Samia M. Kirmani

Connect: Read more about Samia M. Kirmani
Firm/Organization: Jackson Lewis P.C.
Blogs: California Workplace Law Blog, Employment Class and Collective Action Update, Pay Equity Advisor Blog, Wage & Hour Law Update

Latest Articles

Class action arbitration is such a departure from ordinary, bilateral arbitration of individual disputes that courts may compel class action arbitration only where the parties expressly declare their intention to be bound by such actions in their arbitration agreement, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in a 5-4 decision. Lamps Plus, Inc. v. Varela, No. 17-988 (Apr. 24, 2019). The Supreme Court said, “Courts may not infer from an ambiguous agreement that parties have…
Vacating a $10 million arbitration award resulting from a “collective action” arbitration, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ruled that whether class or collective arbitration is authorized by an arbitration agreement is a threshold question for the district court, not an arbitrator. Herrington v. Waterstone Mortgage Corp., No. 17-3609 (7th Cir. Oct. 22, 2018). Please find the rest of the article on our website here.…
In a last-minute action on the September 30 legislative deadline, California’s Governor vetoed a bill that, among other things, would have imposed restrictions on the use of arbitration agreements for certain employment claims. Under vetoed Assembly Bill 3080, beginning on January 1, 2019, employers in California would have been barred from requiring employees and independent contractors to sign arbitration or nondisclosure agreements as a condition of their employment (or continued employment). The bill also would…
Today, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office published its long-awaited guidance on Massachusetts’ new pay equity law, which is effective July 1, 2018.  The guidance addresses a number of frequently asked questions and further provides guidance for employers on conducting “self-evaluations” of pay practices.  A link to the Attorney General’s guidance is found here.  Jackson Lewis attorneys are reviewing the guidance and will publish a more detailed analysis shortly. Previous Jackson Lewis articles on the Massachusetts…
Yesterday, the United States Supreme Court notified the parties in National Labor Relations Board v. Murphy Oil USA, Case No. 16-307; Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis, Case No. 16-285; and Ernst & Young LLP v. Morris, Case No. 16-300 that the cases will be heard in October 2017. Jackson Lewis has represented Murphy Oil USA throughout these proceedings. As reported in Jackson Lewis’ earlier post, on January 13, 2017, the Supreme Court consolidated the three…
Earlier today, the United States Supreme Court granted certiorari in National Labor Relations Board v. Murphy Oil USA, Case No. 16-307, Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis, Case No. 16-285 and Ernst & Young LLP v. Morris, Case No. 16-300, consolidating them for argument. The three cases present the question whether class action waivers in employment arbitration agreements violate the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”).  The Supreme Court’s action promises the much-anticipated resolution of the circuit split on…
Earlier today, the United States Supreme Court granted certiorari in National Labor Relations Board v. Murphy Oil USA, Case No. 16-307, Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis, Case No. 16-285 and Ernst & Young LLP v. Morris, Case No. 16-300, consolidating them for argument. The three cases present the question whether class action waivers in employment arbitration agreements violate the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”).  The Supreme Court’s action promises the much-anticipated resolution of the circuit split on…