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Wage & Hour

  • July 07, 2025

    Settlement Unlikely In Airline Group's Colo. Sick Leave Suit

    An airline lobby and the state of Colorado told a federal court last week that a settlement "appears unlikely" in the airline group's case claiming the state's sick leave law is preempted by federal law.

  • July 07, 2025

    Md. Justices Say FLSA De Minimis Rule Covers State Laws

    The de minimis doctrine established in a U.S. Supreme Court decision for Fair Labor Standards Act claims applies to suits brought under Maryland wage and hour laws, the state's high court ruled in a former Amazon employee's case over unpaid post-shift security screenings.

  • July 07, 2025

    Restaurant Cut Pay Over Harassment Complaint, Worker Says

    A Golden Corral franchisee misclassified an assistant kitchen manager as a salaried employee, lowered his pay and ultimately fired him for complaining that the owner's son was making inappropriate sexual comments, according to a suit filed Monday in Pennsylvania federal court.

  • July 07, 2025

    Drivers Say Pizza Co. Must Answer For Missing Payroll Docs

    A company that operates Michigan pizza restaurants failed to hang on to nearly half of the payroll records of a collective of delivery drivers accusing it of not fully reimbursing them for vehicle-related expenses, the drivers told a federal court, saying sanctions may be necessary.

  • July 07, 2025

    Wage Cases To Watch For The Rest Of 2025

    A U.S. Supreme Court look at a private prison operator's assertion of immunity from incarcerated workers' claims, appeals seeking to replace the two-step collective certification process and challenges to U.S. Department of Labor rules are among the wage and hour cases to watch in the coming months. Here’s a look at those ongoing cases.

  • July 03, 2025

    BofA Beats Class Cert. Bid Over Vacation Pay, For Now

    A California federal judge Thursday refused to certify three putative classes of former Bank of America employees who accused the bank of not paying them their accrued, unused vacation time, saying a proposed class representative seemingly wasn't eligible for vacation time accrual.

  • July 03, 2025

    Pa. School District Fights $2.7M Fee Bid After $165K Verdict

    The Central Bucks School District in Pennsylvania says counsel representing two female teachers awarded $165,000 in an equal pay lawsuit should not be given $2.7 million in fees, arguing that request is not proportionate to the result.

  • July 03, 2025

    Circuit-By-Circuit Recap: Justices Send Message To Outliers

    It was a tough term at the U.S. Supreme Court for two very different circuits — one solidly liberal, one solidly conservative — that had their rulings overturned in eye-popping numbers. But it was another impressive year for a relatively moderate circuit that appears increasingly simpatico with the high court.

  • July 03, 2025

    The Moments That Shaped The Universal Injunction Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court voted along ideological lines when it hindered the ability of federal district court judges to issue nationwide pauses on presidential policies, but that outcome didn't seem like a foregone conclusion during oral arguments earlier this year. What do the colloquies suggest about the justices' thinking? Here are some moments that may have swayed them.

  • July 03, 2025

    5 Biggest Wage Rulings So Far In 2025

    A U.S. Supreme Court decision that there is no heightened burden of proof in Fair Labor Standards Act class actions and the Ninth Circuit’s backing of a California independent contractor classification law are some of the biggest wage and hour rulings so far this year. Here, ¼«ËÙÈü³µ explores the rulings.

  • July 03, 2025

    DOL Looks To Rescind Rule Ending Subminimum Wage

    The U.S. Department of Labor is backtracking on a proposed rule that would have ended a program allowing employers to pay workers with disabilities below the federal minimum wage, saying ending the program could result in a lack of employment opportunities for disabled individuals.

  • July 03, 2025

    The Firms That Won Big At The Supreme Court

    The number of law firms juggling three or more arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court this past term nearly doubled from the number of firms that could make that claim last term.

  • July 03, 2025

    Breaking Down The Vote: The High Court Term In Review

    The U.S. Supreme Court once again waited until the term's closing weeks — and even hours — to issue some of its most anticipated and divided decisions.

  • July 03, 2025

    Call Center Co. Wants Out Of Misclassification Suit

    A suit by workers accusing a call center company of incorrectly classifying them as independent contractors and then firing them when they complained must be thrown out, the company told a Florida federal court, saying the complaint is a "textbook impermissible shotgun pleading."

  • July 03, 2025

    Opinion Letters Offer DOL 'Soft Power,' Attys Say

    U.S. Department of Labor opinion letters give businesses backup assistance to comply with wage and hour law, but it is a tool that has been politicized and viewed as potentially skewed in favor of employers, attorneys say.

  • July 03, 2025

    PWFA Litigation Comes Into Focus In 1st Half Of 2025

    The second anniversary of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act's effective date recently passed, and though courts haven't shed much light yet on how they'll interpret the statute, new suits and settlements from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission offer insights for both employers and workers. Here, ¼«ËÙÈü³µ offers a midyear overview of the EEOC's efforts to enforce the PWFA.

  • July 02, 2025

    Moving Help Co. Accused Of Misclassifying Drivers

    An on-demand moving and delivery service classifies workers as independent contractors — despite exercising substantial control over their work — and refuses to reimburse drivers for the costs they incur from buying gas and paying tolls, according to a proposed class action filed in California state court.

  • July 02, 2025

    DC Tipped Minimum Wage Hike Put On Ice

    Tipped workers will not see a $2 boost in their hourly wages this week after the D.C. City Council voted to pause a scheduled minimum wage increase that could spell trouble for a ballot initiative designed to match up minimum wages for both tipped and nontipped workers.

  • July 02, 2025

    TikTok Can Arbitrate Most Sales Reps' Claims Of Unpaid OT

    A lawsuit by a group of sales representatives accusing TikTok of incorrectly classifying them as exempt from earning overtime can largely be sent to arbitration, a California federal judge ruled, saying all but one worker signed an agreement that mandates employment disputes stay out of court.

  • July 02, 2025

    The Funniest Moments Of The Supreme Court's Term

    After justices and oral advocates spent much of an argument pummeling a lower court's writing talents, one attorney suggested it might be time to move on — only to be told the drubbing had barely begun. Here, ¼«ËÙÈü³µ showcases the standout jests and wisecracks from the 2024-25 U.S. Supreme Court term.

  • July 02, 2025

    9th Circ. Limits Cracker Barrel Collective To In-State Workers

    A nationwide collective of Cracker Barrel servers in a wage and hour case is too vast, the Ninth Circuit ruled, saying members who worked for the restaurant chain outside Arizona, where the suit was launched, should not have been permitted to join.

  • July 01, 2025

    Amazon Beats Cert. Bid By 150K Flex Drivers In Tip Dispute

    A Washington federal judge refused to certify a proposed class of 150,000 Amazon Flex drivers who said Amazon pocketed their tips, ruling on Tuesday that Amazon's earlier $61.7 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission already provided relief, and litigating the case as a class action would be costly and duplicative.

  • July 01, 2025

    EEOC Wraps Up June With A Flurry Of Suits

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a spate of new cases as June ended, including suits alleging that an executive asked a worker to enter a sexual contract, a company required an applicant to take an electrocardiogram, and Walmart pushed out a worker returning from COVID-19 leave. Here, ¼«ËÙÈü³µ takes a look at seven lawsuits the EEOC filed Monday.

  • July 01, 2025

    The Sharpest Dissents From The Supreme Court Term

    The term's sharpest dissents often looked beyond perceived flaws in majority reasoning to raise existential concerns about the role and future of the court, with the justices accusing one another of rewarding executive branch lawlessness, harming faith in the judiciary and threatening democracy, sometimes on an emergency basis with little briefing or explanation.

  • July 01, 2025

    Justices Face Busy Summer After Nixing Universal Injunctions

    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to limit nationwide injunctions was one of its biggest rulings of the term — a finding the court is likely going to be dealing with all summer. Here, ¼«ËÙÈü³µ takes a look at the decision, how it and other cases on the emergency docket overshadowed much of the court's other work, and what it all means for the months to come.

Expert Analysis

  • What 7th Circ. Collective Actions Ruling Means For Employers

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    With the Seventh Circuit’s recent Fair Labor Standards Act ruling in Vanegas v. Signet Builders, a majority of federal appellate courts that have addressed the jurisdictional scope of employee collective actions now follow the U.S. Supreme Court's limiting precedent, bolstering an employer defense in circuits that have yet to weigh in, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.

  • Behind 3rd Circ. Ruling On College Athletes' FLSA Eligibility

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    The Third Circuit's decision that college athletes are not precluded from bringing a claim under the Fair Labor Standards Act raises key questions about the practical consequences of treating collegiate athletes as employees, such as Title IX equal pay claims and potential eligibility for all employment benefits, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • What To Know About Ill. Employment Law Changes

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    Illinois employers should review their policies in light of a number of recent changes to state employment law, including amendments to the state’s Human Rights Act and modifications to the Day and Temporary Labor Services Act, say attorneys at Kilpatrick.

  • Court Denial Of $335M UFC Deal Sets Bold Antitrust Precedent

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    A Nevada federal court’s recent refusal to accept a $335 million deal between Ultimate Fighting Championship and a group of former fighters to settle claims of anticompetitive conduct was a rare decision that risks the floodgates opening on established antitrust case law, says Mohit Pasricha at Lawrence Stephens.

  • Employers Should Not Neglect Paid Military Leave Compliance

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    An August decision from the Ninth Circuit and the settlement of a long-running class action, both examining paid leave requirements under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, are part of a nationwide trend that should prompt employers to review their military leave policies to avoid potential litigation and reputational damage, says Bradford Kelley at Littler.

  • Old Employment Law Principles Can Answer New AI Concerns

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    Despite growing legal and regulatory concerns about how artificial intelligence tools may affect employment decisions and worker rights, companies should take comfort in knowing that familiar principles of employment law and established compliance regimes can still largely address these new twists on old questions, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • How NJ Temp Equal Pay Survived A Constitutional Challenge

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    The Third Circuit recently gave the New Jersey Temporary Workers' Bill of Rights a new lease on life by systematically dismantling multiple theories of the act's unconstitutionality brought by staffing agencies hoping to delay their new equal pay and benefits obligations, say attorneys at Duane Morris.

  • NYC Wage Info Bill Highlights Rise In Pay Transparency Laws

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    With New York City the latest to mull requiring companies to annually report employee wage data, national employers should consider adapting their compliance practices to comply with increasingly common pay transparency and disclosure obligations at state and local levels, says Kelly Cardin at Littler Mendelson.

  • Calif. Ruling Clarifying Paystub Compliance Is Win For Cos.

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    In rare good news for California employers, the state Supreme Court recently clarified that workers couldn’t win extra penalties in wage and hour cases by claiming their employer intentionally violated state paystub law if the employer believed it had complied in good faith, say Drei Munar and Kirk Hornbeck at Hunton.

  • Water Cooler Talk: Immigration Insights From 'The Proposal'

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    Tracey Diamond and Evan Gibbs at Troutman Pepper chat with their colleague Robert Lee about how immigration challenges highlighted in the romantic comedy "The Proposal" — beyond a few farcical plot contrivances — relate to real-world visa processes and employer compliance.

  • How Calif. Justices' Prop 22 Ruling Affects The Gig Industry

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    The California Supreme Court's recent upholding of Proposition 22 clarifies that Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and other companies in the gig industry can legally classify their drivers as independent contractors, but it falls short of concluding some important regulatory battles in the state, says Mark Spring at CDF Labor.

  • Eye On Compliance: NY's New Freelance Protection Law

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    New York's Freelance Isn't Free Act is set to take effect later this month, meaning employers must be proactive in ensuring compliance and take steps to mitigate risks, such as updating documentation and specifying correct worker classification, says Jonathan Meer at Wilson Elser.

  • Illinois BIPA Reform Offers Welcome Relief To Businesses

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    Illinois' recent amendment to its Biometric Information Privacy Act limits the number of violations and damages a plaintiff can claim — a crucial step in shielding businesses from unintended legal consequences, including litigation risk and compliance costs, say attorneys at Taft.