Opt Ins are Out (of Luck) Appealing Decertification

With all the drama of a get-away chase, the Third Circuit recently brought to a screeching halt plaintiffs’ counsel’s elaborate maneuvers to end run repeated decertification of their FLSA actions, and held as a matter of first impression in Halle v. West Penn Allegheny Health System, Inc. that opt-in plaintiffs have no right to appeal decertification. The decision is important for three reasons. First, it offers a road block against the use of opt-in plaintiffs to appeal a decertification order, including where the named plaintiffs’ claims have been mooted. Second, it offers instruction on how to structure class notices to foreclose potential opt-in appeals. Third, it underscores the heightened strategic value of Rule 68 offers to named plaintiffs in FLSA actions after decertification to block appeals.

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