A federal judge has recently ruled that he had no choice but to dismiss the wage theft claims of thousands of Chipotle employees because of the Supreme Court’s decision from last year in Epic Systems v. Lewis. In order to keep or get their jobs with Chipotle, the company forced…
This week, the Supreme Court held in the Epic Systems case that corporations may legally force employees to choose between their jobs and their right to bring class or collective actions for wage theft—which really is not a choice at all. The vast majority of employees cannot refuse their employers’…
Last week the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill called the “Fairness in Class Action Litigation Act of 2017.” This bill would significantly weaken workers’ ability to band together and bring class actions. Some have argued that it would essentially eliminate certain types of class actions. Class actions are…
Last week, a settlement was announced in the class action lawsuit against Uber covering its drivers in California and Massachusetts. The lawsuit centered around the issue of whether the law required Uber to classify its drivers as employees instead of independent contractors. Uber and the law firm representing the drivers…
This week a court in California ruled against the car ride service provider Uber in a class action regarding its classification of drivers as independent contractors. Some Uber drivers filed the class action because they believe Uber should have classified them as employees, which would entitle them to benefits such…
Earlier this month, the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, in Virginia, held that a race discrimination class action against Nucor Corporation could proceed. This decision marked the second time that this appellate court has reversed the trial judge’s decision not to let the class action proceed. The case centers…
Earlier this year, a federal appeals court in the Midwest issued a decision that allowed an employer to potentially escape liability for illegally depriving its employees of wages. The case involved a chain of restaurants called Gusano’s Pizza that allegedly used an illegal tip pooling scheme to deprive employees of…
This week, protesters in the Chicago-area community of Forest Park reportedly decried racial discrimination against African Americans in hiring at Ferrara Candy. Ferrara Candy makes candies such as Red Hots and Lemonheads. The company and two staffing agencies it uses have been accused of discriminating against African American laborers in…
The Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) and a private law firm represent Ruben Juarez in a first-of-a-kind lawsuit against Northwestern Mutual, an insurance company. Mr. Juarez was brought to the United States illegally as a child. However, he has a work permit, a social security number, and…
Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal from Merrill Lynch over a race discrimination class action that a class of black stockbrokers filed against it. We previously reported on this case on February 24, 2012 when the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Merrill Lynch. Now…