By Gerald L. Maatman, Jr., Thomas E. Ahlering, Paul Yovanic, Jr.

Seyfarth Synopsis: The New York state legislature recently introduced a standalone biometric information privacy bill, AB 27, that mirrors Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act (740 ILCS § 14/1 et seq., “BIPA”), which has spawned thousands of class actions in the Land of Lincoln. If enacted, The New
Continue Reading Employers Take Note – New York Introduces A Biometric Information Privacy Bill Identical To The Illinois BIPA

By Gerald L. Maatman, Jr., Alex S. Oxyer, andPaul M. Waldera

Seyfarth Synopsis: In New York v. Department of Labor, the U.S. District Court for The Southern District of New York recently invalidated large sections of the U.S. Department of Labor’s rule regarding paid sick time and paid family medical leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response
Continue Reading The Southern District Of New York Vastly Expands Employee Paid Leave Due To COVID-19

By Gerald L. Maatman, Jr., Matthew J. Gagnon, and Alex W. Karasik

Seyfarth Synopsis:  In a landmark decision for gay and transgender employees, the U.S. Supreme Court held in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, No. 17-1618, 2020 U.S. LEXIS 3252 (June 15, 2020), that Title VII prohibits discrimination against gay or transgender employees as a form of
Continue Reading U.S. Supreme Court’s Rules That Title VII Protects LGBT Workers, Likely To Expand The EEOC’s Eye On Employers

By Gerald L. Maatman, Jr., Thomas E. Ahlering, Alex W. Karasik

Seyfarth Synopsis:  After a defendant in a biometric privacy class action lawsuit unilaterally implemented an arbitration clause, a federal court in Illinois granted the company’s motion to compel arbitration, holding that the plaintiff previously agreed to allow unilateral modifications of the agreement without notice, and that

Continue Reading Illinois Federal Court Sends Privacy Class Action Against Shutterfly To Arbitration

By Gerald L. Maatman, Jr. and Paul M. Waldera

Seyfarth Synopsis: The State of New York has filed a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Labor’s recent rule regarding paid sick time and paid family medical leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. New York’s lawsuit signals that the fight over the newly enacted law will continue for some

Continue Reading New York Continues The Fight Over Paid Leave For Employees To Fight COVID-19

Seyfarth Synopsis: Jerry Maatman, Seyfarth’s senior partner who chairs our class action defense group, is joined by Alex Karasik, a labor and employment associate at Seyfarth, in discussing the impact of new state laws on Illinois workplaces, including the Illinois Workplace Transparency Act, the legalization of marijuana in Illinois, and the use of artificial intelligence in the recruitment and the
Continue Reading Video Blog: Seyfarth’s Jerry Maatman and Alex Karasik Discuss The Impact Of New State Laws On Illinois Employers

Seyfarth Synopsis: As detailed in our 2020 Workplace Class Action Litigation Report, 2019 was an interesting year for employers in terms of class certification rulings. Plaintiffs achieved the highest numbers of initial conditional certification rulings of wage & hour collective actions in the last decade, and likewise increased their success rates in ERISA and employment discrimination class actions

Anecdotally, surveys
Continue Reading 5 Key Trends In Workplace Class Action Litigation For 2019: Trend #1 Class Certification Trends In 2019

By: Gerald L. Maatman, Jr., Thomas E. Ahlering, and Alex W. Karasik

Seyfarth Synopsis: Over the last few years, Illinois companies have quickly become aware of the risks associated with the state’s unique biometric privacy law. Originally passed in 2008, the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (“BIPA”) made Illinois the first state to enact a policy governing the collection
Continue Reading Biometric Privacy Class Actions By The Numbers: Analyzing Illinois’ Hottest Class Action Trend

By David J. Rowland, Jennifer A. Riley, Uma Chandrasekaran, and Michael D. Jacobsen

Seyfarth Synopsis: Google’s recent travails with simultaneous traditional and “reverse” discrimination claims signal a new era of dynamic employment discrimination risk.  Employers will be wise to consider the push and pull legal effect of diversity and inclusion programs, pay equity reviews, and other well-intended
Continue Reading Google: Demonstrating The Hazards Of Employment Discrimination From Every Angle

By Gerald L. Maatman, Jr., Thomas E. Ahlering, and Alex W. Karasik

Seyfarth Synopsis:  Although the Illinois Supreme Court’s recent decision in Rosenbach v. Six Flags may have upped the ante for employers facing litigation under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (“BIPA”), a recent bill introduced in the Illinois Senate, SB2134, would remove plaintiffs’ right to
Continue Reading Newly Proposed Legislation To Restrict Biometric Privacy Class Actions In Illinois