August 2017

By Gerald L. Maatman, Jr. and Alex W. Karasik

Seyfarth Synopsis:  After an employer circulated a letter to 146 employees discussing an employee’s EEOC Charge that alleged discrimination on the basis of his disability in violation of the ADA, a federal district court in Connecticut denied both parties’ motions for summary judgment.

This ruling provides valuable lessons for employers…
Continue Reading Summary Judgment Denied For Employer Who Circulated Letter About Employee’s Disability Discrimination Charge

By Gerald L. Maatman, Jr. and John S. Marrese

Seyfarth Synopsis:  In Love v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., No. 15-15260 (11th Cir. Aug. 3, 2017), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ruled that the deadline for putative class members to appeal the dismissal of class claims was triggered by the filing of a stipulation of dismissal by…
Continue Reading Eleventh Circuit Rules That Stipulated Dismissal Of Named Plaintiffs And Defendant Triggers Putative Class Members’ Deadline To Appeal

By Gerald L. Maatman, Jr., Pamela Q. Devata, & Robert T. Szyba

Seyfarth Synopsis: Following remand from the U.S. Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit found that the plaintiff suing Spokeo, Inc. under the Fair Credit Reporting Act alleged sufficient injury to establish standing to proceed in federal court and to proceed with his class action.

On August 15,…
Continue Reading Spokeo: On Remand From The U.S. Supreme Court, The Ninth Circuit Finds Plaintiff Has Standing, Again

By Gerald L. Maatman, Jr. and Alex W. Karasik

Seyfarth Synopsis: In an EEOC lawsuit alleging that an employer failed to reasonably accommodate its Muslim employees’ requests for prayer breaks, a federal court in Colorado granted the EEOC’s motion for sanctions — as a result of the employer’s failure to preserve and produce various records — and barred the…
Continue Reading EEOC’s Motion For Sanctions Granted Over Employer’s Failure To Preserve And Produce Records

By Gerald L. Maatman, Jr. and Julie Yap

Seyfarth Synopsis: Seyfarth Shaw submitted comments to the Federal Advisory Committee on Civil Rules regarding needed reform to Rule 30(b)(6), the rule that governs depositions of organizations in federal litigation. Our workplace class action group proposed two important areas for consideration that would encourage cooperation between the parties, including discovery proportional to …
Continue Reading Seyfarth Shaw Submits Comments On Needed Reform To Rule 30(b)(6)

By Gerald L. Maatman, Jr. and Anthony S. Califano

Seyfarth Synopsis: In Smith v. City of Boston, Plaintiffs brought suit against their employer, the City of Boston (the “City”), challenging the City’s police promotional exam from sergeant to lieutenant.  Plaintiffs alleged that the exam had a disparate impact on racial minorities and was invalid under Title VII of…
Continue Reading Massachusetts Federal Court Doubles Down On Disparate Impact Ruling Against City Of Boston