Wage & Hour

  • August 12, 2025

    Split Calif. High Court Upholds Validity Of Arbitration Fee Rule

    A California statute waiving arbitration rights for a party that does not timely pay arbitration fees is not preempted by the Federal Arbitration Act, a split California Supreme Court ruled, saying the state law doesn't disfavor arbitration and is meant to deter parties from employing "strategic nonpayment" of fees.

  • August 12, 2025

    Home Care Worker's OT Deal Delayed By 'Problematic' Clause

    A Connecticut federal judge denied a $60,000 proposed settlement between a home health care worker and her former employer because it contained a "problematic" clause banning the worker from seeking a job from the same employer in the future.

  • August 12, 2025

    NJ Judge Trims Ex-Bank Regulator's Discrimination Suit

    A New Jersey state judge has trimmed a discrimination and retaliation suit brought by a former acting director at the state's Department of Banking and Insurance, tossing her unequal pay and hostile work environment claims, but allowing her retaliation and failure to promote claims to proceed.

  • August 12, 2025

    Ogletree Adds PE Firm's Associate GC As Utah Shareholder

    Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart PC has added the former associate general counsel for private equity and venture capital firm Fifth Partners as a shareholder in its Salt Lake City office.

  • August 12, 2025

    Paralegal's Bias Suit Fails To Show ADA Violation, Firm Says

    The Driscoll Firm PC, which was accused of unfairly firing a paralegal after she disclosed her cancer recurrence, told a North Carolina federal court it should be freed from the lawsuit because the former worker didn't allege she was guaranteed protection under several federal laws.

  • August 11, 2025

    Shepherds' Wage-Fixing Suit Survives Another Dismissal Bid

    A Nevada federal court has rejected a ranching association's latest attempt to claim immunity from a proposed class action accusing the association and its members of conspiring to suppress the wages of sheepherders who are working on temporary visas.

  • August 11, 2025

    OT Suit Against ConEd Strong Enough To Survive, Judge Says

    A New York federal magistrate judge has recommended preserving a proposed class action that accuses Con Edison and its subcontractors of failing to pay overtime wages to workers who directed traffic at the utility company's job sites.

  • August 11, 2025

    Trump College-Athlete Mandate Seeks DOL Input Amid Cases

    President Donald Trump’s mandate that the U.S. Department of Labor weigh in on the status of college-athletes could result in a rule or guidance that declares them employees or non-employees, which could impact which wage and hour protections apply. Here, Law360 explores what the DOL could say on the issue.

  • August 11, 2025

    Split 8th Circ. Revives Minn. Suit Over Union Leave

    The Eighth Circuit on Monday revived a First Amendment challenge to a Minnesota school district policy that allows teachers to take paid leave to work for their union, saying the district spending public funds on benefits for teachers engaged in political actions gave residents standing to sue as taxpayers.

  • August 11, 2025

    Posner Accuser Wants Roberts To Pick Judges For Wage Case

    The pro se plaintiff seeking to revive wage claims against retired Seventh Circuit Judge Richard A. Posner has filed an opposed motion asking the circuit's chief judge to request U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts assign out-of-circuit judges to preside over the case, arguing the circuit judges cannot be impartial.

  • August 11, 2025

    Fisher Phillips Adds Back Kahana Feld Labor Atty In Calif.

    Fisher Phillips is expanding its West Coast team, announcing Monday a Kahana Feld LLP labor and employment ace is returning to the firm as a partner its Orange County office in Irvine, California.

  • August 08, 2025

    Truck Driver Seeks Class Cert. In Time Card Rounding Row

    A California federal court must grant class certification to truck drivers at a construction materials company that allegedly underpaid workers by rounding on time cards, a former employee argued, saying the workers did not receive accurate wage statements.

  • August 08, 2025

    NY Forecast: Judge Weighs NLRB Injunction Bid At Nonprofit

    This week, a New York federal judge will consider whether to order a homeless shelter operator to bargain with a Service Employees International Union affiliate over allegations that the nonprofit refused to bargain with the union and threatened workers over their union activity. Here, Law360 looks at this and other cases on the docket in New York.

  • August 08, 2025

    9th Circ. Won't Review Collective Action Ruling In Wage Case

    The Ninth Circuit said Friday it won't weigh a panel's decision that Cracker Barrel servers from only the state where a wage suit originated should be kept in a collective action, and turned down the restaurant chain's bid to reevaluate the first step of the certification process.

  • August 08, 2025

    Papa John's No-Poach Deal Barely Clears Initial Hurdle

    A Kentucky federal judge expressed lingering concerns despite giving initial approval to a $5 million settlement for claims from Papa John's employees over its past use of no-poach provisions in its franchise agreements after rejecting a previous approval bid.

  • August 08, 2025

    Calif. Forecast: Amazon-NLRB Fight Heads To 9th Circ.

    In the coming week, attorneys should keep an eye out for Ninth Circuit oral arguments in Amazon's challenge to the constitutionality of the National Labor Relations Board's structure. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters coming up in California.

  • August 08, 2025

    X Says Former Employee Was Fired For Misconduct

    A former X employee was fired after writing on Slack about a "kill command" that could have turned off the website, according to the social media company, telling a California federal court that his Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act suit can't stand.

  • August 08, 2025

    NY Firm Falcon Rappaport Adds Employment Partner

    New York business law firm Falcon Rappaport & Berkman LLP has hired an attorney from Tannenbaum Helpern Syracuse & Hirschtritt LLP as a partner in its labor and employment practice group, the firm announced.

  • August 08, 2025

    Black Officer's Lower Pay Ruled Not Based On Discrimination

    The pay disparity between a Black female corrections lieutenant and two white male lieutenants was rooted in civil service pay rules and job differences, not gender and race-based discrimination, an Alabama federal judge ruled.

  • August 07, 2025

    Connecticut Litigation Highlights In The 1st Half Of 2025

    Two separate royalty disputes — one $90 million, the other $4 million — involving two giants in the alcoholic beverages market are among the top corporate cases that crossed Connecticut court dockets in the first half of 2025.

  • August 07, 2025

    Worker Says Property Firm Fired Her Over Medical Diagnosis

    A property management firm has been sued in Georgia federal court by a former employee who alleged she was discriminated against and eventually fired after being diagnosed with ovarian fibroids requiring a hysterectomy and hernia repair.

  • August 07, 2025

    Healthcare Consulting Co. Agrees To Pay $16M In OT Dispute

    A healthcare consulting company agreed to pay $16 million in a lawsuit accusing it of misclassifying care coordinators as overtime-exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act, about 200 workers said in a settlement approval bid filed in New Mexico federal court Thursday.

  • August 07, 2025

    7th Circ.'s Collective Cert. Standard Strikes Balance, Attys Say

    A new framework the Seventh Circuit laid out for certifying collective actions in wage and hour litigation has attorneys for both employers and workers at first blush feeling relieved, as the panel majority put forward a flexible approach that gives lower courts discretion.

  • August 07, 2025

    Unpaid Lottery.com VP OT-Exempt Under FLSA, 5th Circ. Says

    A Texas federal court correctly found that a Lottery.com IT executive was a highly paid exempt employee under the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Fifth Circuit ruled, rejecting the worker's arguments that he had lost his exempt status when he stopped getting paid.

  • August 07, 2025

    Mass. High Court Affirms $1M Pension Loss For OT Fraud

    The forfeiture of $1 million in pension and health benefits following a Massachusetts state trooper's conviction in an overtime fraud scheme is not so grossly disproportionate to the offense that it violates the state constitution's prohibition on excessive fines, Massachusetts' highest court concluded on Thursday.

Expert Analysis

  • What Employers Can Learn From Axed Mo. Sick Leave Law

    Author Photo

    Missouri's recent passage and brisk repeal of Proposition A, which would have created a paid sick time benefit for employees, serves as a case study for employers, highlighting the steps they can take to adapt as paid sick leave laws are increasingly debated across the country, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • Navigating Court Concerns About QR Codes In FLSA Notices

    Author Photo

    As plaintiffs attorneys increasingly seek to include QR codes as a method of notice in Fair Labor Standards Act collective actions, counsel should be prepared to address judicial concerns about their use, including their potential to be duplicative and circumvent court-approved language, say attorneys at Shook Hardy.

  • FMLA Expansion Sees State Progress Despite Federal Barriers

    Author Photo

    Recent legislative efforts to expand the Family and Medical Leave Act reflect workers' growing demand for work-life balance, but as federal proposals continue to face significant hurdles, states have stepped in, creating a labyrinth of leave laws and compliance headaches for multistate employers, say attorneys at FordHarrison.

  • New Law May Reshape Fla. Employer Noncompete Strategy

    Author Photo

    With Florida's CHOICE Act taking effect this week, employers should consider the pros and cons of drafting new restrictive covenant agreements with longer noncompete or garden leave periods and enhanced enforcement mechanisms, say attorneys at Vedder Price.

  • How Ending OFCCP Will Affect Affirmative Action Obligations

    Author Photo

    As President Donald Trump's administration plans to eliminate the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, which enforces federal contractor antidiscrimination compliance and affirmative action program obligations, contractors should consider the best compliance approaches available to them, especially given the False Claims Act implications, say attorneys at Ogletree.

  • FLSA Interpretation Patterns Emerge 1 Year After Loper Bright

    Author Photo

    One year after the U.S. Supreme Court's monumental decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, four distinct avenues of judicial decision-making have taken shape among lower courts that are responding to their newfound freedom in interpreting the Fair Labor Standards Act through U.S. Department of Labor regulations, say attorneys at Kutak Rock.

  • Handbook Hot Topics: Shifting Worker Accommodation Rules

    Author Photo

    Since President Donald Trump took office, many changes have directly affected how employers must address accommodation requests, particularly those concerning pregnancy-related medical conditions and religious beliefs, underscoring the importance of regularly reviewing and updating accommodation policies and procedures, say attorneys at Kutak Rock.

  • What Calif. Appeals Split Means For Litigating PAGA Claims

    Author Photo

    After two recent California state appeals court rulings diverged on whether a former employee with untimely individual claims under the Private Attorneys General Act can maintain a representative action, practitioners' strategic agility will be key to managing risk and achieving favorable outcomes in PAGA litigation, say attorneys at Buchalter.

  • When Rule 12 Motions Against Class Allegations Succeed

    Author Photo

    Companies facing class actions often attempt early motions to strike class allegations, and while some district courts have been reluctant to decide certification issues at the pleading stage, several recent decisions have shown that Rule 12 motions to dismiss or strike class allegations can be effective, say attorneys at Womble Bond.

  • 5 Insurance Claims That Could Emerge After NCAA Settlement

    Author Photo

    Following the recent NCAA class action settlement that will allow revenue sharing with college athletes, there may be potential management liability for universities, their executive leadership and boards that could expose insurers to tax, regulatory, breach of contract and other claims, says Sarah Abrams at Baleen Specialty.

  • 8th Circ. Ruling Highlights Complicated Remote Work Analysis

    Author Photo

    The Eighth Circuit’s recent opinion in Kuklenski v. Medtronic USA demonstrates that the applicability of employment laws to remote workers is often a fact-driven analysis, highlighting several parameters to consider when evaluating what state and local laws may apply to employees who work remotely, say attorneys at Vedder Price.

  • Philly Law Initiates New Era Of Worker Protections

    Author Photo

    A new worker protection law in Philadelphia includes, among other measures, a private right of action and recordkeeping requirements that may amount to a lower evidentiary standard, introducing a new level of accountability and additional noncompliance risks for employers, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Dissecting House And Senate's Differing No-Tax-On-Tips Bills

    Author Photo

    Employers should understand how the House and Senate versions of no-tax-on-tips bills differ — including in the scope of related deductions and reporting requirements — to meet any new compliance obligations and communicate with their employees, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.