On September 6, 2024, the Appellate Division of the Massachusetts District Court held in Nunez v. Syncsort Incorporated that a retention bonus that the defendant-employer allegedly owed to the plaintiff, its former employee,...more
On March 28, 2024, in Sutton v. Jordan’s Furniture, Inc., the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) upheld a Massachusetts Superior Court decision finding the furniture retailer’s commission-based compensation scheme...more
4/30/2024
/ Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
MA Supreme Judicial Court ,
Over-Time ,
Private Right of Action ,
Retailers ,
Sales Commissions ,
State Labor Laws ,
Treble Damages ,
Unpaid Wages ,
Wage Act ,
Wage and Hour ,
Work Schedules
On August 14, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit issued a decision—Marcus v. American Contract Bridge League—clarifying and applying the standards for determining whether an employee qualifies for the Fair...more
9/15/2023
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Appellate Courts ,
Collective Actions ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employment Litigation ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Retaliation ,
Unpaid Overtime ,
Wage and Hour ,
White-Collar Exemptions
On April 14, 2022, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) ruled that when an employee pursues and succeeds on a claim for the failure to pay overtime wages under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the employee may...more
On December 17, 2021, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) ruled that an employee discharged for submitting a written rebuttal to his employer in response to the placement of negative information in his personnel...more
12/23/2021
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Appeals ,
At-Will Employment ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Hiring & Firing ,
MA Supreme Judicial Court ,
Personnel Records ,
Public Policy ,
Rebuttal ,
Wrongful Termination
On April 9, 2021, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) ruled that an employee may be liable to his or her employer under the Commonwealth’s unfair and deceptive trade practices statute - which authorizes an award of...more
4/22/2021
/ Attorney's Fees ,
Breach of Duty ,
Conspiracies ,
Conversion ,
Duty of Loyalty ,
Employee Misconduct ,
Employment Litigation ,
MA Supreme Judicial Court ,
Misappropriation ,
Reversal ,
Treble Damages ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices ,
Willful Misconduct
As employers reopen their businesses following closures or reductions in operations required during the COVID-19 pandemic, many are grappling with the fraught and complex task of bringing laid-off or furloughed employees back...more