In Perry et al. v. City of New York, the Second Circuit upheld a large jury verdict in favor of a collective of workers regarding off-the-clock work. In doing so, the Court reaffirmed the principle that employers will...more
9/11/2023
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Off-The-Clock ,
Timekeeping ,
Unpaid Wages ,
Wage and Hour
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Second Circuit held that dismissals without prejudice of FLSA claims are subject to the same judicial or agency scrutiny as dismissals with prejudice of FLSA claims....more
Seyfarth Synopsis: In Whiteside v. Hover-Davis, Inc., the Second Circuit upheld the dismissal of an FLSA claim because the plaintiff failed to allege facts sufficient to invoke the three-year limitations period for willful...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Second Circuit has held that the standard for final FLSA collective action certification is less stringent than the standard for class action certification under Rule 23....more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Second Circuit held that attorneys’ fee awards in FLSA settlements are not limited by principles of “proportionality” between the fees and the amount of the settlement or subject to a 1/3 cap....more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Second Circuit held that FLSA settlements pursuant to Rule 68 Offers of Judgment do not require judicial approval. The Court distinguished such settlements from Rule 41 stipulated dismissals, which...more
12/10/2019
/ Carve Out Provisions ,
Confidentiality Agreements ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Court Approval ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Interlocutory Appeals ,
Offer of Judgment ,
Rule 41 ,
Rule 68 ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Settlement Negotiations ,
Stipulated Judgment ,
Unpaid Overtime ,
Unpaid Wages ,
Wage and Hour
Seyfarth Synopsis: As they have each year since 2016, the minimum wage and exempt salary threshold will increase for New York employers effective December 31, 2019....more
11/14/2019
/ Employer Liability Issues ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Labor Regulations ,
Local Ordinance ,
Minimum Wage ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Threshold Requirements ,
Wage and Hour ,
White-Collar Exemptions
Seyfarth Synopsis: Furthering a recent trend, a judge in the District of Massachusetts denied a motion for conditional certification because there was no personal jurisdiction over non-Massachusetts entities with respect to...more
A New York federal court once again denied a motion for conditional certification of a nationwide collective action against Barnes & Noble. ...more
7/3/2018
/ Barnes and Noble ,
Conditional Certification ,
Discovery ,
Employment Litigation ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Job Descriptions ,
Misclassification ,
Putative Class Actions ,
Retail Market ,
Wage and Hour
Seyfarth Synopsis: The U.S. Department of Labor has announced the launch of the Payroll Audit Independent Determination program—or “PAID”— to facilitate the resolution of overtime and minimum wage claims under the FLSA...more
4/5/2018
/ Back Wages ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Pilot Programs ,
Minimum Wage ,
Over-Time ,
Payroll Audit Independent Determination program (PAID) ,
Self-Reporting ,
State and Local Government ,
Unpaid Wages ,
Wage and Hour
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Department of Labor has scrapped its 2010 Fact Sheet on internship status and adopted the more flexible and employer-friendly test devised by Second Circuit....more
1/8/2018
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Definition ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Internships ,
Misclassification ,
Primary Beneficiary Test ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Unpaid Interns ,
Wage and Hour
Seyfarth Synopsis: The New York Court of Appeals holds that the state’s class action rules require notice of settlements to be sent to putative class members – even though no class has been certified....more
12/14/2017
/ Appeals ,
Class Action ,
Class Certification ,
Class Members ,
Employment Litigation ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Litigation Strategies ,
Notice Requirements ,
Putative Class Actions ,
Settlement ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
Wage and Hour
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Second Circuit has upheld summary judgment against magazine interns seeking payment as “employees” under the FLSA.
In an end-of-semester decision that may represent the final grade for unpaid interns...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: A judge in the Southern District of New York held that FLSA off-the-clock claims could not proceed collectively because the employer’s policy enforcement and approval of overtime compensation varied by...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Second Circuit will soon decide key issues for FLSA practitioners: whether settlements pursuant to an Offer of Judgment are subject to court review and approval, and whether the standards for final...more
10/26/2017
/ Chipotle Grill ,
Class Action ,
Class Certification ,
Collective Actions ,
Employee Definition ,
Employment Litigation ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Food Service Workers ,
FRCP 23 ,
FRCP 23(f) ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Misclassification ,
Offer of Judgment ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Rule 68 ,
Settlement Agreements ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
Seyfarth Synopsis: The majority of courts have held that releases of FLSA rights require approval by a court or the US Department of Labor. A recent case in the Southern District of New York highlights a dilemma employers...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: A New York federal court denied a motion for conditional certification of a nationwide collective action against Barnes & Noble. The ruling highlights that, even though the burden for “first stage”...more
5/4/2017
/ Barnes and Noble ,
Conditional Certification ,
Employment Litigation ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Job Descriptions ,
Misclassification ,
Retail Market ,
Unpaid Overtime ,
Wage and Hour ,
Young Lawyers
Amid the uncertainty concerning the DOL’s enjoined overtime exemption rules and similar state-led efforts to increase the salary threshold, such as in New York, the Second Circuit recently gave employers an early holiday...more
As we all know, the revisions to the FLSA’s “white collar” exemptions will take effect December 1 and will increase the salary level required for the executive, administrative, and professional exemptions to $913 per week (or...more
10/25/2016
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Final Rules ,
Minimum Salary ,
Minimum Wage ,
Non-Exempt Employees ,
Over-Time ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Uniforms ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Orders ,
White-Collar Exemptions
As we all know, wage and hour litigation continues to soar to record highs. We expect 2016 will be another record year and that the revisions to the white collar exemptions effective December 1st will further increase the...more
Unpaid interns for Hearst magazines have been rebuffed again in their effort to be declared eligible to receive wages under the FLSA and the New York Labor Law.
In an August 24, 2016 ruling, Judge J. Paul Oetken of the...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: A district court judge within the Second Circuit held that, in light of Cheeks v. Freeport Pancake House, court or DOL approval is required for a valid dismissal of FLSA claims with prejudice pursuant to...more
Plaintiffs’ counsel frequently speak of the “low” burden necessary at first stage for conditional certification under the FLSA. However, a recent decision from the Eastern District of New York highlights that plaintiffs may...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
Former brokers of Fordham Financial Management will have to put this one in the “loss” column. Judge Paul Crotty of the Southern District of New York granted Fordham’s motion to decertify the FLSA collective in their lawsuit...more