that this focus allows me to help clients navigate legislative and regulatory practices involving talent acquisition and retention while highlighting how they can use the intersection of ESG and IE&D as a powerful tool to help them attract new people and investments -- ultimately increasing long-term value," Torres said.


Among her notable cases, she successfully achieved an early dismissal of claims for a manufacturing company and its parent company. The plaintiff, who was not a California resident and did not work in California, attempted to assert claims under California law after alleging termination for taking leave to care for a family member and retaliation for reporting illegal activity by a supervisor, Torres said. Her expertise in the extraterritorial application of California law was pivotal in this defense.


"I moved to dismiss all of the plaintiff's claims," Torres said. "The claims asserted against the parent company were dismissed for a lack of personal jurisdiction. The claims asserted against the manufacturing company were dismissed because the FEHA claims required the extraterritorial application of California law and the plaintiff could not meet the heightened pleading standard of the misrepresentation claim. After plaintiff failed in two attempts to cure the deficiencies of the original complaint, claims were dismissed, and case was closed."


In another significant matter, Torres defended a transport company against a wage and hour class action lawsuit. The lawsuit alleged failure to pay for work performed before and after shifts, failure to provide rest breaks and accurate wage statements, unfair competition, and violations of the California Private Attorneys General Act, she said. Torres played a key role in guiding the company through a recently enacted statutory safe harbor, effectively reducing much of the potential liability on the asserted claims.


"As a result, the plaintiff proceeded to trial on a PAGA-only claim," Torres said. "The company successfully argued and established at trial that the plaintiff did not carry his burden to prove Labor Code violations for every employee they sought to represent and for every pay period at issue, including for pay periods during which the drivers were outside of the state of California. After the bench trial, the Court found for defendant on all claims. The plaintiffs appealed, but the judgment was affirmed."