By Gerald L. Maatman Jr. and Howard M. Wexler
On March 18, 2014 the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced that New York City agreed to pay $98 million to settle a workplace class action originally brought by the DOJ in 2007 alleging that certain civil service tests administered by the FDNY were discriminatory against African-American and Hispanic applicants. In
Continue Reading New York City Agrees To Pay $98 Million To Settle High Profile FDNY Discrimination Class Action
By Gerald L. Maatman Jr. and Howard M. Wexler
In a well-reasoned and very important decision for all class action practitioners, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit recently ruled in Rodriguez, et al. v. National City Bank No. 11-8079 (3d Cir. Aug. 12, 2013), that a District Court did not abuse its discretion in refusing to approve
Continue Reading Not So Fast: Third Circuit Refuses To Overturn Denial Of Rule 23 Settlement Class Based On Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes
We have written a number of blog posts about Judge Quackenbush’s displeasure with certain class counsel arising from a request for an award of attorneys’ fees, costs, and expenses submitted in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington in Plumbers Union Local No. 12 Pension Fund v. Ambassadors Group Inc., No. CV-09-214 (E.D.
Continue Reading Wine and Roses, Part III: District Court Sanctions Class Counsel For Improper Expense Requests
By Christopher DeGroff, Gerald L. Maatman, Jr., and Laura J. Maechtlen
The EEOC secured approval of its largest settlement in 2012 this past week in EEOC v. Yellow Transportation, Inc. and YRC, Inc., No. 09-7693 (N.D. Ill. June 28, 2012), a pattern or practice lawsuit involving allegations of systemic race discrimination. Approved by Magistrate Judge Susan E. Cox
By Gerald L. Maatman, Jr. and Jennifer Riley
Settlement of class action litigation often contains hidden traps. One of those traps is a plan for providing notice to class members. In a recent decision in Kaufman, et al. v. American Express Travel Related Services, Inc., No. 07-CV-1707 (N.D. Ill. June 25, 2012), Judge Joan B. Gottschall of the U.S. District Court for
Continue Reading Notice Standards For Class Action Settlements Cannot Be Ignored
By Gerald L. Maatman, Jr. and Howard Wexler
A settlement approval decision in New Jersey federal court earlier this week stands as a reminder of the realities, and complexities, of settling class action lawsuits. Judge Katharine S. Hayden of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey put the U.S. Justice Department’s class action claim against the State of New Jersey and the New Jersey Civil
Continue Reading Court Approves Race Discrimination Class Settlement Despite Hundreds Of Objections
By Christopher DeGroff, Laura J. Maechtlen, and Claudia Y. S. Wilson
Three large trade groups representing millions of the country’s businesses and employers entered the appellate fray last Thursday with their filing of an amicus brief before the Sixth Circuit in EEOC v. Peoplemark, Inc. As we previously reported here and here, EEOC v. Peoplemark stems from a
Continue Reading Enough Is Enough: Employers Take A Stand Against The EEOC’s Enforcement Tactics
By Chris Palamountain and Brian Wong
A few months ago, we wrote about an interim decision in Plumbers Union Local No. 12 Pension Fund v. Ambassadors Group Inc., No. CV-09-214-JLQ, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 26232 (E.D. Wash. Feb. 28, 2012), in which Judge Quackenbush of the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Washington was contemplating disciplinary action against class
By Chris Palamountain and Brian Wong
The availability of attorneys’ fees, costs, and expenses is a prime motivator for the plaintiffs’ employment class action bar, and Plumbers Union Local No. 12 Pension Fund v. Ambassadors Group Inc., No. CV-09-214-JLQ, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 26232 (E.D. Wash. Feb. 28, 2012), gives employers another reason not to simply agree to a
By Chris Palamountain and Esteban Shardonofsky
Searches for mysterious creatures are hot again. We used to have to satisfy our curiosity by flipping through tabloids while waiting to pay for groceries or logging on to Wikipedia to stay up to date on the latest appearance of man-ape, alien, or the Loch Ness dragon. Now, entire cable television shows are dedicated to
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