Lawsuit against PwC granted class-action status
A lawsuit against PwC over denied overtime pay and other benefits to its associates has gained class-action status in a Californian court
A lawsuit against PwC over denied overtime pay and other benefits to its associates has gained class-action status in a Californian court
A lawsuit against
PricewaterhouseCoopers
for denying its unlicensed associates overtime pay and other benefits mandated
by US labour laws has been granted class action status in California’s Eastern
District’s federal court and a similar class-action lawsuit against Deloitte
& Touche has wound up in California’s Central District’s federal court,
starting the ball rolling for USA-wide litigation against Big Four firms.
PwC will defend the lawsuit ‘vigorously’, spokesman David Nestor told
CFO.com,
noting ‘associates and senior associates are appropriately classified as exempt
employees under California law and are provided with the beneficial treatment
associated with their exempt status’.
Deloitte Tax and Deloitte & Touche is also forced to ‘vigorously’ defend
itself against complaint charges that it violated state labour laws by
classifying and treating tax associates and tax seniors employed in California
as exempt employees, and therefore ineligible for overtime pay.
Armond Marcarian, lawyer for the plaintiff, estimates the Deloitte class size
will rise to more than 1,000 former and current employees, representing millions
of dollars worth of back pay plus interest and penalty awards. The trial is set
for October 2008.
Further reading:
Big Four in line of fire from huge class action
KPMG Canada sued for unpaid overtime