Bradley & Riley PC

Vernon P. Squires

Tel/Direct: 319-861-8726
Location: Cedar Rapids, IA

Background

Mr. Squires focuses on complex litigation involving business, commercial, employment and intellectual property matters. He has extensive trial experience in state and federal courts, appellate proceedings, administrative matters and arbitrations. Mr. Squires also regularly advises clients on employment law issues and intellectual property protection, including trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets.

Assistant: Jan
Assistant's Phone: 319-861-8757
Assistant's Email: jprivratsky@bradleyriley.com

Education

  • Bachelor’s Degree, Williams College, 1986
  • Juris Doctorate with honors, University of Minnesota, 1993

Bar Admissions

  • Iowa State Courts
  • Illinois State Courts
  • United States District Court for the Northern and Southern Districts of Iowa
  • United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
  • United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh and Eighth Circuits

Recognition

Professional and Community Affiliations

  • American Bar Association
    • Labor and Employment Section
    • Litigation Section
  • Iowa State Bar Association
    • Labor and Employment Section Council
    • Intellectual Property Law Section
    • Litigation Section
  • Linn County Bar Association

Civic and Volunteer Involvement

  • Kids First Law Center, Chair
  • Cedar Valley Humane Society, Board Member
  • YMCA Board of Directors, Past Chair
  • Tanager Place Board of Directors, Past Chair
  • Tanager Place Endowment Foundation Board of Directors, Past Chair
  • Junior Achievement of East Central Iowa Board of Directors, former member
  • Cedar Rapids Chamber of Commerce Leadership for Five Seasons Board of Directors, Past Chair
  • American Red Cross Grant Wood Chapter Board of Directors, former member
  • Theatre Cedar Rapids Board of Directors, former member
  • Graduate of Cedar Rapids Chamber of Commerce Leadership for Five Seasons Program
  • Volunteer Pilot, Pilots N Paws
  • Youth soccer, basketball and softball coach
  • Big Brothers/Big Sisters Polk School “Lunch Buddy” Program volunteer
  • Junior Achievement volunteer classroom teacher
  • Middle school mock trial coach and judge

Professional Experience

  • Joined Bradley & Riley PC in 1995
  • Wildman, Harrold, Allen & Dixon, Chicago, Illinois, 1993-1995
  • Completed National Trial Advocacy Skills Program presented by the National Institute of Trial Advocacy
  • Previously worked in public relations/ governmental affairs consulting and as a newspaper reporter and editor

Speeches and Publications

  • “Intellectual Property for Employment Lawyers,” presented to Iowa State Bar Association (October 2015)
  • “Intellectual Property Overview,” presented to executive leadership of SCORE of East Central Iowa (2013)
  • “Employment Law Update,” presented to the Cedar Rapids HR Roundtable (2009 to 2017, annually), to the Iowa Assoc. of Corporate Council (2010), and to the Cedar Rapids Chamber Academy (2009).
  • “Administering the Family and Medical Leave Act” (2012)
  • “The Family and Medical Leave Act,” presented at Iowa State Bar Association Labor and Employment Basics Seminar (2011)
  • “FMLA/ADAAA Update,” presented at Bradley & Riley PC’s Client Seminar (2010 and 2011)
  • “How to Manage Social Networking in the Workplace,” presented to the Employers Council of Iowa (2010)
  • “Plugging the Dam: Intermittent and Reduced Schedule Leave Under the FMLA” (2008 and 2006)
  • “Iowa FMLA Update” (2005 and 2007)
  • “Conducting a Thorough Investigation: Getting to the Truth, Protecting Privacy Rights, and Documentation Tips” (2007)
  • “Steps You Should Take to Eliminate Harassment at Work and How to Respond to Complaints” (2007)
  • “Adhering to the Family and Medical Leave Act” (2006)
  • “Eliminating Workplace Harassment and the Hostile Work Environment” (2006)
  • “Employee Privacy in the Workplace” (2005 and 2006)
  • “After Burlington Northern: Will Every Discrimination Claim Now Pull a Retaliation Caboose?” (2006)
  • “Preventing Lawsuits for Wrongful Termination” (2005)
  • “Safeguarding Against Sexual Harassment” (2005)
  • “The Ultimate Right to Fire” (2005)
  • “Negligence in the Workplace” (2004 and 2005)
  • “Sexual Harassment: Employer and Employee Rights and Responsibilities” (2003)
  • “Everything You Need to Know About Employee Departure Issues, Including RIF’s, Severance Agreements, Non-Competes and Non-Disclosures” (2003)
  • “Current Exemptions under the FLSA” (2003)
  • “Sex, Race and Other Harassment in the Workplace” (2003)
  • “Recent ADA Developments in Reasonable Accommodation” (2003)
  • “Trade Secrets and Intellectual Property Protection” (2002)
  • “Employee Leave Issues” (2002)
  • “Trade Secrets and Unfair Competition” (2002)
  • “Hiring Issues in Iowa” (2002)
  • “Liability Issues Associated with Automatic External Defibrillators,” presented to the American Red Cross, Grant Wood Area Chapter (2002)
  • “Employee Leave Rights Under State and Federal Law” (2001)
  • “Corporate Trade Secret Protection in Iowa” (2001)
  • “Family and Medical Leave Act in Iowa” (2001)
  • “Circuit City Adds Power to Employment Arbitration Agreements” (2001)
  • “Advanced Legal Drafting for Iowa Paralegals” (2001)

Significant Cases

  • Gasko v. Ginther, Case No. ESPR040789, Iowa District Court for Linn County, Iowa 2021: successfully defended Executor in will contest trial.
  • McIllece v. Cassill Motors, Case No. CVCV095979, Iowa District Court for Linn County, Iowa 2021: defense verdict in jury trial alleging consumer fraud.
  • Enger et. al v. Thomas L. Cardella & Associates, Inc., No. 20-CV-0078 (N.D. Iowa 2021): obtained dismissal of Rule 23 class action claims while defending a parallel collective action under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
  • ABC Corp. v. XYZ Corp (Confidential Matter 2018) Successfully defended corporation in 5-day arbitration alleging breach of contract in which Plaintiff sought $24 million in damages; Defendant awarded $70,000 on counter claim.
  • Clearly Compliant, L.L.C. v. Theresa Bornbach and Charity Resources, L.L.C., 2017 WL 5178994 (Iowa Ct. App. 2017) Successfully defended request for permanent injunction in trade secrets dispute.
  • Horsfield Materials, Inc. v. City of Dyersville, 834 N.W. 2d 444 (Iowa 2013) Obtained favorable ruling in Open Records Act dispute.
  • BVS, Inc. v. CDW Direct, LLC, 759 F.3d 869 (8th Cir. 2014) – Obtained reversal of a summary judgment decision in a commercial dispute alleging breach of contract, breach of warranty and fraud.
  • Dryspace, Inc. v. CrawlSpace Concepts, LLC, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (Case NO. 11-11195) (2012) Obtained summary judgment for Plaintiff in service mark infringement and unfair competition case.
  • Pactiv Corp. v. Rupert, 2012 WL 5974986 (N. D. Ill. 2012) Obtained summary judgment for former employee claiming severance benefits after a corporate merger.
  • Kunkle v. Kolek, et al.,  Iowa District Court for Linn County, Case No. LACV 07277 (2012).  Obtained summary judgment for defendants on claims alleging breach of fiduciary duty and negligent misrepresentation relating to plaintiffs’ investments in a welfare benefit trust for tax and estate planning purposes.
  • Sign Productions, Inc. v. Lehman, Allsop & Evans, L.L.C., Iowa District Court for Linn County (Case No. 62701) (2011). Obtained $106,261 jury verdict and judgment for Defendant/Counterclaim Plaintiff on claim alleging breach of a commercial lease.
  • PSK, L.L.C. d/b/a Overhead Door Company of Cedar Rapids and Iowa City v. Randy Hicklin and Danetta Hicklin d/b/a Advanced Garage Door Repair and A-1 American Garage Door Repair, Case No. 1:09-cv-105, United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa (2011). Obtained $301,667.26 jury verdict for Plaintiff after four-day trial on claim alleging unfair competition under the Lanham Act.
  • Gene Gessner, Inc. v. Novak Design Group, P.L.C., Iowa District Court for Johnson County, No. LACV 69943. Successfully defended architectural firm on breach of contract claim brought by engineering subcontractor on a multimillion dollar office building project, and obtained $28,000 judgment on counterclaim.
  • Fesler et al. v. City of North Liberty, Iowa District Court for Johnson County, No. EQCV 072701. Obtained a temporary injunction for citizens/taxpayers group to prevent the issuance of $11.3 million in municipal bonds and the related sale of land in North Liberty, Iowa in a dispute involving Iowa’s Urban Renewal Act.
  • In re Yellow Book Sales & Distribution Company, Inc. (Docket No. 10 11146). Successfully represented telephone directory publisher in obtaining a determination from the State of Washington Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals that independent contractors delivering telephone directories are not covered under Washington’s Industrial Insurance Act.
  • Dahl and MSD Sales, Inc. v. Welsh Machine Tool Co., Linn County No. LACV 055639. Obtained $342,663 verdict for plaintiffs after a 10-day jury trial primarily involving Wage Payment Collection Act claims; successfully defended against multiple counterclaims.
  • Sourcecorp BPS, Inc. v. Kenwood Records Management, Inc., 548 F. Supp.2d 673 (S.D. Iowa 2008). Obtained judgment for defendant on plaintiff’s claims alleging breach of a requirements contract.
  • Wyatt v. Iowa Department of Human Services, 744 N.W.2d 89 (Iowa 2008). Obtained favorable ruling from Iowa Supreme Court in a case alleging dependent adult abuse.
  • Moore Development v. M.G. Midwest, Inc., 2007 WL 2331021 (N.D. Iowa 2007). Obtained summary judgment in favor of defendant on claims alleging breach of contract and promissory estoppel.
  • Dennison v. Mediacomm, Inc., 720 N.W.2d 194 (Iowa Ct. App. 2006). Successfully represented the plaintiff, a secured creditor, to foreclose a security interest related to the sale of a radio station.
  • H&H FoodService v. Reinhart FoodService, Inc., Linn County No. LACV 050406. Obtained verdicts for the defendants against claims alleging fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, and misappropriation of trade secrets; prevailed on counterclaims under Wage Payment Collection Act.
  • Powell v. Yellow Book USA, 445 F.3d 1074 (8th Cir. 2006). Obtained summary judgment for defendant in a discrimination/harassment case.
  • Gruebel v. Lyness Enterprises, Linn County No. EQCV 51118. Obtained summary judgment in favor of defendant and counterclaim plaintiff to enforce a non-compete agreement contained in a franchise agreement.
  • BT Smith Properties v. Lamar Advertising, Linn County No. LACV 048510. Obtained judgment for plaintiff in a breach of commercial contract case.
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