Paul DeCamp Quoted in “Justices' Arbitration Ruling Gives Wage Cases Narrow Clarity"

Paul DeCamp, Member of the Firm in the Employment, Labor & Workforce Management practice, in the firm’s Washington, DC, office, was quoted in Law360 Employment Authority, in “Justices' Arbitration Ruling Gives Wage Cases Narrow Clarity,” by Irene Spezzamonte. (Read the full version – subscription required.)

Following is an excerpt:

The justices unanimously ruled Thursday in Adrian Jules v. Andre Balazs Properties et al. that federal courts do not lose jurisdiction over cases that are stayed pending arbitration and, as a result, can confirm or vacate arbitration awards. …

Paul DeCamp, a former administrator in the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division under former President George W. Bush, said that the decision affects "a very narrow sliver" of the wage and hour lawsuits that are filed, as "nearly everything settles."

The decision, in fact, would mostly affect the latest stages of a wage and hour litigation, and it might not shift how worker-side attorneys bring claims or have consequences on alleged noncompliance from employers, said DeCamp, who is a member of management-side firm Epstein Becker Green.

DeCamp said one thing that was particularly telling about the decision is that it was unanimous, despite "the high stakes" that wage and hour litigation usually brings.

"So at least on this issue," DeCamp said, "there's peace."