RENEE G. CULOTTA
PARTNER
Phone: (504) 599-8085
Fax: (504) 599-8267
Email: Renee G. Culotta
PRACTICE AREAS
Labor & Employment
EDUCATION
Louisiana State University Law Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, J.D.
Louisiana State University, B.A.
BAR & COURT ADMISSIONS
Louisiana (All State and Federal Courts)
United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
Pro Hac Vice in Various State and Federal Courts throughout the U.S.
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS & MEMBERSHIPS
ABA Committee for Liaison with the EEOC, DOJ and OFCCP
New Orleans Labor & Employment Law, CLE Committee
AWARDS & HONORS Benchmark Litigation, Labor & Employment Star, 2024
Lead Counsel Verification by Thomson Reuters, 2023
Best Lawyers in America, Litigation, Labor and Employment, 2020-2024
U.S. News Best Law Firms-- Tier 1, Litigation—Labor & Employment, 2023
FEATURED IN McGehee Leading Women
RELATED NEWS
Renee Culotta and Leslie Ehret Recognized as “Labor and Employment Stars” by Benchmark Litigation
For over 25 years, Frilot partner Renee Culotta has dedicated her practice to employment litigation. Ms. Culotta represents private and public employers in sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation and constitutional claims. Ms. Culotta handles litigation matters at every stage—from the EEOC charge through appeal, and regularly tries cases to completion in Federal and State courts. Ms. Culotta is respected for being creative, diligent, well-prepared, and thorough.
In addition to litigation, Ms. Culotta counsels clients on day-to-day employment matters to troubleshoot and resolve problems and to minimize the risks inherent in employment decisions. Prior to law school, Ms. Culotta gained first-hand experience by working in the Human Resources department of a Baton Rouge health clinic; during law school, Ms. Culotta worked at the Pentagon (Department of the Army) conducting sexual harassment investigations, for which she earned a letter of commendation. Ms. Culotta uses this experience and her practical approach to guide clients through a myriad of issues, such as:
Recruiting, interviewing, hiring and onboarding employees;
Drafting employment contracts;
Developing handbooks and policies;
Engaging in the ADA accommodation process;
Managing leaves of absence under the FMLA;
Conducting workplace investigations;
Complying with the FLSA; and,
Advising on employment disciplinary and termination issues, including severance.
Ms. Culotta regularly presents training seminars on labor and employment matters. Ms. Culotta employs her theatrical background as well as relevant case studies, games, music and videos in her training sessions—this ensures no one is bored! Past attendees have found Ms. Culotta’s speaking style to be “energetic” and “engaging,” and her presentations to be “enjoyable,” “insightful,” and “spot-on.” As one past attendee summed it up, Ms. Culotta “knows her topic and likes what she does!”
REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE
Recent Noteworthy Cases:
Randall Kling v. Hebert, ---F.4th---, 2023 WL 2062668 (Feb. 17, 2023) (Fifth Circuit affirming dismissal of claims against Commissioner of the ATC on jurisdictional issues and certifying question to the La. Supreme Court).
Barbara Bracken v. Doug Welborn, in his Official Capacity as Clerk of Court for East Baton Rouge Parish, No. 20-72-SDD, 2021 WL 2980214 (M.D. La. July 14, 2021) (dismissing retaliation claim on summary judgment).
Louisiana Vaping Association v. Dept. of Revenue & Juana Marine-Lombard, No. 2020 CA 0816 (La. App. 1 Cir. 2/19/21); -- So.3d---, 2021 WL 650282 (affirming District Court’s denial of a motion for a preliminary injunction to enjoin ATC from enforcing its emergency rules to regulate the sale of vape products), writ denied, No. 2021-C-000415 (La. 5/11/21); 315 So.3d 869.
Brette Tingle v. Troy Hebert and Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control, 817 Fed. Appx. 15, 2020 WL 4778326 (August 17, 2020) (affirming complete defense verdict after a six-day jury trial on claims of retaliation, defamation, and invasion of privacy).
Roberson v. Iberia Comprehensive Community Health Center, Inc., 2020 WL 6777550 (W.D. La. July 27, 2020) (dismissing ADA disability discrimination claims on summary judgment).
Dorothy Jackson v. Board of Supervisors for Southern University, et al, No. 18-603-SDD-RLB, 2019 WL 4739294 (M.D. La. 9/27/19) (dismissing law professor’s due process and other claims against Southern University President Ray Belton on motion to dismiss under Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6)), affirmed, 810 Fed. Appx. 276 (5th Cir. 4/20/20).
Randall Kling v. Louisiana Dept. of Revenue, 2018 CA 148 (La. App. 1 Cir. 7/18/19); 281 So.3d 696 (after four-day jury trial, reversing back pay damages award and holding District Court erred in awarding probationary, classified civil service employee back pay as Civil Service Commission retained exclusive jurisdiction over pay claims).
Jane Doe v. Jeff Landry, et al, 909 F.3d 99 (5th Cir. 2018) (upholding state alcoholic beverage control statutes prohibiting individuals between the ages 18 and 21 from nude erotic dancing in establishments that serve alcohol; Fifth Circuit reversed District Court’s preliminary injunction, holding statutes were not unconstitutionally vague or overbroad under the First Amendment).
RECENT SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS / TRAINING SEMINARS
“Annual Harassment Training: Live with Renee and Ben,” La. Clerk of Court Institute, February 9, 2023
“Does Remote Work Work?” Association of Legal Administrators (New Orleans Chapter), November 11, 2022
“Making Employee Benefits Count,” InclusivCare, September 29, 2022
“The Wacky, Wonderful World of Work: Top 5 Trends to Watch for 2022,” 31st Annual LA Nuts and Bolts Judicial Seminar, Destin, Florida, June 9, 2022
“Harassment on Trial,” 31st Annual LA Nuts and Bolts Judicial Seminar, Destin, Florida, June 8, 2022
“Developing A Respectful and Engaged Team,” Louisiana Children’s Museum, March 18, 2021
“The Nuts and Bolts of Handling Difficult Employees,” 30th Annual LA Nuts and Bolts Judicial Seminar, Destin, Florida, June 10, 2021
“Management 2021: Developing Skills You Need to Lead,” InclusivCare, April 22, 2021
“From A to Z, Emerging Trends and FAQs on Employment Law Issues,” Louisiana Clerk of Court Institute, March 11, 2021
“Harassment Training,” Louisiana Clerk of Court Institute, March 11, 2021
“Focusing on the Future: Planning for 2021,” Association of Legal Administrators New Orleans Chapter, November 19, 2020
“Mini Law School for HR Professionals (Various Topics),” National Business Institute, March 16-18, 2020
“Preventing Harassment,” Louisiana Clerk of Court Institute, February 13, 2020
“Employment Law Update,” Louisiana Clerk of Court Association, October 13, 2020
“Diversity and Inclusion In Action,” InclusivCare, October 10, 2019
“An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure: Preventing Sexual Harassment,” Association of Legal Administrators New Orleans Chapter, New Orleans, Louisiana
“Harassment Training: What Not To Do,” Iberia Comprehensive Community Health Center, Inc., March 23, 2018
“Dysfunction Junction: Professionalism in Managing a Law Firm,” Loyola College of Law Family Law Institute, November 10, 2017
“ADA Training for HR—Identifying Disabilities and Providing Reasonable Accommodations,” Netchex Employment Law Seminar, October 26, 2017
“Dysfunction Junction: Handling the 10 Most Difficult Law Firm Employees,” Association of Legal Administrators Annual Conference and Exposition, Denver, CO, April 4, 2017
“ADA and ADAAA Training for Human Resources,” Association of Legal Administrators Annual Conference and Exposition, Denver, CO, April 4, 2017