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Independent Contractors Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Class Action

Independent contractors are individuals or entities that perform work for other individuals or entities, but are not employees of those individuals or entities. Whether a worker is an employee or an independent... more +
Independent contractors are individuals or entities that perform work for other individuals or entities, but are not employees of those individuals or entities. Whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor is not always an easy determination. However, due to differences in tax and liability treatment, misclassifying an employee as an independent contractor can have serious consequences. Autonomy is the defining feature of independent contractor arrangements. Independent contractors control the manner and method of how work is performed while payers control the desired result. Control over schedule and number of hours worked, ownership of equipment or tools, permanency of relationship, and acceptance of jobs from multiple entities are all possible factors in determining whether a worker is an employee or independent contractor.   less -
Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

The Department of Labor Issues New Final Rule for Independent Contractor Classification

On January 10, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) published its final rule that revises its guidance regarding the standard for assessing whether a worker is an employee or independent contractor under the Fair Labor...more

Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP

 In case you missed it . . .

We gotcher employment law news right here. The email platform that we use to send out our legal bulletins had issues in the past week, which we did not discover until late Wednesday. While the technical difficulties were...more

Locke Lord LLP

Legally Nil, But Will Look a Lot Like a “Score”: Labor Department Issues Its Final Rule ‎on Independent Contractor Status‎

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It has been well over a year since the U.S. Department of Labor issued its proposed rule entitled “Employee or Independent Contractor Classification under the Fair Labor Standards Act.” The regulation was expressly intended...more

Fox Rothschild LLP

The Times They Are A Changin’–A District Court Rejects The “Usual” Two Tier FLSA Class Action Certification Model

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The certification process for FLSA collective actions has typically been a two-step process. The first step is to secure conditional certification, which is often handed out as easily as a Santa Claus giving kids candy at...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Federal District Court in Virginia Rejects Familiar Two-Step FLSA Collective Certification Approach

On April 14, 2023, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (Ellis, J.) declined to conditionally certify a collective of USA Today sports website editors, ruling that the familiar two-step Fair...more

Fox Rothschild LLP

Attorneys’ Fees Can Be Won By Plaintiffs Even If Some Claims Are Defeated Or Withdrawn: What’s Going On?

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I have defended numerous FLSA class actions and a big reason that these cases settle is due to the fee-shifting nature of the statutes involved. A defendant employer not only has to pay his lawyer’s fees but it also faces...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Class Action Trends Report Winter 2023

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

In this issue of the Jackson Lewis Class Action Trends Report, we welcome the New Year and look back at the most significant developments affecting employment class and collective action litigation in 2022. We also look ahead...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

2021 Wage & Hour Developments: A Year in Review

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In 2021, wage and hour laws continued to change and develop, expanding in some areas and contracting in others. In “2021 Wage & Hour Developments: A Year in Review,” we look back on significant wage and hour developments at...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Build Back Better Act Update: Class Waiver Provisions Gone, Penalty Increases Remain

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions has released its version of the Build Back Better bill and it does not contain the provision regarding class or collective action waivers in the version passed by...more

Locke Lord LLP

Pharmacy Deliveries Remain Target for Independent Contractor Misclassification Claims: October 2021 News Update

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October was a relatively “slow” month for legal developments in the areas of independent contractor misclassification and compliance. But for companies that engage drivers to distribute pharmaceutical products, a nearly $12...more

Locke Lord LLP

Déjà Vu in the Independent Contractor Misclassification Arena: August 2021 News Update

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The first three cases reported below regarding legal developments in August 2021 have four common denominators: the defendants are all large gig economy companies; plaintiffs’ class action counsel is the same; the lawsuits...more

Locke Lord LLP

Direct Selling and Door-to-Door Sales Under Attack: May 2021 IC News Update

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Direct sellers and door-to-door salespersons are frequently classified as independent contractors – and that classification is increasingly under attack, both by class action lawyers and the U.S. Department of Labor, as...more

Locke Lord LLP

Ride-Sharing Industry Prevails, While Trucking Industry has More Legal Work to do: April 2021 News Update

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April 2021 was a meaningful month for two industries that are hardly strangers to lawsuits involving the status of workers as independent contractors. A federal district court in the District of Columbia issued an extremely...more

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

Fifth Circuit Shuts Down FLSA Conditional Certification

In a decision of considerable significance in the world of wage and hour litigation, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit significantly departed from conventional standards for assessing conditional...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Class Action Trends Report Winter 2021

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

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 take a look forward to what a new year and a new...more

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

Fifth Circuit Establishes New Standard For FLSA Collective Actions

Key Points - In Swales v. KLLM Transport Services, LLC, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit established a new standard for determining whether, and to whom, court-authorized notice of a collective action lawsuit...more

Holland & Knight LLP

Fifth Circuit Shakes Up Standard for Certifying FLSA Collective Actions

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The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued a potentially landmark decision in Swales v. KLLM Transport Services, L.L.C. on Jan. 12, 2021, rejecting more than 30 years of case law related to conditional...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

2021: The Year Ahead For Employers

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In 2020, COVID-19 collided with a presidential election, forever altering the workplace as we knew it. In 2021 employers are faced with reimagining the employer/employee relationship while simultaneously trying to keep pace...more

ArentFox Schiff

Class Actions Quarterly Update: Employee Misclassification in the Logistics Industry

ArentFox Schiff on

The vast majority of class action litigation in the logistics industry over the past quarter, and indeed the last few years, has been focused on the issue of worker misclassification. In particular, as state legislatures...more

BakerHostetler

Food Delivery Driver Opinion Sheds More Light on the FAA Exemption and Use of CPR Arbitration Rules

BakerHostetler on

Plaintiff Jacob McGrath filed a nationwide Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) action ultimately involving approximately 4,000 food delivery drivers for DoorDash Inc. alleging that the drivers, known as “Dashers,” were...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Class Action Trends Report Fall 2020

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to alter work lives in profound ways, employers are confronted with additional liability risks. The pandemic has created a wave of litigation that is unlikely to ebb until well after the...more

Locke Lord LLP

Polar Opposites Among Independent Contractor Tests: September 2020 News Update

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Last month presented a clash between the enactment of a new version of the most restrictive state law test in the nation for independent contractor status and the issuance of a proposed federal regulation that would create...more

Steptoe & Johnson PLLC

DOL Proposes Independent Contractor Rule Shielding Companies from Costly Federal Misclassification Claims

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On September 22, 2020, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) unveiled a new, proposed rule for classifying workers as either independent contractors or employees. This is important because employees are covered by the federal...more

Bond Schoeneck & King PLLC

Employers Likely to Face a Wave of COVID-19 Class Action Litigation

As the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to drastically impact the U.S., class action lawsuits have been on the rise. Despite court closures, class action filings have increased and are expected to continue. ...more

Locke Lord LLP

August and September 2019 Independent Contractor Misclassification and Compliance News Update

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There were several notable court and administrative cases over the past two months, but they were overshadowed by a legislative matter: the enactment of Assembly Bill 5 in California, which was the subject of our September...more

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