919.865.1130
cstafford@wyrick.com
Bio
Cullen represents management in employment litigation matters involving wage and hour disputes, breach of contract, restrictive covenants, unfair competition, discrimination, harassment, and unfair labor practice charges. He also represents clients in commercial litigation matters, including such areas as trade secret misappropriation, trademark infringement, construction litigation, and other complex business litigation. Cullen has represented clients at all stages of litigation in state and federal court and routinely represents clients in proceedings before the N.C. Department of Labor, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and other federal and state agencies.
Cullen represents companies in a variety of industries, including healthcare, construction, transportation, manufacturing, retail, education, and finance. In addition, Cullen counsels employers on a variety of issues, including reductions in force, terminations, regulatory compliance, and drafting effective employment agreements.
Prior to joining the firm, Cullen worked at Ford Harrison LLP, a labor and employment firm in Atlanta, Georgia. Cullen graduated cum laude from Emory University School of Law. During law school, Cullen clerked for the Georgia Supreme Court.
- Listed among Business North Carolina Magazine Legal Elite: Employment (2024)
- Listed among North Carolina Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” Employment & Labor (2017-2024)
- North Carolina State Bar
- North Carolina Bar Association: Member, Labor and Employment Council, CLE Committee
- Georgia State Bar
- North Carolina Museum of History: Board Member, Executive Committee Member
- In a recent case involving a large hospital system in which the plaintiff sought seven-figure recovery, Cullen obtained dismissal of plaintiff’s claims for breach of contract, defamation, and tortious interference on summary judgment, which decision was succesfully upheld on appeal
- In a recent JAMS arbitration, Cullen obtained a defense award in favor of the client on all counts, including claimant’s harassment and retaliation claims under Title VII
- In a bench trial before the Office of Administrative Law Judges, Cullen obtained a defense verdict in a federal whistleblower retaliation suit, which was successfully upheld on appeal
- In a recent trade secret action asserted against a cosmetics manufacturer, Cullen obtained dismissal of the plaintiff’s claims, which decision was successfully upheld by the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals
- In a recent restrictive covenant case, Cullen obtained temporary restraining orders against three employees barring them from continuing to work in violation of their non-competition agreements
- Represented subcontractor in breach of contract action arising from construction of apartment complex, resulting in favorable settlement for client
- Obtained decertification of collective action under the Fair Labor Standards Act, which resulted in settlement of over a hundred individual claims on favorable terms
- Represented client in action alleging trade secret misappropriation and breach of non-solicitation agreement in which opposing party sought seven-figure recovery. After prevailing on a motion to compel discovery, Cullen settled the matter on favorable terms at mediation
- Van Dyke v. Virtue Labs, LLC, 2023 WL 1810508 (Fed. Cir. Ct. App. 2023)
- Van Dyke v. Virtue Labs, LLC, 2021 WL 5566505 (M.D.N.C. 2021)
- Hwang v. University of North Carolina Healthcare System, 882 S.E.2d 153 (N.C. App. 2023)
- Brier Creek Integrated Pain & Spine, PLLC v. U.S. Dep’t of Health and Human Services, 2019 WL 4207408 (E.D.N.C. 2019)
- Leslie v. Barclays Bank Delaware, 2017 WL 8220505 (N.D. Ga. 2017)
- Burdette v. ExpressJet, 2016 WL 454190 (DOL Adm. Rev. Bd. 2016)
- Zulauf v. Amerisave Mortgage Corp., 2013 WL 10300879 (N.D. Ga. 2013)
- Zulauf v. Amerisave Mortgage Corp., 911 F. Supp. 1266 (N.D. Ga. 2012)
- Objections to FOIA Request Requiring Disclosure of EEO-1 Reports Due by September 19, 2022
- Fourth Circuit Expands Scope of Potential “Same-Sex Harassment”
- What Employers Need to Know About the Families First Coronavirus Response Act
- DOL Implements New Joint Employer Rule
- Employment Law Newsletter: Getting a Handle on Employee Medical Leave
- Supreme Court to Decide Whether Title VII Prohibits Discrimination Against LGBT Employees, Client Alert, May 2019
- Supreme Court’s 2018-2019 Term Could Impact Employers, Client Alert, October 2018
- Supreme Court Enforces Class Action Waivers in Employment Arbitration Agreements, Client Alert, May 2018
- The Resource: Trump Administration Reverses Obama-Era Employment Regulations, Issue 67 – Summer 2017
- BUT THEY’RE NOT MY EMPLOYEES?! – Fourth Circuit Holds that General Contractor Is Liable for Subcontractor’s Wage and Hour Violations, Client Alert, February 2017
- How Does HB2 Impact Private Companies?, Client Alert, April 2016
- The Resource: Getting a Handle on Employee Medical Leave, Issue 60, winter 2015
- The Resource: Employers Should Consider Revisiting Worker Classification and Compensation in Light of Proposed DOL Rules, Issue 62, summer 2015
- The Resource: Getting Into Hot Water: Costly But All Too Common Interview Mistakes, Issue 59, fall 2014
- “The Trouble With Tips Continues: Two Recent Court Actions Illustrate Ongoing Challenges Facing Hospitality Employers,” Legal Alert, February 2012
- “Out With the Old – In With the New: Time For Employers To Take Advantage of Georgia’s New Employer-Friendly Restrictive Covenant Statute,” Georgia Employment Law Letter, January 2012
