We’re pleased to note that U.S. Magistrate Judge James L. Cott of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York recently cited a New York Law Journal article written by Fox partner Glenn Grindlinger in a memorandum order. In the order signed November 6 in Souza et al. v. 65 St. Marks Bistro, Judge Cott noted the Second Circuit’s decision in Cheeks v. Freeport Pancake House. In Cheeks, the court held that “stipulated dismissals settling FLSA claims with prejudice under…the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure required the approval of the district court (or the U.S. Department of Labor)…in order to take effect.”

In a footnote, Judge Cott wrote:

Given this dicta, one commentator has observed that Cheeks is “a problematic decision for employers as it will make it harder to resolve FLSA claims,” and “[b]ecause courts will scrutinize FLSA settlement agreements before they will dismiss an FLSA case, defendant employers will find it difficult to include confidentiality and other provisions in an agreement that are normally contained in settlement agreements.” Glenn Grindlinger, Second Circuit Requires Court Approval of all FLSA Settlements, New York Law Journal, August 19, 2015, at 3.

To read Glenn’s full piece, please visit the Fox Rothschild website.