Track Record

Prior to founding Perilla Law, Sharon spearheaded case strategy and process or otherwise played a key role in (not exhaustive):

• securing the return and disgorgement of approximately $100 million in mismanaged assets and investment fees for trustees of the multi-billion dollar pension plan of a state’s nurses association from the plan’s investment manager, upon the arbitrator ruling that the investment manager had engaged in prohibited self-dealing practices in breach of contract and ERISA.

• securing meaningful monetary relief for an employee summarily terminated after notifying her employer of her pregnancy, in part by convincing the presiding state court judge to impose sanctions against the employer and their counsel for litigation misconduct. Collaborated with The Legal Aid Society of New York.

• securing private school placement for a child with severe autism after rounds of negotiations and representation at IEP meetings by persuading the presiding Impartial Hearing Officer that public school accommodations failed to meet the specific needs of the child. Collaborated with the New York Legal Assistance Group.

• securing settlements in excessive force cases brought pursuant to 42 U.S.C § 1983 in federal courts against security staff at prisons and detention facilities following party and third-party discovery.

• securing the denial of summary judgment in an ERISA litigation brought on behalf of 401(k) plan participants of an actuarial and consulting firm based on allegations that the plan’s fiduciaries breached the duties of prudence and loyalty by including proprietary funds in the plan.

• securing withdrawal of the state’s motion to vacate the conviction of Adnan Syed (the subject of the podcast Serial) for the murder of Hae Min Lee, via written advocacy on behalf of the victim’s family, on grounds that the motion contained false and misleading statements that undermined the integrity of the judicial system.

• securing a meaningful opportunity for the family members of victim Hae Min Lee to exercise their right to be heard through the presentation of compelling victim statements at Adnan Syed’s Juvenile Restoration Act hearing.

• securing the denial, at both the federal district court and appellate levels, of requests to compel individualized arbitrations of an ERISA case brought on behalf of the 401(k) plan of an investment management company for alleged fiduciary breaches, by upholding the Supreme Court’s effective vindication doctrine and its application in the context of 29 U.S.C. §§ 1132(a)(2) and 1109.

• securing settlements and favorable outcomes through direct negotiations and mediations for employees and victims with claims arising from discrimination, retaliation, sexual assault, constructive discharge, wrongful termination, or equal pay violations.

• conducting independent investigations into claims of executive misconduct and breach of fiduciary duties involving senior leadership of Fortune 500 companies.

• fighting for the rights of Missouri voters, by going to trial on claims that the state failed to implement its photo identification law in the manner required by the law itself. Collaborated with the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri, the Advancement Project, and the Missouri State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.