By Noah Finkel and Lennon Haas
Seyfarth Synopsis: Plaintiffs asserting federal and state wage and hour claims in one action often pursue both class certification of state claims under Rule 23 and collective action certification under the FLSA. In that hybrid environment, litigating FLSA collectives to judgment before addressing Rule 23 certification can saddle employers with the increased exposure of
Continue Reading Third Circuit Puts The Kibosh on Hybrid Hijinks
By: Noah A. Finkel
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals last week affirmed a district court’s denial of class certification of a state overtime claim on numerosity grounds, reasoning that the touchstone for that element is whether joinder of putative class members is practicable, and a factor to consider is how easily the plaintiff could contact those
Continue Reading Did the 7th Circuit Just Provide a New Avenue to Defeat Certification of a State Law Overtime Claim?
Authored by Alex Passantino
‘Twas the week before Christmas, 2-0-1-5
When the poetry elves on the blog came alive.
Crafting their rhymes with a purpose so clear:
Presenting the wage-hour gems of the year.
In January, for new regs in this year our breath bated.
Then for six painful months, we speculated and waited.
And just as
Continue Reading I’m Dreaming of a White Collar: 2015 Year in Review
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 Geoffrey Westbrook
After more than four years of litigation, Citibank hauled in a significant victory last week against putative class and collective actions in Ruiz v. Citibank. Personal bankers from California, New York, Washington D.C. and other states alleged that Citibank withheld overtime pay under a nationwide scheme encouraging off-the-clock work. Although finding “systematic violations at the
Continue Reading Citibank Cashes In With Big Win On Nationwide Overtime Class and Collective Actions
Leading employment law firm Seyfarth Shaw has updated its definitive guide to the litigation of wage and hour lawsuits. Co-authored by three Seyfarth partners and edited by the chair of the firm’s national wage-hour practice, Wage & Hour Collective and Class Litigation is an essential resource for practitioners. The unique treatise provides insight into litigation strategy through all phases
Continue Reading Seyfarth Shaw Attorneys Author the 2015 Update to the Definitive Guide to Litigating Wage & Hour Lawsuits
Authored by Noah Finkel
California has long been regarded as the epicenter of wage and hour litigation. It is where the most cases are filed. It has the most onerous wage and hour laws. And those laws contain the most draconian remedies. Because of this, California wage and hour claims tend to carry higher settlement value than FLSA claims or
Continue Reading 1 California Class Member = 9 FLSA Collective Action Members
Co-authored by Coby M. Turner and Laura J. Maechtlen
California is bringing Comcast home—last week, California employers were the beneficiary of some down-home wisdom coming out of San Francisco.
Giving some sage advice to the wage and hour community, Judge Alsup in Lou et. al. v. Ma Laboratories, Inc., denied conditional and class certification to a broad class of
Continue Reading Ma (Labs) Knows Best—California Court Uses Comcast To Reject Certification Of An Off-The-Clock Claim
By Noah Finkel and Richard Alfred
We have long argued that the best path for defeating a hybrid state law wage and hour claim is not through a motion to dismiss but by making a strong lack of superiority argument to defeat class certification.
It is therefore not surprising to us that the Ninth Circuit joined several other Circuits last
Co-authored by Laura Reasons, Giselle Donado, and Noah Finkel
In an opinion likely to make it more difficult for wage-hour plaintiffs to certify a class action and maintain certification of a collective action, the Seventh Circuit affirmed the Western District of Wisconsin’s decertification decision in Espenscheid v. DirectSat USA, LLC on the grounds that trial was not manageable