The Department of Labor has decided to align its analysis under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of the intern-vs.-employee determination with that of the majority of federal appellate courts to have addressed the issue,...more
Although summer seems far away, now is the time when most employers begin to prepare for their summer internship programs. Internships are a great way to give college students or new professionals some hands-on experience in...more
In yet another blow to Obama-era Department of Labor (DOL) precedent, the DOL recently eliminated its six-part test for determining whether interns can be deemed employees for purposes of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA),...more
On January 5, 2018, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) adopted a more lenient standard for assessing whether interns qualify as employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). Previously, in 2010, the DOL promulgated...more
Former students at a cosmetology and hair design school with locations in California and Nevada were interns and not employees entitled to wages under the FLSA or state law, the Ninth Circuit has held. Benjamin v. B&H...more
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...more
Spring is around the corner, with summer not far behind, so thoughts naturally turn to the obvious topic: internships. Although the volume of new lawsuits by unpaid interns challenging their status has abated...more
Readers will recall that, last July, the Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals (with jurisdiction over Connecticut, New York, and Vermont) adopted a "primary benefit" framework for determining whether a for-profit entity's...more
While most New Yorkers rode out last weekend’s blizzard by binge watching television or enjoying playoff football, three Second Circuit judges apparently spent their time more productively, as the court on Monday issued an...more
Earlier this month Sirius XM Radio Inc. settled a wage & hour class action with a class of 1,852 unpaid interns that claimed the company violated federal and state labor laws by failing to compensate them for the work they...more
On July 2, 2015, in Glatt v. Fox Searchlight Pictures and Wang v. The Hearst Corporation, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals addressed when unpaid interns are “employees” entitled to compensation under the Fair Labor...more
On July 2, 2015, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals issued significant pro-employer decisions in Glatt v. Fox Searchlight Pictures (Nos. 13-4478-cv, 13-4481-cv) (“Fox”) and Wang v. Hearst Corp. (No. 13-4480-cv) (“Hearst”)...more
DOL Proposes Major Overhaul of Overtime Rules: Why it matters - Expanding the scope of employees eligible for overtime, the Department of Labor (DOL) released its long-awaited new rules revising the white collar...more
Second Circuit Reverses Class Certification Ruling in Fox Searchlight Unpaid Intern Case, Directing Trial Court to View Economic Benefit Factors Through New Lens - A federal appellate court in New York handed an apparent...more
Over the past several years, employment lawyers have cautioned their clients with regard to legal risks involved with unpaid internships. As these internships rose in popularity, many of the arrangements failed to meet...more
On July 2, 2015, a federal appeals court upended the test companies and courts have relied upon for nearly seventy years to determine whether or not an intern must be paid. Instead, in Glatt v. Fox the Second Circuit Court of...more
On July 2, 2015, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit issued its highly anticipated decision concerning unpaid internships, Glatt v. Fox Searchlight Pictures, Inc., No. 134478-cv (2d Cir. July 2, 2015)....more
On July 2, 2015, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision regarding the employment status of unpaid interns that should prove helpful to employers. In Glatt v. Fox Searchlight Pictures, Inc., Nos. 13-4478 and...more
Many of us spent summers working as interns, getting access to the industry of our choice, making contacts, learning – and yes running errands and filing and stuffing envelopes and doing other “grunt” work. Most young people...more
On July 2, 2015, in a matter of first impression, the Second Circuit issued a ruling in Glatt v. Fox Searchlight Pictures, Inc., Nos. 13-4478, 13-4481 (2d Cir. July 2, 2015), and provided a new test for whether a worker can...more
Last week, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a lower court decision that certain unpaid interns had to be paid for their work in the entertainment industry. The district court had held that Fox Searchlight Pictures...more
This Blog is Not about Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn, But… “The Internship” fails the first test of merit for a comedy: “Is it funny?” I find that opening line in a review from The New Yorker hilarious. (Funnier than the...more
In a closely watched case affecting the viability of unpaid internship programs at for-profit employers, the Second Circuit held that the “primary beneficiary” test should be used to decide whether interns should be deemed...more
The Second Circuit struck a blow today to individuals pursuing collective/class actions alleging that unpaid interns should be classified as employees. The Court announced an employer-friendly test that asks who benefits...more
Three and a half years ago, litigation began in the Southern District of New York ("S.D.N.Y.") challenging the long-held assumption that interns were not "employees" under the law. These cases alleged that interns who were...more