Cynthia Pietrucha

Workplace Rights and Violations: Pietrucha Law Firm, LLC – Your Trusted Employment Law Firm

With nearly 10 years of experience, I'm a licensed employment lawyer with a proven track record of success in helping American employees and employers navigate complex workplace issues. I'm best known for negotiating severance agreements at employment termination and handling federal employment law violations.

Whether you’re an employee seeking fair treatment, or an employer looking to protect your business, my firm has the experience and expertise to help.

Main Areas of Focus:
1. Severance Agreement and General Release Counseling
2. Severance Agreement and General Release Negotiation
3. Medical Leave/FMLA Violations
4. Disability Harassment/Discrimination
5. EEOC Mediations
6. Retaliation
7. Unemployment Benefits Appeals

Employment Law

Employment Contracts, Employment Discrimination, Overtime & Unpaid Wages, Sexual Harassment, Wrongful Termination

Business Law

Business Contracts, Business Litigation

• Severance Agreements and General Releases
• Pregnancy Discrimination
• Breach of Contract

• Google Meet
• Zoom

• Credit Cards Accepted
  We accept all major credits and PayPal.
• Contingent Fees
  Our firm charges flat fees and contingency fees 35% to 40%.

Illinois

7th Circuit

Managing Attorney

Pietrucha Law Firm, LLC

2015 - Current

Liquor Commission

Village of Downers Grove

2016 - 2019

Purchasing Administrator

Village of Orland Park

2014 - 2016

Senior Contract Administration Specialist

API Healthcare

2011 - 2013

Site Licensing Contracts Specialist

American Medical Association

2010 - 2011

Legal Assistant

Law Offices of Joel Weisman, P.C.

2009 - 2010

Northern Illinois University

J.D. (2009) | Law

University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign

B.A. (2006) | Pre-Law, Journalism and Spanish

Honors: President's Leadership Award

Activities: Spanish Tutor

Top Attorney Award

Avvo

2022

Selected as Top 40 under 40 Illinois Employment Lawyers

The National Black Lawyers

2017

Avvo’s Client’s Choice Award

Avvo

2017

Women's Bar Association of Illinois

Member

2021 - Current

Activities: Mentor/Mentee

Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA)

Labor and Employment Law Section Council Member 2023-2024, Standing Committee on Delivery of Legal Services 2020-2021, Law Student Committee 2007-2009

2006 - Current

DuPage Association of Women Lawyers

Board of Directors 2016-2017

2015 - 2017

Employment Termination: Employer Obligations and Workplace Considerations

Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education

June, 2022

Layoffs, Rescinded Job Offers, and Beyond – The Latest Trends and Best Practices, National Business Institute, Webinar

December 2022

HR Due Diligence: Tips From a Labor and Employment Attorney, National Business Institute, Champaign, Illinois

2019

Drugs and Alcohol in the Workplace: Marijuana and Other Considerations, National Business Institute, Naperville, Illinois

2019

Starting Your Solo Law Practice as a Female Attorney, ISBA Standing Committee on Women & the Law, Chicago, IL

January 10, 2018

Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA)

Judge, Sports Law Sponsorship Agreements, National Sports Law Negotiation Competition, San Diego, CA

2015

Avoiding Conflicts of Interest and Other Illinois Ethics Violations, Illinois Association of Public Procurement Officials Fall 2015 Conference, Lombard, IL

October 8, 2015

Illinois Associaton of Public Procurement Officials

Q. Is it hard to win a wrongful termination case?

June 5, 2023

A: I'm sorry to hear you lost your job after such long tenure. The honest answer is Yes it's hard to win a wrongful termination case, and if you sue, it could take years for a resolution. The burden of proof is on you to show direct and indirect evidence that your age was the factor that led to your termination/ but for your age you would have kept your job. You do this by comparing yourself to younger employees with your same title who did not get terminated or recalling instances where you were harassed about your age. Companies come up with many reasons for why your age was not used against you and they have full access to all their records, whereas you only know the limited information you know. Illinois is an "at-will" employment state, meaning it is not illegal for an employer to fire you because they want to, even if it's not fair. They don't have to give a reason for terminating you but will come up with a reason if you accuse them of age discrimination.

Q. My son is not renewing a lease. The roommate is renewing but refuses to pay my son his rightful half of the deposit.

May 31, 2023

A: Sorry to hear about your son's situation. Consulting an attorney on this may not be worth the money unless your son wants to prove a point or he can find a low flat rate for the legal work. Your son should consider the following: (1) Review the lease and document: Carefully review the lease agreement to understand the terms and conditions related to the deposit. Document any relevant evidence, such as move-in and move-out inspection reports, photographs, and communication with the landlord regarding the deposit. AND/OR (2) Request from landlord a partial refund to your son: The departing roommate is usually entitled to receive their portion of the shared deposit back from the landlord. The remaining roommate who is staying may need to provide a replacement deposit or sign a new lease agreement with the landlord, which is not your son's problem. AND/OR (3) Ask the landlord to adjust the deposit internally: The landlord may choose to keep the full shared deposit intact and adjust the amount allocated to each individual roommate. The portion previously assigned to the departing roommate may be refunded, while the remaining roommate continues with their renewed lease. AND/OR (4) If you need legal help, find an Illinois attorney who can write a demand letter to the landlord and/or the roommate. AND/OR (5) Consider the Attorney General's office: File a complaint with the Illinois Attorney General's office. They handle disputes related to consumer fraud. https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/File-A-Complaint/

Q. Can I sue for wrongful termination and/or pain and suffering?

May 31, 2023

A: Sorry to hear you lost your job and had to fight the employer over unemployment benefits. You should consult with an Illinois attorney to better understand your options, and make sure you lean on your union to help you. In Illinois, unemployment decisions are not admissible as evidence in court. See Wittenberg v. Wheels, Inc., 963 F. Supp. 654 (N.D. Ill. 1997) "...plaintiff argues that, "at the very least, a genuine issue of fact exists as to whether plaintiff was fired for her alleged insubordination or in retaliation for ... seeking vindication of the statutory rights to which she was entitled." (Plaint. Resp., at 10). To support this argument, Wittenberg relies in part on a decision by the Board of Review of the Illinois Department of Employment Security ("IDES") in regard to her claim for benefits. In that decision, the Board of Review concluded that Wittenberg had not been discharged for "misconduct" as that term is defined by § 602 of the Illinois Unemployment Insurance Act, 820 ILCS 405/602. Defendant has moved to strike plaintiff's references to the Board of Review's decision. Because the question of the admissibility of the Board of Review decision may be dispositive of the motion for summary judgment, the court will consider the motion to strike at this juncture. The decision of the Board of Review is hearsay. It cannot be considered by the court in deciding whether a genuine issue of material fact exists unless it fits under one of the hearsay exceptions set out in Federal Rule of Evidence 803. The only exception found in Rule 803 that is arguably applicable to the Board of Review decision is that which allows courts to receive into evidence "factual findings resulting from an investigation made pursuant to authority granted by law, unless the sources of information or other circumstances indicate lack of trustworthiness." Fed.R.Evid. 803(8) (C). In this case, several considerations suggest that the Board of Review's decision is not admissible under the hearsay exception of Rule 803(8) (C). First of all, as defendant points out, claims for benefits under the Illinois Unemployment Insurance Act are considered only in informal administrative proceedings. See 820 ILCS 405/702; 820 ILCS 405/800. Regulations promulgated pursuant to the Act indicate that hearings before IDES referees are not conducted in conformity with the technical rules of evidence. 56 Ill. Admin. Code § 2720.250. This suggests a lack of trustworthiness of the conclusions reached as a result of these proceedings. Second, § 1900(B) of the Illinois Unemployment Insurance Act expressly provides that decisions of benefits hearings are not admissible in any other action: No finding, determination, decision, ruling or order (including any finding of fact, statement or conclusion made therein) issued pursuant to this Act shall be admissible or used in evidence in any action other than the one arising out of this Act, nor shall it be binding or conclusive except as provided in this Act, nor shall it constitute res judicata, regardless of whether the actions were between the same or related parties or involved the same facts. 820 ILCS 405/1900(B). Relying on § 1900(B), another federal court in Illinois has found that the findings of Illinois unemployment compensation proceedings are not admissible in federal civil actions. In Rekhi v. Wildwood Indus., Inc., 816 F. Supp. 1312 (C.D.Ill.1993) (Mihm, C.J.), aff'd, 61 F.3d 1313 (7th Cir.1995), the court considered a defendant's motion to strike a report of the findings of the Department of Employment Services. As with the Board of Review decision in this case, that report dealt with the issue of whether the plaintiff had been terminated for misconduct and was therefore ineligible for unemployment benefits. The court concluded that the report was not admissible and granted the defendant's motion to strike.[5]Id. at 1315...

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