Twitter has secured a ruling permitting the social media firm to pressure a number of laid-off staff suing over their termination to pursue their claims via particular person arbitration than a class-action lawsuit.
US District Judge James Donato on Friday dominated that 5 former Twitter workers pursuing a proposed class motion accusing the corporate of failing to offer satisfactory discover earlier than laying them off after its acquisition by Elon Musk should pursue their claims in personal arbitration.
Donato granted Twitter’s request to pressure the 5 ex-employees to pursue their claims individually, citing agreements they signed with the corporate.
Twitter didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
The San Francisco decide left for an additional day “as warranted by developments in the case” whether or not your complete class motion lawsuit should be dismissed, although, as he famous three different former Twitter workers who alleged that they had opted out of the corporate’s arbitration settlement have joined the lawsuit after it was first filed.
The lawyer who represents the plaintiffs, Shannon Liss-Riordan, stated on Monday that she had already filed 300 calls for for arbitration on behalf of former Twitter workers and would seemingly file a whole bunch extra.
Those staff all declare they haven’t acquired the total severance bundle promised by Twitter earlier than Musk took over. Some have additionally alleged intercourse or incapacity discrimination.
Last yr, Donato had dominated that Twitter should notify the hundreds of staff who had been laid off after its acquisition by Musk following a proposed class motion accusing the corporate of failing to offer satisfactory discover earlier than terminating them.
The decide stated that earlier than asking staff to signal severance agreements waiving their capacity to sue the corporate, Twitter should give them “a succinct and plainly worded notice”.
Twitter laid off roughly 3,700 workers in early November in a cost-cutting measure by Musk, and a whole bunch extra subsequently resigned.
In December final yr, Twitter was additionally accused by dozens of former workers of assorted authorized violations stemming from Musk’s takeover of the corporate, together with focusing on ladies for layoffs and failing to pay promised severance.
Twitter can be going through at the very least three complaints filed with a U.S. labour board claiming staff had been fired for criticising the corporate, trying to organise a strike, and different conduct protected by federal labour legislation.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
