Joseph H. (Joe) Hunt
Overview
Joseph (Joe) Hunt is an experienced business partner and go-to attorney for labor and employment matters. He has a track record of success representing employers across the country in complex labor and employment disputes.
Joe advises management and human resources personnel on all aspects of the employment relationship. He counsels nationally known clients, as well as small and midsize businesses, regarding background checks, drug testing, employment contracts, restrictive covenants, wage and hour issues, anti-discrimination statutes, and labor relations. Joe’s goal is to provide practical, accurate advice to meet each client’s priorities and mitigate risk.
When labor and employment disputes arise, Joe excels at every stage of litigation and administrative proceedings. Joe regularly represents employers in state and federal courts across the country, before the NLRB, and in labor arbitrations. His experience ranges from single-plaintiff cases to nationwide class and collective actions. Joe is admitted in Colorado state and federal courts, and he is admitted in courts in other states on a case-by-case basis. Joe is known for digging deep into the law and facts to build strong cases, and he has achieved winning results defending claims under the FCRA, FLSA, Title VII, ADA, FMLA, Colorado law, and many other state laws.
Joe is an active member of the Colorado Bar Association. He serves as Co-Chair of the Labor & Employment Section and was previously selected to serve as At-Large Member, Treasurer, Secretary, and Legislative Liaison. Joe frequently presents and organizes conferences on labor and employment topics and developments in Colorado law.
Credentials
Education
- University of Denver Sturm College of Law (J.D.)
- Yale University (B.A.)
Court Admissions
- U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
- Won complete dismissal of nationwide class action with more than 250,000 putative class members relating to claims under the FCRA for unlawful employment background checks.
- Prevailed in two-day labor arbitration involving an employee’s termination for violating the company’s drug testing policy and claims under the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Act.
- Secured favorable settlements on behalf of a national trucking company in class actions in California and Washington for alleged wage and hour violations involving hundreds of putative class members.
- Achieved dismissal of class action claims under the FCRA and secured a nuisance value settlement of individual claims under New Jersey’s marijuana drug testing statute.
- Won complete dismissal of employment-related claims against a banking company and multiple individuals for defamation, tortious interference with contract, and civil conspiracy under Colorado law.
- Successfully defended against a petition to compel arbitration under a collective bargaining agreement in Colorado federal court resulting in the union’s removal of its petition with prejudice.
- Prevailed in numerous labor arbitrations, including in complex cases, contract interpretation disputes, and just cause terminations, regarding alleged violations of collective bargaining agreements.
- Obtained dozens of dismissals and no cause findings on behalf of clients facing charges before the NLRB, EEOC, the Colorado Civil Rights Division, and other administrative agencies across the country.
- Best Lawyers in America, Ones to Watch, Labor and Employment Law – Management; Litigation – Labor and Employment, 2021-2025
- “What Employers Need to Know about Workplace Drug Testing,” Spencer Fane WorkSmarts Seminar, September 2022
- “Don’t Drop the Ball on FCRA Compliance,” Spencer Fane WorkSmarts Seminar, February 2022
- “Colorado Labor & Employment Legislative Update,” Colorado Bar Association Fall Conference, September 2021
- “The Battle to Define Independent Contractors,” Colorado Bar Association Seminar, May 2021
- “Colorado Labor & Employment Legislative Update,” Colorado Bar Association Fall Conference, September 2020