Comcast Ruling Benefits Employers

Human Resource Executive Online, Boston.com, Washington Post, National Law Journal, and Law360 were among the media that quoted Los Angeles attorney Raul Zermeno in their March articles about the recent ruling in favor of Comcast Corp. in an antitrust case, Comcast v. Behrend over how much it charged cable TV subscribers. The court ruled that those who accused Comcast of overcharging them could not sue as a group. Raul said that the ruling will likely reduce employers’ exposure to class-action litigation launched by employees, and that the decision will “significantly impact” the future of employment-related class-action lawsuits nationwide. In Law360, Raul commented that the ruling may also help stem the tide of class actions being filed against employers in the first place. “We see a lot of class actions in the employment context, so this ruling is very important because usually class certification creates a significant pressure for defendants to settle, regardless of the merits of the case,” he said. “The requirement that plaintiffs show proof of admissible evidence of damages as opposed to just some theory may cause plaintiffs’ counsel to think twice before filing a class action, which should reduce number of cases that we see in the employment law area.”