Plain-English summary
Court says employers must meet preponderance-of-the-evidence to prove FLSA exemptions
The Court held that when an employer claims a worker is exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act’s minimum-wage or overtime rules, the employer must prove that exemption by a preponderance of the evidence. The decision reversed the Fourth Circuit and remanded the case.
Why this matters
This decision clarifies who bears the evidentiary burden and how heavy that burden is when employers claim exceptions to federal wage and hour protections. That affects millions of workers and employers by shaping how easily employers can avoid paying overtime and minimum wage when they assert exemptions under the FLSA.
Who may feel it
- Hourly and salaried employees who may be claimed as exempt under FLSA exemptions
- Employers who assert exemptions to avoid paying overtime or minimum wage
- Wage-and-hour lawyers, human resources departments, and courts handling FLSA disputes
Key questions
- What standard of proof must employers meet to show an employee falls within an FLSA exemption?