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Employment Litigation MA Supreme Judicial Court

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Top Massachusetts Court Clarifies That Non-Solicitation Covenants Fall Outside the State’s Non-Compete Law

In a closely watched decision, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in Miele v. Foundation Medicine, Inc. clarified that the Massachusetts Noncompetition Agreement Act (MNAA) (G.L. c. 149, § 24L) does not apply to...more

Holland & Knight LLP

Supreme Judicial Court Clarifies Scope of Massachusetts Noncompetition Agreement Act

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The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) has ruled that a forfeiture clause triggered by a breach of a non-solicitation agreement is not a "forfeiture for competition agreement" under the Massachusetts Noncompetition...more

Lathrop GPM

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Rules that Franchisees Did Not Perform Services for Franchisor Within the Meaning of the...

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The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court answered “no” to a certified question from the First Circuit Court of Appeals asking whether plaintiff franchisees “‘perform any service’ for 7-Eleven within the meaning of [the...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Upholds 7-Eleven Franchise System in Denying Franchisees’ Challenge to Their Independent...

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On September 5, 2024, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (“SJC”) answered a second certified question in Patel, et al. v. 7-Eleven, Inc., et al. (“Patel II”), a long-running case where 7-Eleven franchisees claimed they...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Rejects Compensation Plan Allocating Commissions to Overtime and Premium Pay

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

Lathrop GPM

First Circuit Certifies Second Employee Misclassification Question to Massachusetts Supreme Court in Ongoing 7-Eleven Case

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The First Circuit Court of Appeals recently certified to the Massachusetts Supreme Court the question of whether franchisee plaintiffs in an ongoing case pass the threshold inquiry under the state’s three-prong employee...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

First Circuit Finds Commission Plan’s Windfall Provision Permissible Under Massachusetts Wage Act

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In Klauber v. VMWare, the First Circuit upheld an employer’s use of a provision in its compensation plan that allowed it to modify commissions on certain large or atypical sales. These “windfall” clauses are common in sales...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Massachusetts SJC Holds That COVID-19–Related Tolling Does Not Extend Time to File a Complaint at the MCAD

On July 11, 2023, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) declined to extend its early COVID-19 emergency orders to the time limits established for filing a complaint with the Massachusetts Commission Against...more

Foley Hoag LLP

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Clarifies “Cat’s Paw” and “Stray Remarks” Doctrines in Employment Discrimination Cases

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The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s (“SJC”) decision in Mark A. Adams v. Schneider Electric USA, Inc., SJC-13352 (2023) concerned the age discrimination claim of a plaintiff who was 54 years old when he was laid off by...more

Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP

Massachusetts Highest Court Holds Grubhub Drivers Are Not Exempt from Arbitration under FAA

In Archer, et al. v Grubhub, Inc., the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) ruled that § 1 of the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) applies to Grubhub delivery drivers. The plaintiffs, former delivery drivers for Grubhub,...more

Fisher Phillips

The Top 14 Workplace Law Stories from July 2022

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It’s hard to keep up with all the recent changes to labor and employment law. While the law always seems to evolve at a rapid pace, there have been an unprecedented number of changes for the past few years—and this past month...more

Fisher Phillips

Massachusetts High Court Says Grubhub Delivery Drivers Must Arbitrate Claims

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The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) held yesterday that local Grubhub delivery drivers are not exempt from the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA), and those workers can be compelled to individually arbitrate their...more

Verrill

Massachusetts Employee Fired For Submitting PIP Rebuttal Protected By Public Policy

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In a recent decision, Terence Meehan v. Medical Information Technology, Inc., the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that an employer cannot terminate an employee for exercising the right to file a rebuttal to a...more

Bowditch & Dewey

Wage Act Updates: Massachusetts’ Highest Court Finds Limited FLSA Preemption of Wage Act Remedies and Employers Should Prepare for...

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MASSACHUSETTS SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT RULING – GOOD NEWS FOR EMPLOYERS - It has been a busy Spring for the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC). On April 14, 2022, on the heels of Reuter v. City of Methuen (see our...more

Goulston & Storrs PC

Massachusetts Imposes Additional Potential Liability on Employers for Wage-and-Hour Compliance

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In a departure from earlier court decisions, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) has imposed additional potential liability on employers for wage-and-hour compliance. In Reuter v. City of Methuen, the SJC explained...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Holds That FLSA Preempts Wage Act Remedies for Federal Overtime Violations

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

WilmerHale

Massachusetts SJC Rules that Employers are Strictly Liable for Treble Damages for Delayed Wage Payments

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Overturning nearly 20 years of lower-court precedent, on April 4, 2022, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) issued a landmark decision holding that an employer is strictly liable for treble damages for any late...more

Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP

Massachusetts Wage Update: SJC Overturns Years Of Precedent And Finds That Employers Must Automatically Pay Triple Damages If...

It is well known that if a Massachusetts employer terminates an employee, the employer risks being liable for three times the amount of wages owed if payment is not made on the last day of employment. A lesser known corollary...more

Bowditch & Dewey

Massachusetts Employers Are Strictly Liable for Treble Damages for Late Wage Payments

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On April 4, 2022, in Reuter v. City of Methuen, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court held that employers are strictly liable for treble damages on late wage payments even when an employee has not yet filed suit asserting...more

Holland & Knight LLP

Massachusetts SJC Upends Existing Law, Requires Treble Damages on Late-Paid Wages

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The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) on April 4, 2022, handed down a decision with major implications for Massachusetts employers accused of wage-and-hour law violations or late payment of wages. In Reuter v. City...more

Littler

Massachusetts High Court Expands Employer Liability for Late Payment of Wages

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In Reuter v. City of Methuen (April 4, 2022), the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court expanded an employer’s liability for the late payment of wages.  Generally, Massachusetts law requires that an employer that terminates an...more

BakerHostetler

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Abrogates Employers’ Sole Defense to Automatic Treble Damages Liability for Late Final Wage...

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On April 4, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court handed employees there yet another victory in Reuter v. City of Methuen, holding that they are automatically entitled to triple damages for any late payment of final wages...more

Morgan, Brown & Joy, LLP

SJC Holds Employers Liable for Full Amount of Treble Damages When Wages Are Paid Late

On April 4, 2022, the Supreme Judicial Court issued its opinion in Reuter v. City of Methuen, SJC-13121, holding that where an employer fails to pay a terminated employee wages on the “day of discharge” as required by the...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Massachusetts SJC: Employers Are Strictly Liable for Treble Damages for Late, Pre-Suit Wage Payments

On April 4, 2022, in Reuter v. City of Methuen, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) held that employers are strictly liable for treble damages for making late wage payments, even when an employee has not yet filed...more

Epstein Becker & Green

Massachusetts Court Rules on Massachusetts Wage Act’s Treble Damages

Employers take note: the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (“SJC”) ruled this week for an employee seeking treble damages for untimely paid wages under the Massachusetts Wage Act (“Wage Act”), even though the employer had...more

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