Ice Miller Defends Rural Hospital System in FLSA Trial

Ice Miller successfully defended Marietta Memorial Hospital, a rural hospital system, in a rare Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) retaliation case.

Ice Miller’s Jim Davidson, Cathy Strauss and Lynn Cory represented the Hospital in an eight-day jury trial in federal court. The four plaintiffs, who were former hospital nurses, claimed to be wrongfully retaliated against in violation of the FLSA. Each plaintiff is also a participant in a separately filed wage and hour class action against the Hospital. They claimed their efforts to advance the class action caused them to be targeted by the Hospital and either fired or forced to resign. The plaintiffs sought millions of dollars in damages, and this high-stakes litigation risked potential damage to the Hospital's reputation.

On November 20, the eight person jury returned a verdict for the Hospital and against each of the plaintiffs. Ice Miller's Team successfully demonstrated the Hospital was not motivated to engage in unlawful conduct. The class action remains set for trial in July 2020. The defense in that case will be handled by the same Ice Miller team.