Summary Judgment Win in Certified Class of More Than 15,000 Employees

Seyfarth won summary judgment in its entirety as to a certified class of more than 15,000 employees across California on behalf of an international hotel company, in a wage and hour lawsuit involving the issue of whether or not our client was required to immediately pay accrued vacation and paid time off wages to its employees when they were furloughed at the outset of the COVID 19 pandemic. Seyfarth also defeated plaintiff’s claim that our client should have included free night hotel stays into employees regular rate of pay, and paid out the value of unused nights at the end of employment. This matter is significant because it is the first class case involving the payment of vacation wages to furloughed employees at the start of the pandemic and focuses on the nature of a furlough and continuing employment relationship during such a period.