Law Center Search Results

This case involves a suit by an individual for back pay. She sued her employer on her own behalf and on behalf of other similarly situated individuals. The employer offered to settle her claim for the full amount, and asked that the case be dismissed because it no longer was a “case or controversy” subject to resolution in court. On 4/16/13, the Supreme Court decided that this kind of suit, often called a collective action under the Fair Labor Standards Act, should be dismissed. The plaintiff had no personal interest in representing other unnamed plaintiffs, and was made completely whole for her own complaint. The case is important for reigning in litigation driven more by lawyers and the parties, and this ruling will help prevent excessive litigation by plaintiffs that lack a personal interest in the outcome.