The California Supreme Court denied review of an appellate court judgment in favor of Simplot in a case called Coronel v. Pinnacle Agriculture Distribution, Inc. (Coronel). The California Fourth District Court of Appeal held, in an unpublished opinion, that a judgment in a prior class action alleging unpaid wages and inaccurate pay records barred a subsequent putative class action for unpaid wages and inaccurate pay records as a result of a release in the prior class action, even though plaintiff argued the subsequent class action encompassed claims broader than the settlement agreement and judgment in the prior class action. Continue Reading Coronel v. Pinnacle Agriculture Distribution, Inc.
Employee Asserts Claims of Uncompensated COVID-19 Screening Practice
On October 18, 2021, Plaintiff Ysa Santana Reynoso (Reynoso), a former employee of pork processor Hatfield Quality Meats, Inc. (Hatfield), filed a class action lawsuit before a state court in Pennsylvania against Hatfield seeking unpaid wages under the Pennsylvania Minimum Wage Act (PMWA) for time spent undergoing mandatory COVID-19 screenings.
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Illinois Nears 150% Increase to Wage and Hour Penalty
On May 25, 2021, the Illinois General Assembly approved an amendment to the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act (the Act). If approved by Governor J.B. Pritzker, the change would require employers who violate the Act to pay damages of 5% of the amount of any underpayment of wages, compensation, or wage supplements for each month following the date of payment during which the amount(s) owed remain unpaid. The new 5% penalty would represent a 150% increase to the existing 2% penalty.
Continue Reading Illinois Nears 150% Increase to Wage and Hour Penalty