On June 7, 2012, a federal district court ruled that a paralegal’s lawsuit seeking overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act should go to trial. In Blackmore v. Vaughn & Bowden, P.A., 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 79027 (S.D. Miss. June 7, 2012), see http://dockets.justia.com/docket/mississippi/mssdce/1:2010cv00561/74052/, the paralegal possessed “a four year undergraduate degree . . . in . . . paralegal studies and psychology . . . [and] a master’s degree in public relations.” The law firm claimed that “her work was essentially exclusive in the mass tort unit of [the firm] where she was the senior paralegal and responsible for organizing and directing tasks of other paralegals.” The paralegal disputed that and claimed that she did not do the work of an exempt employee and made specific factual allegations. Based on the factual disputes, the court denied summary judgment and set the case for trial. Lebau & Neuworth has litigated successfully overtime cases for paralegals and other misclassified employees entitled to wages under Maryland law, other State laws and the Fair Labor Standards Act.
