Andrew Harrington v. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc.
Case Details
- Citation
- 142 F.4th 678
- Status — whether other courts must follow this ruling
- Published
- Procedural Posture — the stage the case had reached
- appeal
- State
- Arizona
- Circuit
- Ninth Circuit
Related Laws
No specific laws identified for this ruling.
Claim Types
Outcome
The Ninth Circuit vacated the district court's order granting preliminary certification of a Fair Labor Standards Act collective action and remanded for further proceedings, holding that Bristol-Myers Squibb applies to FLSA cases and requiring the district court to assess personal jurisdiction on a claim-by-claim basis before authorizing nationwide notice.
What This Ruling Means
Harrington v. Cracker Barrel: What the Court Decided
What Happened
Andrew Harrington sued Cracker Barrel Old Country Store for wage theft—allegedly not paying workers properly. He wanted to combine his case with other employees facing similar problems, which would have allowed workers across the country to join together.
What the Court Decided
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals said no to the combined lawsuit moving forward as planned. The court ruled that judges must first check whether they have authority over each worker's individual claim before allowing a nationwide group case. The case goes back to the lower court to do this additional review.
Why This Matters for Workers
This decision makes it harder for employees to band together in wage theft cases. Workers must now clear an extra legal hurdle before combining their claims. This could mean longer delays, higher costs, and less leverage for individual employees trying to recover unpaid wages. The ruling affects cases in nine western states, potentially making it more difficult for workers to pursue group lawsuits against large employers.
This summary was generated to explain the ruling in plain English and is not legal advice.
Similar Rulings
Browse Related
Facing something similar at work?
Court rulings like this one are useful, but every situation is different. Take 3 minutes to see which laws may protect you — it's free, private, and no account is required to start.
This ruling information is sourced from public court records via CourtListener.com. Case outcomes, claim types, and summaries are extracted using AI analysis and may be incomplete or inaccurate. It is provided for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
See something wrong, or named in this ruling and want it corrected or redacted? Request a correction.