Megan Reif is a staff attorney in Cohen Milstein’s Civil Rights & Employment practice. She is a litigator with experience in all aspects of litigation from case investigation through trial. She takes a hands-on approach to working with clients, guiding them through the sometimes unfamiliar and daunting legal system to successfully prepare them for testifying at depositions and trial. She works closely with economic and statistical experts to support the certification of class claims and sophisticated damages analyses. Ms. Reif has had the honor of representing clients in recent successful settlements challenging alleged racial discrimination in hiring and obtaining insurance coverage for gender-affirming healthcare.
Previously, Megan was a law fellow at Cohen Milstein working in the Civil Rights & Employment Practice Group.
Before joining Cohen Milstein, Megan was a Fair Housing and Community Development Fellow at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. During her fellowship, she worked on litigation and fair housing policy, including authoring Assessments of Fair Housing, which analyze demographic data, local policies, and relevant laws to identify barriers to fair housing and potential solutions. She also worked as co-counsel with the Civil Rights & Employment team on Long Island Housing Services, Inc. v. NPS Holiday Square LLC (E.D.N.Y.) prior to joining the firm.
Megan speaks on fair housing issues. In 2019, she spoke on a panel discussing “Gentrification, Affordable Housing and Eviction: Defining the Impacts on Low Income,” as a part of Ecumenical Advocacy Days.
During law school, Megan was the recipient of the F. Hodge O’Neal Corporate Law Award and was the Media and Symposium Editor of Global Studies Law Review.
Washington Council of Lawyers
- District of Columbia
- Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, J.D., cum laude, 2017
- University of Iowa, B.A., summa cum laude, 2014
Fair Housing and Community Development Fellow, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (2017 – 2020)
Civil Rights & Employment Law Fellow, Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC (2021 – 2022)
Current Cases
Amazon Flex Driver Mass Arbitration
Amazon Flex Driver Arbitrations (AAA): Cohen Milstein represents thousands of current and former Amazon Flex delivery drivers in California, Illinois and Massachusetts who allege that Amazon misclassified them as independent contractors instead of employees to avoid paying them overtime or reimbursing for expenses, and to deny them other benefits under these states’ laws. These cases are currently being litigated before the American Arbitration Association.
Salvation Army ARC Unpaid Wages Litigation
Salvation Army ARC Unpaid Wages Litigation: Cohen Milstein represents participants in Salvation Army's adult rehabilitation centers (ARC), who perform labor in support of the organization as a condition of their enrollment, in three lawsuits alleging that The Salvation Army violated federal and state laws when it failed to pay minimum wage to ARC workers.
Past Cases
Gender-Affirming Breast Surgery Coverage by Aetna
On January 26, 2021, Cohen Milstein and Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF), on behalf of several transgender healthcare beneficiaries of Aetna, a CVS Health company, announced that Aetna has expanded its healthcare coverage of gender-affirming surgery to include breast augmentation for transfeminine members in most of its commercial plans. This decision is the […]
Long Island Housing Services, Inc. v. NPS Holiday Square LLC
Long Island Housing Services, Inc., et al. v. NPS Holiday Square LLC, et al. (E.D.N.Y.): Cohen Milstein, in partnership with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, represented Long Island Housing Services (LIHS), Suffolk Independent Living Organization (SILO) and Suffolk County residents in a Fair Housing Act race, disability, and source of income discrimination class action against NPS Property Corporation, a prominent Long Island-area property management company. On February 16, 2024, parties reached a settlement for $105,000.00 in monetary damages, separate from attorneys’ fees, and significant injunctive relief to safeguard against future discrimination, including adopting certain requirements for participants in housing subsidy programs, such as voucher holders.
Temporary Staffing Agency Litigation
Temporary Employment Staffing Agency Litigation (N.D. Ill.): Cohen Milstein is involved in a series of race-based discrimination class actions in Chicago, representing African-American laborers who allege that their temporary staffing agencies and their factory-clients engaged in a repeated and collusive practice of excluding African Americans from temporary laborer positions. On April 19, 2024, the last of the cases concluded. Approved settlements total more than $14 million.
U.S. Customs & Border Protection Agency Pregnancy Discrimination Litigation
Gabaldon, et al. V. Mayorkas, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (EEOC): Cohen Milstein represented U.S. Customs and Border agents in a certified class action against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency, in which plaintiffs claim that the agency and its implementation of the temporary light duty policies discriminate against pregnant agents in violation of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. On August 13, 2024, a class of over 1,000 agents reached a historic $45 million settlement, which includes an agreement by the agency to enact sweeping reforms to policies that will eliminate long-standing discriminatory practices.
August 16, 2024
Litigator of the Week Runners-Up and Shout-Outs
Shout-out to lawyers at Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll and Gilbert Employment Law who secured a $45 million settlement from Customs and Border Protection on behalf of 1,000 employees who claimed the agency discriminated against pregnant workers. Plaintiffs initially filed the lawsuit in 2016 with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. They claimed CBP forced […]
In the News | ALM/Law.com
August 13, 2024
Customs & Border Protection Employees Reach $45 Million Settlement After Uncovering Widespread Pregnancy Discrimination
The settlement includes a number of major reforms to the agency after members of a class of over 1,000 employees challenged a widespread practice of involuntary removal from active duty because of pregnancy, resulting in lost wages and causing them emotional harm. WASHINGTON, D.C. – A class of over 1,000 employees of Customs and Border […]
Press Releases | Cohen Milstein
June 18, 2024
1,700 Bay Area Delivery Workers Join Mass Arbitration Claim Against Amazon
Saman Khodaei said that delivering packages for Amazon as part of its DoorDash-like Flex program was stressful. The company gave him a set number of packages to deliver in a block of time, he said — noon to 2 p.m., for example. But any number of things could and did delay his deliveries — traffic, […]
In the News | San Francisco Examiner
June 11, 2024
Amazon Flex Drivers File Thousands of Wage & Hour Actions Against Amazon
More than 15,750 individual claims filed simultaneously against Amazon, alleging drivers were misclassified as independent contractors. Lawyers continue to sign up other misclassified drivers to participate in arbitration. San Francisco, CA – Today, more than 15,750 Amazon Flex drivers in California, Illinois and Massachusetts deluged Amazon, the e-commerce and delivery giant, with individual wage and […]
Press Releases | Cohen Milstein
February 1, 2021
Aetna Updates Policies to Cover Transgender Feminizing Surgeries
The payer updated its policies in response to four transgender members who came forward and demanded better access to care after their feminizing surgery claims were denied. Aetna has updated its coverage policies to correct care disparities and to include gender-affirming surgeries for transgender women in most of its commercial plans, CVS Health announced. Aetna […]
In the News | Health Payer Intelligence
January 27, 2021
Aetna Grows Coverage for Gender-Affirming Surgeries for Transgender Women
Aetna is expanding coverage for gender-affirming surgeries for transgender women. The insurer will now cover gender-affirming breast augmentation in most of its commercial plans, the CVS Health subsidiary announced this week. The change came as a result of a collaboration between Aetna, the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF), Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll […]
In the News | Fierce Healthcare
January 27, 2021
Aetna Expands Coverage for Gender-Affirming Surgery
Aetna expanded its coverage of gender-affirming surgery for transgender women, the insurer said Jan. 26. Under the new policy, breast augmentation for transgender women will be considered a covered service under most of Aetna’s commercial health plans. The policy change came after transgender women raised access issues to Aetna after their breast augmentation procedures were […]
In the News | Becker’s Hospital Review