Hamm v. Ochsner-Acadia: Unpaid Meal Break Class Certification Appeal

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued a ruling regarding a labor dispute between support staff and psychiatric hospital operators in Louisiana. The plaintiffs allege that employer policies and professional duties forced them to remain effectively on call during unpaid meal breaks, violating both federal labor standards and state laws against unjust enrichment. While the court dismissed the appeal concerning the federal collective action for lack of jurisdiction, it upheld the class certification for state-law claims. The judges determined that common questions predominate because the workers were subject to uniform policies, making a class action the superior method for resolution. Consequently, the court found the representative plaintiffs to be adequate and affirmed the district court’s decision to allow the class action to proceed.