Robert D. Meyers

Member
901.576.1715

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Robert D. Meyers has a breadth of employment litigation experience. He has defended companies and individuals before courts in Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama, Texas, Georgia, Louisiana, Indiana and Virginia. He has been instrumental in assisting clients in dealing with employee medical issues including ADA, FMLA and workers’ compensation concerns. Mr. Meyers also has extensive experience representing public employers in claims brought under the Title VII, § 1981 and § 1983.

Mr. Meyers is the creator and administrator of the website www.yourcompanysemploymentlawyer.com, a site that provides resources and solutions for small to medium sized business owners.

He served as Chairman of the Shelby County Election Commission from 2009-2019 and is a Peer Reviewer for “America Votes! A Guide to Modern Election Law and Voting Rights,” Second Edition 2012 ABA Section of State and Local Government Law.

While in law school, Mr. Meyers was a member of the Tennessee Law Review and president of the Student Bar Association.

EDUCATION

University of Tennessee College of Law, Knoxville: Juris Doctorate – 1986 (President of Law School Student Government Association, Member of Law Review for one year)
University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, Memphis: Bachelor of Science in Nursing – 1983 (President of Student Government Counsel)
University of Tennessee, Martin: Bachelor of Science – 1979

ADMITTED TO PRACTICE

Tennessee
Arkansas

HONORS/AWARDS

The Best Lawyers in America, Labor and Employment, Municipal Law
The Best Lawyers in America Memphis Lawyer of the Year 2014, 2018- Municipal Law
Best of the Bar, 2022, Memphis Business Journal
Mid-South Super Lawyers and Super Lawyers Corporate Counsel Edition by Law & Politics magazine, Top 100 in Tennessee
AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale Hubbell
Honored with a Proclamation by the State of Tennessee for 10 years of service as Shelby County Election Commission Chair

PROFESSIONAL/CIVIC/CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS

Defense Research Institute (“DRI”) Employment and Labor Law Committee (Steering Committee member)
Defense Research Institute Civil Rights and Government Tort Liability Committee (Past Chair: 2009-2011)
Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel
National Workers Compensation Defense Network
Memphis Bar Association
Tennessee Bar Association
American Bar Association

REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS

Won an arbitration where the issue was during unusual weather conditions that resulted in a temporary ban on water use, required the Company to bring back employees, who had been sent home, according to seniority instead of as the departments became operational.
Having previously secured the dismissal of the Plaintiff’s retaliation claim at the Summary Judgment stage, won a jury trial on the Plaintiff’s claims that his employer violated the ADA
Successfully defended both public and private employers in Wage and Hour lawsuits brought under the Fair Labor Standards Act
Was lead counsel for the Tennessee Defense Lawyers Association; Amicus Brief in Haynes v. Formac Stables, Inc., where the Tennessee Supreme Court held that to invoke the protections of Tennessee, Public Protection Act, the employee must report the illegal activities to someone other than the wrongdoer
Successfully negotiated post-trial resolution of wage and hour overtime claim that arose in an undercover police setting
Won summary judgment for a public employer in a 118 Plaintiff wage and hour case which was affirmed by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals
Won summary judgment for a public employer in a § 1983 excessive force case
Won summary judgment for a private employer in an age discrimination in employment case
Defended a public employer in an arbitration alleging failure to promote, which resulted in a decision for the public employer
Won summary judgment for public employer in race discrimination case which was later upheld by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals
Won summary judgment for public employer in § 1983 high speed pursuit claim which was later upheld by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals
Won summary judgment for large hospital chain in wrongful termination claim
Secured injunctive relief for client in non-compete case

In The News

Featured in Daily Memphian, March 7, 2023, “Residency requirement in Memphis mayor’s race could affect three candidates”
Featured in Memphis Daily News, October 17, 2013, “Meyers Returns to Roots at Glankler Brown,“
Early Voting Expands this Week in Memphis & Shelby County, WREG-TV News Channel 3 Memphis
Early Voting Ends on Saturday, WHBQ Fox13 My Fox Memphis

PUBLISHED ARTICLES

Robert D. Meyers, “Did The Tennessee Supreme Court Make A Mistake Of Law In Barnes V. The Goodyear Tire And Rubber Company?,” Winter 2023-24, TDLA Journal, https://www.tdla.net/resources/Documents/TDLA%20Journal%20Winter%202023-2024.pdf
Robert D. Meyers and Greer Bryant, “Use of Depositions to Control Witness Testimony,” January 2024, For the Defense, https://digitaleditions.walsworth.com/publication/?i=812263&p=&pn=
Robert D. Meyers, “Don’t Be the Victim of an Email Scam,” September 15 issue, Tennessee Bar Journal, TBJ Select
Robert D. Meyers & Benjamin Wachtel, “Must Websites Be ADA Compliant?,” In-House Defense Quarterly, DRI, Winter Issue 2017
Robert D. Meyers & Meghan K. McMahon, Defending Discrimination Claims After Vawter v. DuPont, TDLA Journal, Fall 2016 Issue I, at 14
“How Can Employers Defend Discrimination Claims After Vawter v. Du Pont?,” HR Professionals magazine, July 2016
Published in Memphis Flyer, January 29, 2014, “Up in Smoke?: Employers Still Have Rights to Penalize Marijuana Users Even in Colorado”
“Opposing Post-Judgment Fee Petitions in Civil Rights and Discrimination Cases,” FDCC Quarterly, Fall 2010, Co-Author
“When Does an Employee Return to work for the Pre-Injury Employers,” Tennessee Bar Journal, August 2010, Co-Author
“TN Court Rules Companies Subcontracting Part of Principal Business Immune from Negligence Claims by Subcontractor Employees,” Workerscompensation.com, June 23, 2010, Co-Author
“Tennessee Workers Compensation Law Outline,” National Workers’ Compensation Defense Network website, last updated June 2010, Co-Author