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Articles Discussing General Issues In Employment Law Class Actions

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Ambiguity in Arb. Agreement Cannot Be Construed as Consent to Class Arbitration

Goldberg Segalla·

In Lamps Plus, Inc. v. Varela, the U.S. Supreme Court held that an ambiguous arbitration agreement cannot provide the necessary contractual basis for compelling class arbitration under the Federal Arbitration Act. This decision reverses the Ninth Circuit’s decision that permitted an employee’s data

SCOTUS: Ambiguity in Arbitration Agreement Cannot Be Construed as Consent to Class Arbitration

Goldberg Segalla·

In Lamps Plus, Inc. v. Varela, the U.S. Supreme Court held that an ambiguous arbitration agreement cannot provide the necessary contractual basis for compelling class arbitration under the Federal Arbitration Act. This decision reverses the Ninth Circuit’s decision that permitted an employee’s data

Supreme Court Rules on Employee Data Breach Class Arbitration Suit

Jackson Lewis P.C.·

In June of 2018 we reported that the U.S. Supreme Court granted a petition for review of a data breach lawsuit addressing the issue of whether parties can pursue class arbitration when the language in the arbitration agreement does not explicitly allow for such, Lamps Plus, Inc. v. Varela , No. 17-9

Supreme Court Confirms Class Arbitration May Not Proceed Unless Expressly Permitted by the Arbitration Agreement

Littler·

On April 24, 2019, in a 5-4 opinion written by Chief Justice Roberts, the U.S. Supreme Court held that even if an arbitration agreement is ambiguous as to whether classwide arbitration is permitted, that is insufficient to find that the parties consented to class arbitration. Lamps Plus, Inc. v. Var

Supreme Court Says: Express Language Required to Arbitrate on a Class Basis

FordHarrison·

Executive Summary: Approximately one year ago, in Epic Systems Corp., the United States Supreme Court upheld the enforceability of mandatory arbitration agreements that prohibit employees from bringing employment claims on a class or collective basis – settling a longstanding circuit split over whet

Supreme Court Doubles Down on Enforceability of Class Arbitration Waivers

Jones Walker LLP·

The United States Supreme Court today ruled that arbitration agreements must explicitly provide for class arbitration for that process to be invoked, bolstering the Court’s 2018 decision in Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis which held that class action waivers in arbitration agreements signed by employees

U.S. Supreme Court: Employment Class Arbitration Must Be Expressly Addressed in Contract

Jackson Lewis P.C.·

Class action arbitration is such a departure from ordinary, bilateral arbitration of individual disputes that courts may compel class action arbitration only where the parties expressly declare their intention to be bound by such actions in their arbitration agreement, the U.S. Supreme Court has rul

U.S. Supreme Court Holds Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(f) Is Not Subject to Equitable Tolling

Jackson Lewis P.C.·

In a decision important to class action practice, the U.S. Supreme Court has held that Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(f), which establishes a 14-day deadline to seek permission to appeal an order granting or denying class certification, is not subject to equitable tolling. Nutraceutical Corp. v.

Class Action Trends Report Winter 2019

Jackson Lewis P.C.·

Our quarterly report discusses new developments in class action litigation and offers strategic guidance and tactical tips on how to defend such claims.

Fifth Circuit Holds District Courts in FLSA Actions May Not Send Notice to Employees with Valid Arbitration Agreements that Prohibit Participation in a Collective Action

Littler·

In one of the most significant Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) appellate decisions in recent years, on February 21, 2019, a three-judge panel on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously held that “district courts may not send notice to an employee with a valid arbitration agreement unless the

Ninth Circuit Re-affirms Fair Credit Reporting Act’s Strict Disclosure Standards

Jackson Lewis P.C.·

A disclosure form that included other, state-mandated disclosure information violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act’s (FCRA) standalone document requirement, the Ninth Circuit held. Gilberg v. Cal. Check Cashing Stores, LLC, No. 17-16263 (9th Cir. Jan. 29, 2019). In doing so, the Ninth Circuit relie

Court Decertifies Class of Female Drivers’ Hostile Work Environment Claims, Trims Retaliation Claims

Jackson Lewis P.C.·

Finding that the case involved “actions perpetuated by one individual against another individual in an isolated environment, not conduct in a common environment directed against several women at once,” Chief Judge Leonard Strand decertified a class of female truck drivers that alleged they were subj

Counting Down the Top 5 Employment Class Action Developments of 2018

Jackson Lewis P.C.·

On the last day of the year, we take a look back at some highlights and our most-read employment class action articles of 2018.

Jackson Lewis Class Action Trends Report Fall 2018

Jackson Lewis P.C.·

Below is a link to the latest issue of the Jackson Lewis Class Action Trends Report. This report is published on a quarterly basis by our firm’s class action practice group in conjunction with Wolters Kluwer. We hope you will find this issue to be informative and insightful. Using our considerable e

Class Action Trends Report Fall 2018

Jackson Lewis P.C.·

Our quarterly report discusses new developments in class action litigation and offers strategic guidance and tactical tips on how to defend such claims. This issue covers the following topics:

Supreme Court Hears Oral Argument in Lamps Plus Case

Jackson Lewis P.C.·

On October 29, 2018, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in the case of Lamps Plus, Inc. v. Varela. At issue in Lamps Plus is what standard should be applied in determining whether parties have agreed to submit claims to class arbitration. The arbitration agreement between Lamps Plus and one of it

Contracting Around Class Actions, a Win for Employers!

Jackson Lewis P.C.·

In O’Connor v. Uber Techs., Inc., 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 27343 (9th Cir. 2018), a unanimous panel in the Ninth Circuit found that Uber’s arbitration agreements did not violate the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 (“NLRA”) and the question of arbitrability was designated to the arbitrator. The ruli

Class Certification Denied in Physician Equal Pay Lawsuit Under a Blanket Compensation Plan

Jackson Lewis P.C.·

An Illinois District Court recently denied certification of a class of female physicians claiming that their employer’s pay practices unlawfully discriminated against women in violation of Title VII, the Illinois Equal Pay Act, and the Illinois Civil Rights Act (Ahad v. Board of Trustees of Southern

Settling Plaintiff May Still Have Standing And Adequacy To Pursue Class Action and PAGA Claims

Jackson Lewis P.C.·

A California federal judge recently certified a class of at least 843 Cinemark workers who allege Cinemark, a movie theater chain, failed to properly list overtime rates on employee wage statements, notwithstanding the fact that the purported class representative, Silken Brown, had settled her indiv

Just as with the NLRA, the FLSA Does Not Preclude Collective Action Waivers in Arbitration Agreements, Sixth Circuit Holds

Jackson Lewis P.C.·

In a natural extension of the Supreme Court’s recent conclusion that the NLRA does not preclude the use of class or collective action waivers in employment-related arbitration agreements, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has confirmed that such waivers are likewise permitted under the FLSA. Gaffer