Wage and Hour Litigation Leads 2007 Workplace Rulings
Wage and hour litigation pursued under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act produced more rulings in 2007 than any other type of workplace class action, and the pursuit of such litigation is expected to continue through 2008.
January 18, 2008
Wage and Hour Litigation Leads 2007 Workplace Rulings
Wage and hour litigation pursued under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act
produced more rulings in 2007 than any other type of workplace class action, and
the pursuit of such litigation is expected to continue through 2008, according
to an annual report by Chicago-based law firm Seyfarth Shaw.
According to the report, the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Middle
Districts of Florida experienced more wage and hour filings than any other
federal jurisdiction. But the most significant growth in wage and hour
litigation was at the state court level, with California, Florida, Illinois, New
Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas taking center stage.
In 2007, the 10 largest class-action wage and hour settlements totaled $319.3
million, compared with $282.1 million for the 10 largest class-action employment
discrimination settlements, the report said. The 10 largest Employee Retirement
Income Security Act workplace settlements, however, totaled $1.82 billion in
2007.
It is the first time in five years that the top 10 wage and hour and ERISA
class-action settlements outpaced employment discrimination settlements in
overall values, Seyfarth Shaw said.
= Member Only
