Settling Wage/Hour Claims: Weighing Settlement Options, Negotiating Damages, and Ensuring Court Approval
Course Details
- smart_display Format
On-Demand
- signal_cellular_alt Difficulty Level
Intermediate
- work Practice Area
Employment and Workers Comp
- event Date
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
- schedule Time
1:00 p.m. ET./10:00 a.m. PT
- timer Program Length
90 minutes
-
This 90-minute webinar is eligible in most states for 1.5 CLE credits.
This CLE course will guide employment litigators in evaluating whether, when, and how to settle a wage and hour class or collective action. The panel will discuss how to calculate damages and tactics for increasing the likelihood of obtaining court approval of the settlement award.
Ms. Riley has defended companies faced with significant complex litigation matters for more than two decades. She regularly defends companies facing class actions, collective actions, pattern or practice lawsuits, and other types of representative proceedings, ranging in size from dozens to tens of thousands of claims. Ms. Riley has represented clients facing bet-the-company cases in a wide range of complex civil litigation matters in federal and state courts across the country. She also provides counsel to employers seeking to navigate thorny issues, including investigations, compliance, and terminations. Ms. Riley is a regular speaker, author, and presenter regarding class action issues, legal developments, and challenges that companies may face in the future.
Ms. Riggin litigates individual and class action cases on behalf of employees, including claims for violations of wage and hour and overtime laws, sexual harassment claims, whistleblower and retaliation claims, and discrimination and equal pay claims. She also advises executives and professionals in pre-litigation matters (for example, noncompetes agreements, severance agreements, and review of employment agreements). Ms. Riggin has been the co-author of the Plaintiffs’ Litigation Chapter of the California Wage and Hour Law Treatise published by the Continuing Education of the Bar.
Class and collective action settlements in wage and hour cases have grown increasingly complex, and the law surrounding court approval of FLSA settlements is constantly developing. Our panel will discuss these changes and associated strategy considerations--for example, how to minimize the time and expense of litigation--that both novice and seasoned employment counsel may wish to consider.
Counsel must be adept at proactively planning for these and other key issues: whether a settlement is appropriate, when to begin settlement discussions, how to best structure a settlement to meet clients' best interests, and how to overcome judicial resistance to approving a settlement.
Listen as our authoritative panel of employment litigators discusses best practices for weighing a settlement decision, determining how to calculate damages, and ensuring court approval of the settlement award.
- Evaluating when to consider settlement
- Assessing risk of exposure and calculating potential damages
- Obtaining enforceable settlement agreements
- Court-supervised settlements
- DOL-supervised settlements
The panel will review these and other key issues:
- What are the critical factors for employment counsel to consider in determining whether settlement discussions are appropriate and the best options for settlement?
- What are best practices for calculating damages?
- What are the crucial considerations for counsel when structuring a settlement to meet clients' best interests and obtain court approval?
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