Philadelphia Class Action Lawsuits
If your employer violated the law, you may be wondering whether you and your coworkers can file a class action lawsuit to recover damages. This post contains general information about employment class action lawsuits. It is not a substitute for consulting with an experienced employment class action lawsuit lawyer in your area.
How Does an Employment Class Action Lawsuit Work?
An employment class action lawsuit is a single lawsuit filed on behalf of a group of plaintiffs who have the same or similar claims against a single employer. Instead of individual employees filing separate lawsuits against their employer, damages are sought in a single action for the entire group.
What Types of Claims Can Form the Basis for an Employment Class Action Lawsuit?
There are several different state and federal employment laws that can form the basis of a class-action lawsuit. Employment class action lawsuits may involve claims related to wage and hour violations (such as failure to pay overtime), employment discrimination, sexual harassment or retaliation, improperly classifying employees as independent contractors, and/or workplace safety violations.
How Many People are Needed for an Employment Class Action Lawsuit?
A lawsuit becomes a “class action” as soon as one or more people (called a “lead plaintiff”) files a lawsuit on behalf of a group of other people. There is no requirement as to the minimum size of the class.
What are the Stages of an Employment Class Action Lawsuit?
Initially, a legal document known as a “complaint” is filed with the court. This sets forth the legal claims being asserted against the defendant by the lead plaintiffs.
In the next phase of an employment class-action lawsuit, the parties ask the court to certify the case as a class action. In order to be certified as a class-action lawsuit, several requirements must be met, including that the a class is so numerous that joinder of all members is impracticable, there are questions of law or fact common to the class, the claims or defenses of the representative parties are typical of the claims or defenses of the class, and the representative parties will fairly and adequately protect the interests of the class..
Once the court approves the class action, the members of the class will be notified about the lawsuit and the case will proceed to the discovery stage, where evidence is gathered.
After the discovery phase, an employment class action lawsuit will proceed to trial before a judge or jury. After the trial, the judge or jury will decide liability and damages.
Console Mattiacci | Employment Class Actions and Collective Action Lawsuit Lawyers
The employment class action and collective action lawyers at Console Mattiacci Law, LLC have been certified as class counsel in many class-action lawsuits These are just a few of the cases in which our experienced employment class action and collective action lawyers have fought for the rights of employees:
- Sessions et al. v. Owens Illinois Salaried Pension Plan (M.D. Pa.): Class action on behalf of plan participants who were denied special early retirement benefits.
- MacDonald et al. v. Unisys (E.D. Pa): A federal court allowed age discrimination lawsuit on behalf of employees terminated in connection with offshore outsourcing to proceed to discovery.
- Beauchamp et al. v. Provident Mutual Life Insurance Company (E.D. Pa): A federal court certified collective action on behalf of 24 former employees for age discrimination after employees terminated as part of a lay-off resulting.
- Fisher and Nardo et al. v. Columbia Sussex/Tropicana Casino (D. N.J.): Age discrimination action on behalf of a large group of employees terminated in connection with a significant lay-off.
- Aaron, et al. v. Century Indemnity Company, et al. (American Arbitration Association): Arbitration proceeding involving severance pay claims of 82 former employees.
- Koebert, et al. v. PECO Energy Company, et al. (Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas): A class action in state court for bonus compensation and violations of the PA Wage Payment and Collection Law.
- Kaminski, et al. v. First Union Corp. (E.D.Pa): An opt-in age discrimination collective action on behalf of almost 200 plaintiffs.
Employment class action and collective action lawsuits require a careful, focused, and a thorough evaluation by a competent class action attorney who practices employment law. Console Mattiacci Law, LLC maintains an excellent reputation in the field of employment law and will work vigorously to vindicate your rights.
Contact an Employment Class Action Lawsuit Lawyer Today
Please be aware there are strict deadlines associated with bringing a class action lawsuit. In some cases, you may only have 180 days to file a claim or you forever lose your right to do so.
If you believe you may have an employment class action lawsuit based on your employer’s wrongful conduct, do not delay. Contact Console Mattiacci Law, LLC at (215) 545-7676 for a comprehensive consultation with an experienced employment class action lawsuit lawyer. We represent clients throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.