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FLSA Collective Action Conditional Certification and Decertification Strategies

Evaluating Pursuit or Opposition of Certification or Decertification Motions, Navigating Challenges in Hybrid Cases

Recording of a 90-minute CLE video webinar with Q&A

This program is included with the Strafford CLE Pass. Click for more information.
This program is included with the Strafford All-Access Pass. Click for more information.

Conducted on Tuesday, September 12, 2023

Recorded event now available

or call 1-800-926-7926

This CLE course will provide employment counsel with guidance for pursuing or opposing conditional certification or decertification motions in collective actions brought under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The panel will discuss the standards courts apply when ruling on conditional certification or decertification by highlighting recent decisions in the circuit courts, the unique issues related to pursuing certification or decertification motions, and how to address hybrid state law cases.

Description

Wage and hour collective actions under the FLSA continue to plague employers. Obtaining conditional certification in FLSA collective actions is often simpler than obtaining Rule 23 class certification and therefore often provides plaintiffs’ counsel opportunity to gain leverage earlier in the case with lower investment.

Employers' counsel strive to defeat conditional certification in FLSA collective actions to avoid the time and expense of discovery, settlement negotiations, and trial. When they are unsuccessful in opposing conditional certification, employers' counsel often pursue motions for decertification.

An increasing number of wage and hour lawsuits are filed as hybrid cases with both FLSA collective claims and state law wage and hour class claims. Frequently, plaintiffs' counsel use conditional certification as an avenue to obtain opt-ins to aid in the discovery process and to bolster their Rule 23 claims.

Listen as our authoritative panel discusses recent case law trends and strategies regarding pursuing or opposing conditional certification and decertification in FLSA collective actions.

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Outline

  1. FLSA collective actions: recent trends and case law developments
  2. Certification of FLSA collective actions: best practices for plaintiffs' and employers' counsel
    1. Notice stage
    2. Final certification stage
  3. Decertification of FLSA collective action: best practices for plaintiffs' and employers' counsel
  4. Certification considerations and best practices for hybrid cases

Benefits

The panel will review these and other crucial issues:

  • What are the recent case law trends concerning the standards for conditional certification or decertification of FLSA collective actions?
  • What are some best practices for plaintiffs' and employers' counsel for pursuing or opposing conditional certification or decertification motions?
  • What is the scope of discoverable evidence before and after conditional certification of the collective action, and how can employers' counsel limit or best manage discovery?
  • What are the unique certification issues for hybrid FLSA collective claims and state law wage and hour claims?

Faculty

Maatman, Gerald
Gerald L. Maatman, Jr.

Partner, Chair Workplace Class Action Group
Duane Morris

Mr. Maatman has nearly four decades of experience practicing law and has defended some of the most...  |  Read More

Riley, Jennifer
Jennifer A. Riley

Partner, Vice Chair Workplace Class Action Group
Duane Morris

Ms. Riley has defended companies faced with significant complex litigation matters for more than two decades. She...  |  Read More

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