In the latest court ruling to address personal jurisdiction over out-of-state opt-in plaintiffs in Fair Labor Standards Act collective actions, a federal district court in North Carolina held that it lacked jurisdiction over individuals who did not work for the defendant employer within the state, were not hired in the state, or whose employment with
Case Law Update
Class Action Trends Report: A Look Back
For employers, 2021 was a challenging year. The post-election landscape, evolving federal and state law, and the effects of a seemingly endless global pandemic created a difficult business climate. Efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 were met with stiff resistance — legal and otherwise; still, employers persist in earnest to maintain their operations safely…
Appeals Court Creates Circuit Split on Whether Bristol-Myers Applies to Collective Actions
In its 2017 decision in Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. v. Superior Court of Cal., the U.S. Supreme Court held that a state court could not exercise specific personal jurisdiction over nonresident plaintiffs’ claims against a nonresident company. Left unresolved by the Court was whether its decision, handed down in a mass tort action, applied to…
Class Action Trends Report, Fall 2021
The Fall 2021 edition of the Jackson Lewis Class Action Trends Report looks at the class action risks that arise as employers navigate return-to-work during this precarious stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. Employee symptom screening, mask and vaccine mandates, returning reluctant remote workers to the office–all pose operational challenges as well as potential exposure to…
‘No Concrete Harm, No Standing,’ Divided Supreme Court Reaffirms in Fair Credit Reporting Act Case
The right of plaintiffs to sue for technical violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and other federal privacy laws has been the subject of much class litigation in recent years. The U.S. Supreme Court addressed this increasingly salient issue in Spokeo, Inc. v. Robins, 578 U. S. 330 (2016). “‘Article III standing…
The Wait Is Over…What’s Next for the NCAA?
It was a class action case that captured the attention of sports fans across the country: The United States Supreme Court agreed to tackle the issue of “amateurism” in collegiate sports, and the extent to which the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) could limit the education-related benefits that institutions of higher education within the NCAA…
$102 Million Pay Stub, Meal Break Judgment Against Walmart Reversed
In a significant victory for California employers, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed a $102 million award against Walmart in a suit alleging that the retailer violated the California Labor Code’s wage statement and meal-break provisions. The decision is Magadia v. Wal-Mart Associates, Inc., May 28, 2021, No. 19-16184.
The
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Class Action Trends Report: Looking back, looking ahead
Last year presented many challenges, and 2021 offers a fresh start. In this issue of the Class Actions Trends Report we review the most significant developments of 2020 and look ahead to what a new year and a new presidential administration may mean for employers.
Topics addressed in this issue include:
- Top 10 class action
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2020 Wage & Hour Developments: A Year in Review
The laws governing wages and hours of work affect nearly everyone—and have a significant affect on class and collective actions. How employees are paid, whether as hourly non-exempt, salaried-exempt, tipped, or commissioned sales workers, and how much they are paid, are questions of deep interest to employees and employers alike. And because the laws regulating…
The Next Wave? Serial Discrimination Filings from Prior Class Claims
Notwithstanding the employers’ victory at the U.S. Supreme Court in Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis, which made it clear that arbitration and class action waiver regimes do not violate the National Labor Relations Act, employers are now facing another obstacle: serial arbitration filings. These filings, in an attempt by some plaintiffs’ attorneys to overwhelm…