Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight, LLP

Our firm Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight, LLP Heisler Sharp McKnight filed a $100 million class action lawsuit against Southwest Airlines this week, claiming that the company is in violation of wage and hour laws by refusing to pay baggage and cargo handlers weekly. Under New York state law, manual workers are required to be paid weekly. However, Southwest Airlines pays these employees on a bimonthly schedule.  Managing Partner and Co-Chair of the firm's Wage and Hour Practice Group Michael Palmer stated that "Southwest's refusal to pay its manual workers every week is inconsistent with the state law's purpose of protecting individuals who depend upon their regular wages for sustenance. No worker living paycheck to paycheck should have to wait to receive their earned wages." The complaint further asserts that by delaying employee wages, Southwest was able to use the funds for its own expenses or investment. Co-Chair of the firm's Wage and Hour Practice Group Andrew Melzer stated "This illegal practice allows the airline to utilize those funds for its expenses or accrue interest in its business accounts. This is exactly what the statute is designed to prevent." The class action is seeking certification for a proposed class of more than 100 baggage and cargo handlers

I work with sexual assault survivors nearly every day trying to help them get justice AFTER the fact. But preventing sexual assault BEFORE it happens is even more important. This article describes how certain bars in Colorado are getting certified in recognizing and preventing sexual assault. I commend them for thinking proactively about how to address the problem of sexual assault. https://lnkd.in/eYqVTwuu

$7.4M Verdict for Paraplegic Woman in Fair Housing Act Case A federal jury awarded Dr. Emma Adams $7.4 million on December 19, 2024, in a landmark Fair Housing Act (FHA) lawsuit. The case revolved around the denial of reasonable accommodations by the managers of her Long Beach, California condominium. Key Awards: $7M in compensatory damages $400K in punitive damages against Aqua 388 Community Association and Aqua Maintenance Winning Counsel for Plaintiff:  Matthew Barragan, David Heitner, and Margaret Ming Chen for USA  Russell Kornblith, Brent Hannafan, Eugene Paul Sands, Kevin H. Sharp, Alok Nadig, Rachel Yue Zhang, and Matthew Lichtblau for Emma Adams Filed in the U.S. District Court, California Central, the case (Judge Stanley Blumenfeld, Jr.) showcased repeated denials of Dr. Adams’ requests for a van-accessible parking space. The jury recognized the physical, emotional, and financial toll caused by the defendants’ actions, culminating in this significant verdict. To read the complete story, please click the link in the comment below. 👇 #FairHousingAct #JuryVerdict #DisabilityRights #CivilLitigation

HR Drive published an article highlighting my firm Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight, LLP's class action lawsuit against Southwest Airlines. The complaint alleges that Southwest Airlines violated both the New York Labor Law and the federal Fair Labor Standards Act by failing to pay baggage and cargo handlers on a weekly basis.   Managing Partner and Co-Chair of the firm's Wage and Hour Practice Group Michael Palmer commented "It is egregious that Southwest continues to ignore state and federal statutes to the detriment of its manual workers statewide."

It's important to reflect about the progress that has been made to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. To more advocacy, justice, and hard work in 2025!

Every month or so, there's a headline about a new anti-worker, anti-consumer, or anti-injured person court ruling. In these rulings, courts are formalistic. They say that, of course, a theoretical customer understands how arbitration agreements waive all their rights and, of course, a theoretical injured person should have discovered the cause of their injury years before bringing a lawsuit. There's no accounting for how people actually sign up for services or otherwise move through the world. That's why it's nice to get a fresh dose of reality from the 9th Circuit after Meta argued that Malaysian genocide victims (who could not read or write and lived in refugee camps) should have discovered Facebook's role in the genocide years ago. "Yeah right" is the exact amount of credence to give to an argument like that. https://lnkd.in/eUUyvXit

Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight is delighted to share that Hampton Watson in the DC office has been promoted to Senior Litigation Counsel! Prior to joining the firm, Hamp received his law degree from the Emory University School of Law and completed a clerkship at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. One of Hamp’s many contributions to the firm include his work on the firm’s ERISA case against Capital Group in which we successfully achieved a denial of a motion to compel arbitration on behalf of a class of approximately 11,000 plaintiffs.    Congratulations, Hamp! 

HR Drive published an article highlighting my firm Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight, LLP's class action lawsuit against Southwest Airlines. The complaint alleges that Southwest Airlines violated both the New York Labor Law and the federal Fair Labor Standards Act by failing to pay baggage and cargo handlers on a weekly basis.   Managing Partner and Co-Chair of the firm's Wage and Hour Practice Group Michael Palmer commented "It is egregious that Southwest continues to ignore state and federal statutes to the detriment of its manual workers statewide."

Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight is pleased to announce that Michael Lockman in the Nashville office has been promoted to Senior Litigation Counsel! Michael received his law degree from the University of Chicago Law School and completed a clerkship with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. One of Michael’s many contributions to date include his great work on the successful litigation against actor Robert De Niro and his company in the Southern District of New York on behalf of our client Chase Robinson.   Congratulations, Michael! 

https://lnkd.in/eQRZt9Zq