Top 10 Wage-and-Hour Settlements Tally 44% More in 2009
In a trend that is expected to continue in 2010, settlements in major wage-and-hour lawsuits against corporate defendants rose 44 percent last year. The top 10 cases in 2009 racked up a total of $364 million, compared to $253 million in 2008, a law firm known for its employment defense work reports, citing court records.
And “plaintiffs’ attorneys and government enforcement lawyers are apt to be equally, if not more, aggressive in 2010 in bringing class-action and collective-action litigation against employers,” says Seyfarth Shaw in a press release.
In another trend that is expected to continue, wage-and-hour litigation under the Fair Labor Standards Act outpaced all other types of workplace class action claims last year, the law firm notes.
Partner Gerald Maatman Jr. tells Bloomberg that he expects government enforcement lawyers to focus increasing on allegedly discriminatory policies concerning claimed unequal pay and unfair hiring and promotions.
Earlier related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Plaintiffs Lawyers to Earn Up to $28M in Risky Wal-Mart Wage & Hour Litigation”
ABAJournal.com: “EEOC Says Job Bias Complaints Reach Second-Highest Level Ever”
