STOBAUGH & STRONG
ABOUT US
Experienced Representation
We advocate on behalf of individuals and groups who have been denied fair treatment in employment and related situations. Our firm has helped public employees, university and college instructors and faculty, and long-term temporary employees ("permatemps") who have been wrongfully denied benefits and proper compensation.
Our firm has been recognized for our advocacy both locally and nationally. Founding attorneys David Stobaugh and Steve Strong are pleased to have made a difference for thousands of employees.
Browse our News section for more information about our current and past cases.
Firm History
Stobaugh & Strong was originally founded in 1975 under the firm name Bendich, Stobaugh & Strong, P.C. Initially set up as a general law practice, our firm took on our first employee benefits class action suit in 1978 in what came to be known as Scannell v. City of Seattle. The case represented 17 employees whose on-call status (despite many years of service) was used to deny them vacation time, sick leave, retirement, and other benefits. The case lasted 11 years, and after denial in the lower courts, was finally affirmed and settled by a Washington State Supreme Court ruling.
Publicity about the Scannell v. City of Seattle case caught the attention of several temporary workers at Microsoft, who approached our firm about the practice of hiring employees through a third party, thereby denying them health insurance and other benefits such as discounted stock purchase plans. The so-called "Microsoft Permatemps" case brought Stobaugh & Strong to national prominence when the case was first filed in 1993. That case ultimately went to the United States Supreme Court and was settled in 2000, with 7,800 class members receiving distributions.
Other major cases have successfully been brought against the City of Seattle, the University of Washington, King County, and Washington State. You can read about the individual cases in the News section of our website.
Our law firm has been nationally recognized by Lawyers Weekly USA which named our founders Lawyers of the Year for 1997. We were also awarded the Public Justice Award in 2000 by the Washington State Trial Lawyers. The National Employment Lawyers Association ("NELA") recognized our pro bono contribution toward passage of the Civil Rights Tax Relief Act of 2005, which is legislation affecting, among other things, the handling of taxes on class action monetary distributions. You can read more about our awards and honors in the Awards section of our website.
We are committed to bringing relief to our clients through the wise and proper use of class action lawsuits. We invite you to speak with one of our attorneys about your situation and your rights; we have the expertise and experience to guide you toward the best course of action.