Nurses Must Go It Alone: Federal Court Denies Class Certification on California Meal & Rest Break Claims

Despite the effort of the California Supreme Court to set forth definitive guidelines on meal and rest period obligations in last year’s seminal Brinker Restaurant decision, employees continue to bring numerous class actions alleging their employers have a common policy or practice of unlawfully denying meal and rest breaks. By suing on behalf of a class, plaintiffs’ counsel seek to increase the potential damages in a lawsuit and thus exert more pressure on employers to settle rather than risk an adverse judgment.