Amicus

Amicus: Class Dismissed?

Big business says class-action lawsuits have gotten out of control. Will the Roberts court agree?

Listen to Episode 30 of Slate’s Amicus:

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When workers at a Tyson Foods meat-processing plant were told that they wouldn’t be on the clock when donning and doffing protective gear, they banded together and sued their employer. A jury decided that their class-action suit had merit and awarded them damages of close to $6 million.

In Tyson Foods v. Bouaphakeo, the Supreme Court is now considering whether the workers had the right to band together as a “class” in the first place. On this episode of Amicus, attorney Carter Phillips makes the case that they didn’t. Phillips is a partner at Sidley Austin LLP and represented Tyson Foods this week in oral arguments at the court.

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Amicus is sponsored by the Great Courses, offering a series of lectures about the impact that technology is having on the Constitution and our rights. The series—“Privacy, Property, and Free Speech: Law and the Constitution in the 21st Century”—is available right now at up to 80 percent off the original price if you visit TheGreatCourses.com/amicus.

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Podcast production by Tony Field.