Risk Prevention Strategies: Avoiding Costly FLSA Missteps
What Should I Do If My Employer Failed to Pay Me Wages?
On May 15, 2024, the New Jersey Supreme Court held in Maia v. IEW Construction Group that both the six-year look-back period and liquidated damages provided by the state Wage Theft Act (WTA) do not apply retroactively....more
When litigating claims under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), litigants are aware of long-standing case law that essentially awards a prevailing plaintiff with their attorneys’ fees absent extraordinary...more
In a recent unanimous decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court in Christopher Maia v. IEW Construction Group, the seven-judge panel reversed the prior judgment of the Appellate Division and held that the August 6, 2019,...more
In Naranjo v. Spectrum Security Services, the case’s second appearance before the California Supreme Court in two years, the Supreme Court confirmed that an employer does not incur civil penalties for failing to report unpaid...more
In a unanimous decision, on May 15, 2024, the New Jersey Supreme Court held that the state’s amendments (Chapter 212) to the Wage Payment Law (WPL) and the Wage and Hour Law (WHL) apply prospectively, and therefore plaintiffs...more
The New Jersey Supreme Court has ruled that amendments to the state’s wage and hour laws passed in 2019 cannot be applied retroactively. As a result, the provisions in the amendments — including imposition of liquidated...more
On May 6, 2024, California LawCalifornia’s Supreme Court, in a rare and surprising “employer friendly” decision, held that an employer can avoid penalties under California’s wage statement law, Cal. Lab. Code § 226, if it...more
On Monday May 7, the California Supreme Court confirmed, in Naranjo v. Spectrum Securities Services, Inc., S279397.PDF (ca.gov), that penalties authorized under Labor Code Section 226 (“Section 226”) for “knowing and...more
The California Supreme Court concluded that the “good faith” defense applies to claims seeking to impose penalties under California Labor Code section 226. An employee must show that an employer’s failure to comply with...more
On March 28, 2024, in Sutton v. Jordan’s Furniture, Inc., the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) upheld a Massachusetts Superior Court decision finding the furniture retailer’s commission-based compensation scheme...more
In October 2023, we wrote an alert detailing an amendment to New York's Penal Code that added wage theft as a means of committing criminal larceny. This amendment, along with the creation of a specialized Worker Protection...more
In a hotly anticipated decision, the New York State Appellate Division, Second Department held in Grant v. Global Aircraft Dispatch, Inc. that manual workers do not have a private right of action under the New York Labor Law...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: A legislative proposal by the Governor, and a new appellate court decision, may have significant ramifications for weekly pay litigation in New York state and federal courts....more
On January 3, 2024, the defendant in Heppard v. Dunham’s Athleisure Corporation filed an interlocutory appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, arguing that the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District...more
New York Governor Kathy Hochul recently signed legislation (S.B. 5572) that, effective March 13, 2024, will change the salary threshold governing various exemptions under Article 6 of the New York Labor Law (“NYLL”). For...more
Massachusetts Attorney General (AG) Andrea Joy Campbell has announced a $6.8 million settlement with the operator of an MGM resort and casino known as MGM Springfield for the entity’s alleged violations of the Massachusetts...more
As of January 1, 2024, a new amendment to the Rhode Island Payment of Wages Act, R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-14-1, et seq. (the “Wage Act”) will impose criminal liability for certain wage and hour violations by Rhode Island...more
Effective January 1, 2024, the Rhode Island Payment of Wages Act, R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-14-1, et seq. (“Wage Act”) will make a “knowing[] and willful[]” wage and hour violation punishable as a criminal felony. Should an...more
On September 6, 2023, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation making failure to pay wages a criminal offense. The new law, (S2832-A/A154-A), expands New York’s definition of larceny to include “wage theft,”...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: California Labor Code section 1102.5 protects employees who disclose what they believe to be violations of the law. The Supreme Court of California has ruled that such disclosures are protected even if the...more
Several recent changes impacting employers in jurisdictions across the nation are summarized below. Many states and municipalities have increased their hourly minimum wage rates, some to as high as $18.07 per hour. Read the...more
CDF Labor Law LLP presents a complimentary webinar that will cover California employment law issues that arise in business transactions and restructurings. Please join CDF employment law attorneys John Giovannone, Erin Owen,...more
A California appellate panel has weighed in on premium pay in a decision on remand from the state’s highest court, with an employer-friendly result....more
Earlier this week, the California Court of Appeal reached a decision that may ease employers’ worries when presented with a wage and hour lawsuit. California’s plaintiff-friendly laws provide avenues for plaintiffs to...more
An employer’s quarter-hour rounding policy did not comply with California law because the company could and did track the exact time in minutes that employees worked each shift—but did not pay them for it, according to a...more