When the individual claim of the lead plaintiff in a Fair Labor Standards Act collective action becomes moot before class certification, so too do those of the class, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday, reversing the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
"In the absence of any claimants opting in, [Laura Symczyk's] suit became moot when her individual claim became moot, because she lacked any personal interest in representing others in this action," Justice Clarence Thomas wrote for the 5-4 majority in Genesis Healthcare v. Symczyk, which was split along ideological lines.
