Counsel for a global e-commerce company engaged Senior Consultant to CRA Dr. Michael Ward to review plaintiff’s class-action allegations regarding the failure to reimburse work-from-home business expenses in violation of California’s labor code. A team of CRA consultants supported Dr. Ward in providing economic and statistical expertise. In his expert report, Dr. Ward discussed several flaws in plaintiff’s analyses, including data-handling and coding errors, and highlighted how the individualized nature of the claims, the plaintiff’s unique circumstances, and employees’ choices were inconsistent with class-wide treatment.
The Court denied the plaintiff’s motion for class certification, and the parties settled the matter shortly afterward.
