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Halima Horton
Associate 
The Proscenium
hhorton@mcguirewoods.com1170 Peachtree Street N.E., Suite 2100 Atlanta, Georgia 30309-7649 F: 404.443.5765    |
Ms. Horton focuses her practice on employee benefits litigation, including Employee Retirement Income Security Act litigation; alleged discrimination and harassment based on race, age, sex, religion, disability and national origin; and counseling/training on workplace diversity, Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action compliance, and discrimination and harassment issues.
She represents employers in mediation, labor arbitrations, administrative proceedings, and state and federal court actions. She also handles individual claims, multiplaintiff litigation, collective actions and class actions. She represents employee benefit plans, plan sponsors, administrators and insurers. She defends against breach of fiduciary duty claims, claims for disability benefits, retirement benefits, stock options, and severance pay and claims for penalties for failure to provide documents.
Ms. Horton also advises clients on stock drop issues and ERISA claims administration, and provides fiduciary compliance training.
- Prevailed in a labor arbitration on behalf of a Fortune 500 company against a labor union that represented a 32-year employee who had been discharged for possessing a weapon in violation of the company's no-weapons policies, and for creating an intimidating and harassing work environment for co-workers.
- Prechtel v. Kellogg's, d/b/a Kellogg's Snacks, No. 07-5779, 2008 U.S. App. LEXIS 6114 (6th Cir. March 18, 2008) (affirming dismissal of plaintiff's sexual harassment, unequal pay and retaliation claims, brought under Kentucky state law), presented oral argument to 6th Circuit.
- McIntyre v. Eckerd Corp., No. 07-11451, 2007 U.S. App. LEXIS 24345 (11th Cir. October 16, 2007) (affirming dismissal of an employee's defamation and battery claims)
- Eldridge v. Wachovia Corp. Long-Term Disability Plan, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11633 (N.D. Ga. March 6, 2006) (granting summary judgment to defendants on the plaintiff's ERISA claims for long-term disability benefits, breach of fiduciary duty and penalties for failure to provide documents), affirmed Eldridge v. Wachovia Corp. Long-Term Disability Plan, 2007 U.S. App. LEXIS 1004 (11th Cir. January 18, 2007)
- Jacobsen v. Honeywell Int'l, Inc., 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 39410 (M.D. Ga. June 14, 2006) (granting judgment on the administrative record to defendant on the plaintiff's ERISA claim for severance pay)
- Thomas v. Trane, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 72044 (M.D. Ga. September 27, 2007) (granting summary judgment to defendant on plaintiff's Americans with Disabilities Act action)
- Family Leave Chair, Atlanta Office
- Attorney Liaison, Spelman Internship Program
- Named a Georgia Super Lawyers "Rising Star," Law & Politics, 2009, 2010
- Associate, Jackson Lewis LLP, 2002-2004
- Law Clerk, the Hon. William J. Haynes, Jr., U.S. District Judge, 2001
- Law Clerk, PACE International Union, AFL-CIO, 1999-2001
- Intern, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2000
- "Guns at Work: New Legal Challenges to a Safe Workplace," Webinar, July 2008
- Panelist, "The Duty of Fair Representation," American Bar Association CLE, July 2008
- Panelist, "Trends in Wage and Hour Class Actions," Minority Corporate Counsel Association Conference, Chicago, Illinois, March 2008
- "Offensive Defense: Obtaining the Competitive Advantage when Defending Lawsuits," February 2008
- "Negotiating Severance Agreements and Early Settlement," ICLE, September 2006
- "Health and Legal Considerations in Pandemic Planning," February 2006
- "The Ins & Outs of In-House Counsel: How to Develop Business with or Become In-House Counsel," Panel Moderator, August 2005
- "Top Ten Mistakes in ERISA Claims Administration," Teleseminar, November 2004
- Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys
- Vice President, 2006
- Georgia Association for Women Lawyers
- National Employment Law Council
- Atlanta Bar Association
- Board Member, Litigation Section 2009-2010
- Japan-America Society of Georgia
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta
- Spanish
- Japanese
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EDUCATION Vanderbilt University Law School, Nashville, Tennessee, J.D., 2001
University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, B.S., 1997
ADMITTED U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit Northern District of Georgia Middle District of Georgia Western District of Tennessee All Georgia State Courts All Tennessee State Courts PLACE OF BIRTH New Orleans, Louisiana |