Minor League Baseball Players Reach Settlement in Wage and Hour Lawsuit
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In recent news, the minor league players reached a settlement agreement in the lawsuit alleging Major League Baseball teams violated minimum wage laws.
The Case: Senne, et al. v. Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, et al.
The Court: U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
The Case No.: 3:14-cv-00608-JCS
The Plaintiff: Senne, et al. v. Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, et al.
The plaintiff, first baseman/outfielder Aaron Senne, was a 10th round pick of the Marlins in 2009. In 2013, Senne retired. Senne along with two other retired players who were lower-round selections, Liberto (Kansas City infielder), and Odle (San Francisco pitcher), filed suit alleging the teams violated the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and state minimum wage and overtime laws for a workweek estimated at around 50 to 60 hours.
Postponing the Hearing: Senne, et al. v. Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, et al.
A trial for the case was scheduled for June 1 in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco. However, lawyers for both sides filed a letter asking the Chief Magistrate Judge Joseph C. Spero to postpone. The letter informed the court that the parties reached a settlement and agreed upon a confidential memorandum of understanding. At the time the letter was submitted to the court, the settlement documents were still being prepared.
The Case: Senne, et al. v. Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, et al.
While terms of the settlement were not yet filed with the court, and details were not offered, anonymous sources involved in the case indicated that the parties had recently discussed a settlement around $200 million.
Issues Being Considered: Senne, et al. v. Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, et al.
After years of arguing about whether the case should be given class-action status, it was sent back to the District Court by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2019. In March, the judge offered a pretrial ruling stating that the minor league players are year-round employees who work during training time, and he found that MLB violated Arizona’s state minimum wage law leaving them liable for triple damages. The judge also ruled that MLB failed to comply with California wage statement requirements and noted penalty awards of $1,882,650. The judge also ruled that MLB is a joint employer with minor league teams for players who “work” during spring training and minor league players should be paid for travel time to games in the California League and travel to practice in Arizona and Florida.
If you have questions about inaccurate overtime pay calculations, minimum wage violations, or other employment law violations, please contact Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik DeBlouw LLP. Our experienced California employment law attorneys are ready to assist you in various law firm offices located in San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Riverside, and Chicago.
