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Additional Litigation Value: $150,000 ($50,000 each for Stanley and Andy; $25,000 each for Kelly and Erin)
Tonight’s episode – Gossip – is a repeat from last season. My law partner, Matt Rita, thoroughly covered Michael Scott’s shenanigans in the first run, astutely pointing out how Michael’s self-generated rumor mill could give rise to an invasion of privacy claim. Let’s pile on another potential tort claim -– defamation.
Litigation Value: More fodder for a potential lawsuit by Oscar Martinez; at least $10,000-15,000 to help Dunder Mifflin muddle through the competing Darryl-Dwight complaints — and the only reason it is that low is that, at the end of the day, neither is likely to want to escalate their dispute further.
Tonight we were treated to a repeat — or should I say “finely aged” — episode, “The Meeting.” The main story line — in which Michael Scott tries to undercut Jim Halpert’s efforts to get promoted to management, only to learn that Michael would have been promoted as well — doesn’t really involve potential employment law liability to the company. There is plenty to talk about, however, in the “B” plot and the cold open.
NBC trotted out a repeat — St. Patrick’s Day — last night. My colleague, Jaclyn West, wrote an excellent piece focusing on work-life balance when the episode originally aired back in March. Jaclyn’s post made me think about potential wage-hour issues that arise when employers demand long work days. It’s no secret that wage-hour litigation is a rapidly growing area and a big-dollar cottage industry for plaintiffs lawyers.
Employers need to be aware of applicable state and federal laws regarding maximum work hours per day, maximum work days per week, mandatory breaks, overtime, and other laws that come into play when things go beyond the traditional Monday-through-Friday 9-5 workday.
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