Seyfarth Synopsis: Happy Thanksgiving to our loyal readers of the Workplace Class Action Blog! Our team has been busy at work this Thanksgiving season in wrapping up our start-of-the-year kick-off publication – Seyfarth Shaw’s Annual Workplace Class Action Litigation Report. We anticipate going to press in early January, and launching the 2021 Report to our
Six Workplace Class Action Trends That Employers Should Anticipate With A Biden White House
By Gerald L. Maatman, Jr. and Jennifer A. Riley
Seyfarth Synopsis: With the final election results in (or nearly in…), and the White House set to turn “blue” for the next four years, employers can expect the change to bring shifts to the workplace class action landscape. Employers should anticipate that, while leadership of the
California Federal Court Provides Insight On The Viability Of Class Waivers In The Era Of COVID-19
By Gerald L. Maatman, Jr., Jennifer A. Riley, and Alex Oxyer
Seyfarth Synopsis: In a recent decision from the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, the Court examined the viability of class action waivers in the face of claims that the defendants’ negligence led to an outbreak of COVID-19. Ultimately holding that
The Eleventh Circuit Deals A Significant Blow To Class Action Suits By Eliminating Incentive Awards For Plaintiffs
By: Gerald L. Maatman, Jr. and Alex S. Oxyer
Seyfarth Synopsis: Incentive awards for class representatives are impermissible, according to a ground-breaking decision last week by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Though not an employment case, the decision is a must-read for class action practitioners handling all varieties of workplace class
Federal Court Finds That It Lacks Jurisdiction To Enjoin Employer From Retaliating Against Putative Class Members
By Gerald L. Maatman, Jr. and Jennifer A. Riley
Seyfarth Synopsis – Following a familiar fact pattern, after a named Plaintiff filed a putative class action in Bird, et al. v. Barr, No. 19-CV-1581 (D.D.C. July 23, 2020), she complained that the defendant employer retaliated against her for bringing suit by, among other things, threatening
Universities Prevail On Technicality In First Ruling Testing Viability Of COVID-19 Room And Board Refund Class Actions
By Gerald L. Maatman, Jr. and Jennifer A. Riley
Seyfarth Synopsis: In the first ruling in response to the slew of room and board refund class actions filed in the wake of COVID-19, on July 29, 2020, in Rosenkrantz v. Arizona Board of Regents, No. 2:20-CV-01203 (D. Ariz.), Judge John Tuchi of the U.S.
The U.S. Library Of Congress Selects The Workplace Class Action Blog For Inclusion In Its Archives
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Workplace Class Action Blog has provided analysis on important class action decisions and legal updates for over 10 years. We are happy to announce to our loyal blog readers that the U.S. Library of Congress recently selected our blog for inclusion in its new Web Archives! This
COVID-19 Employment Litigation Trends
By: Matthew Gagnon, Steve Shardonofsky, Jim Swartz, and Coby Turner
The COVID-19 pandemic has spawned a wave of employment litigation directly and indirectly based on COVID-19-related health risks and employers’ response to the crisis. Seyfarth has been tracking lawsuits filed in state and federal courts across the country, and will be reporting
The U.S. Supreme Court Broadens The TCPA Class Action Trap For Unwary Businesses
By Gerald L. Maatman, Jr. and Jennifer A. Riley
Seyfarth Synopsis: While many businesses hoped that the U.S. Supreme Court would blow up the ban on autodialed calls in the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”), on July 6, 2020, the nation’s highest court issued its long-anticipated decision in Barr v. American Association of Political Consultants,
Class Action Survival Guide – The Top Five Things That Employers Need To Defend Post-COVID-19 Litigation
By Gerald L. Maatman, Jr. and Jennifer A. Riley
Seyfarth Synopsis: As employers embark on reopening their businesses and implementing return to work plans, they face a potential wave of workplace class action litigation. Such lawsuits have begun to roll in and courts have started to weave a patch-work quilt of responses. Early results show