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
Class Actions
Build Back Better Act Threatens Class and Collective Action Waivers
The U.S. House of Representatives on November 19, 2021, passed the Build Back Better Act (H.R. 5376), ambitious climate protection/social spending legislation that now awaits deliberation in the Senate. Tucked inside the massive bill are numerous provisions of interest to employers. One such provision would amend the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) 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 Spring 2021
In our latest issue of the Class Action Trends Report, Jackson Lewis attorneys discuss how employers can undertake Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives without risking class action discrimination suits; wage and hour compliance issues arising from the COVID-19-induced work-from-home surge; and a landmark Fifth Circuit decision rejecting the common two-stage framework for conditional certification…
Does the Workers’ Compensation Act Bar BIPA Claims? Illinois Supreme Court Will Weigh In
The Illinois Supreme Court recently agreed to hear an appeal of an Appellate Court’s decision addressing whether an employee’s claim for damages under Illinois’s Biometric Information Protection Act (BIPA) is preempted by the exclusivity provisions of the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act (IWCA).
Over the past few years. there has been a significant number of class…
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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Fifth Circuit Rejects Two-Step Approach for Certifying FLSA Collective Actions
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has just issued an important decision addressing “how stringently, and how soon, district courts should enforce Section 216(b)’s ‘similarly situated’ mandate” when considering motions for certification of collective actions under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The appeals court rejected the familiar two-step, conditional certification-followed-by-decertification approach…