Co-authored by Robert S. Whitman and Howard M. Wexler
Seyfarth Synopsis: A New York federal court denied a motion for conditional certification of a nationwide collective action against Barnes & Noble. The ruling highlights that, even though the burden for “first stage” certification is modest, courts may not approve such motions without evidence that the named plaintiffs are similarly
Continue Reading Don’t Judge a Conditional Certification Motion by Its Cover
Co-authored by Gerald L. Maatman, Jr., Gina Merrill, Brendan Sweeney, and Mark W. Wallin
Seyfarth Synopsis: A New York federal court in Durling, et al. v. Papa John’s International, Inc., Case No. 7:16-CV-03592 (CS) (JCM) (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 29, 2017), recently denied Plaintiffs’ motion for conditional certification of a nationwide collective action in an FLSA minimum wage action
Continue Reading New York Court Delivers Denial Of Certification In Papa John’s Drivers’ Class Action
Authored by Michael Kopp
With all the drama of a get-away chase, the Third Circuit recently brought to a screeching halt plaintiffs’ counsel’s elaborate maneuvers to end run repeated decertification of their FLSA actions, and held as a matter of first impression in Halle v. West Penn Allegheny Health System, Inc. that opt-in plaintiffs have no right to appeal decertification.
Continue Reading Opt Ins are Out (of Luck) Appealing Decertification
Authored by Seyfarth’s Wage & Hour Litigation Practice Group
Late Tuesday afternoon, Judge Amos Mazzant of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas issued an order enjoining the U.S. Department of Labor’s implementation and enforcement of the new overtime exemption rules that were set to go into effect on December 1, 2016. The court granted a
Continue Reading Texas Judge Preliminarily Enjoins New Overtime Exemption Rules Nationwide: What Steps Should Follow?
Authored by Rob Whitman
Seyfarth Synopsis: Unpaid interns for Hearst magazines have been rebuffed again in their effort to be declared eligible to receive wages under the FLSA and the New York Labor Law.
In an August 24, 2016 ruling, Judge J. Paul Oetken of the Southern District of New York held that six interns, who worked for Marie
Continue Reading In Final Exam, Court Rejects Hearst Interns’ Pay Claims
Authored by Eric Lloyd
Seyfarth Synopsis: Minor league baseball players took a swing at class certification, and they missed—badly.
In Senne v. Kansas City Royals Baseball Corp., et al., minor league baseball players across the country asserted wage and hour claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) and various state laws against Major League Baseball (“MLB”), the Commissioner
Continue Reading Northern District of California “Shuts Out” Minor League Ballplayers’ Experts
Co-authored by Robert Whitman and Adam J. Smiley
Seyfarth Synopsis: Fox Searchlight and Fox Entertainment Group have reached a preliminary settlement with a group of former unpaid interns, possibly resolving the lawsuit that resulted in a Second Circuit decision that redefined the test used to evaluate whether interns are properly classified under the FLSA.
As this blog has previously reported
Continue Reading That’s a Wrap: Fox Reaches Deal with Unpaid Interns
Co-authored by Noah A. Finkel and Abad Lopez
The demise of bank loan underwriters’ exempt status has been greatly exaggerated—at least according to a recent Sixth Circuit decision upholding the dismissal of a putative collective action against Huntington Bank. The court disagreed with underwriters who alleged that they were improperly classified as exempt and thereby wrongfully denied overtime pay. Instead,
Continue Reading Classifying a Loan Underwriter as Exempt Is a Risk Worth Taking, Says Sixth Circuit
Co-authored by Robert Whitman, Cameron Smith, and Meredith-Anne Berger
Former brokers of Fordham Financial Management will have to put this one in the “loss” column. Judge Paul Crotty of the Southern District of New York granted Fordham’s motion to decertify the FLSA collective in their lawsuit alleging they were misclassified as independent contractors.
The brokers initially succeeded in
Continue Reading Brokers Take a Bath in FLSA Collective Action
Co-authored by Molly C. Mooney and Noah Finkel
Last week, a federal judge in the Northern District of Illinois lifted the weight of collective action certification off Life Time Fitness, Inc. and refused to certify a proposed collective of more than 6,000 personal trainers because each trainer’s employment varied too much to resolve their potential claims on a collective basis.
Continue Reading Lifting the Weight: Conditional Certification Denied for Personal Trainers Claiming Off-the-Clock Work