Authored by Michael W. Kopp

In a case that is certain to provide an important sequel to the Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes and Comcast Corp. v. Behrend decisions, the Supreme Court will hear argument next week on Tyson Foods Inc. v. Bouaphakeo, to address (1) the use of statistical averaging in class actions to prove liability and damages,
Continue Reading Another Watershed Moment for Class Actions? SCOTUS to Address Limits on Statistical Proof in Class and Collective Actions

Authored by Alex Passantino

It’s the week before Christmas, and we’ve accepted our mission,
The annual wage hour “sum-up” composition.
And to start it all off, we’ve got something nice,
‘Cause the Supreme Court addressed wage and hour stuff twice.

The year started out with the first one of those;
As Justice Scalia answered “What counts as clothes?”
With
Continue Reading Integral Clothes and Mistletoes: 2014 Year in Review

Co-authored by Abad Lopez and Noah Finkel

Even in the face of an apparent victory, a company may be stuck with an unexpected and outsized attorneys’ fees tab.  In a recent case that highlights the multifaceted perils of drawn out litigation, the Tenth Circuit affirmed a $3.4 million attorneys’ fees award—even though the jury rejected the majority of plaintiffs’
Continue Reading Bittersweet Victory: Court Affirms $3.4 Million Attorney’s Fee Award Despite Plaintiffs’ Defeat on Majority of Claims

Co-authored by Arthur Rooney and Abad Lopez

Under FLSA section 203(o), time spent “changing clothes or washing at the beginning or end of each workday” is excluded from compensable time if it is treated as non-work time by a collective bargaining agreement.  So, does section 203(o) only apply to time spent donning and doffing at the beginning and end
Continue Reading Try This On For Size: Seventh Circuit Rejects Factory Workers’ Donning and Doffing Claims Based On Expansive View Of The “Workday”

Co-authored by Arthur Rooney and Abad Lopez

In a victory for limiting the avenues available to employees covered by collective bargaining agreements, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals held that federal law preempts state law claims for unpaid wages where a CBA is implicated.  As a result, the Fourth Circuit reversed a jury verdict in favor of unionized employees in 
Continue Reading Company Cries “Fowl” Over Jury Verdict, Fourth Circuit Agrees — Poultry Workers’ State Law Wage Claims Are Preempted by Federal Law