As a leading practitioner of enhancing independent contractor compliance and defending against misclassification claims, Richard represents large and small companies in administrative and judicial matters across the country, in addition to his labor/employment and noncompete/trade secrets practices.

October was an eventful month for legal developments in the area of independent contractor misclassification and compliance.  In one of the nine cases reported below, the U.S. Department of Labor continues to aggressively pursue an independent contractor misclassification claim against a franchisor in the cleaning contracting industry.  In that case,

Independent contractor misclassification lawsuits swept across a swath of businesses last month, affecting companies in both the gig economy and traditional industries.  Discussed below are class action and individual plaintiff cases involving on-demand dog walkers, community living support specialists, oil field workers, cable installers, truckers, ride-share drivers, and exotic dancers.

Last month was notable for a number of judicial and administrative decisions against companies defending independent contractor misclassification claims.  In one case, the plaintiff seeks to use the company’s statements in its filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to establish IC misclassification.  This strategy is an example of