New York State Enacts Legislation to Combat Workplace Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation
On March 16, 2022, Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law several pieces of legislation affording employees greater protections against workplace harassment, discrimination, and retaliation, while other pieces of legislation are still pending before the New York State Assembly and Governor Hochul. Legislation That Has Been Made Law: • Expanded ...
New York Carpenters Pension Fund Defeats Motions to Dismiss in SolarWinds Securities Class Action Lawsuit
The United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, Austin Division, recently denied in their entirety all but one of four motions to dismiss made by Defendants in the federal securities class action In Re SolarWinds Corporation Securities Litigation, 1:21-CV-138-RP, 2022 WL 958385 (W.D. Tex. Mar. 30, 2022) ("In Re SolarWinds"). ...
Third Circuit Set to Examine the Scope of Anti-Retaliation Protections Afforded Under the FLSA
The Fair Labor Standard Act ("FLSA") prohibits retaliation against an employee who complains about violations directly to his or her employer or to the U.S. Department of Labor. To make out a claim, a plaintiff must show (1) participation in a protected activity known to the employer, (2) an employment action disadvantaging the plaintiff (such ...
NYC Amazon Workers Vote to Unionize in Historic Election
Following an election held between March 25 through March 30, 2022, workers at Amazon's Staten Island warehouse voted in favor of being represented by the Amazon Labor Union in a 2,654 — 2,131 vote. The Amazon Labor Union is the first certified union to represent Amazon workers in the country and could not only rally other Amazon workers ...
Faruqi & Faruqi, Lead Counsel, Obtains Significant Settlement For Godiva Consumers
Today, after years of hard-fought litigation, Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP, obtained final approval of a class settlement valued by the Court at over $10,000,000. The lawsuit, filed in 2019 in United States District Court, alleged that Godiva misled consumers into believing that certain Godiva chocolates were manufactured in Belgium, when in fact ...
Sunscreen Manufacturers Can’t Wash Off Reef Safety Class Actions
Sunscreen manufacturers may now be facing significant liability as a result of a recent marketing trend in labeling sunscreen products as being "safe" or "friendly" for coral reefs. Last week, Judge Chhabria of the Northern District of California denied in full defendant's motion to dismiss in Locklin v. StriVectin Operating Company, Inc., ...
Walmart and Kohl’s Agree to Pay $5.5 M Over False Bamboo Claims
In two cases brought by the Federal Trade Commission ("FTC"), Walmart and Kohl's have agreed to pay a total of $5.5 million to resolve allegations that both companies falsely marketed their towels, sheets, blankets, and other bamboo products as being "100% Bamboo," when in actuality, they are made up of rayon. The FTC also took issue with ...
House Bill Seeks to Bar Wage Violators from Obtaining Relief under the Restaurant Revitalization Fund
The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to pass H.R. 3807, which, if approved by the Senate and President Biden, will inject $42 million into the Restaurant Revitalization Fund designed to provide financial assistance to restaurants impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill would also create a new, separate relief fund of $13 billion ...
DOMESTIC WORKERS ARE NOW A PROTECTED CLASS
Domestic workers are now protected under New York City's Human Rights Law regardless of the number of persons employed by the employer. Domestic workers include any individual employed in a home or residence for the purpose of caring for a child, serving as a companion for a sick, convalescing, or elderly person, housekeeping, or any other ...
New York’s ‘Special Duty’ Rule Officially Applies to No-Knock Warrants
Last week, the Court of Appeals issued a decision that clarifies the special duty of law enforcement executing a no-knock warrant to protect the residents of the building the police are trying to enter. In Ferreria v. City of Binghamton (2022 WL 837566), the police executed a no-knock warrant in search of a suspected felon. The Plaintiff, ...