Judge John G. Koeltl from the Southern District of New York has dismissed the minimum wage claims of an individual who served as a volunteer at last year’s Major League Baseball All Star Weekend FanFest, held at New York City’s Javits Center, based on the “amusement or recreational establishment” exemptionChen v. Major League Baseball, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 42078 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 25, 2014).

Plaintiff worked three shifts as a volunteer at FanFest, stamping attendees’ wrists, handing out paraphernalia and directing attendees.  He argued that this work made him an “employee” of Major League Baseball.  Judge Koeltl declined to address whether Plaintiff’s volunteer services made him an “employee”, because even if the court made such a conclusion, Plaintiff’s claim failed as a matter of law as  Plaintiff was “employed by an establishment which is an amusement or recreational establishment . . . [which did] not operate for more than seven months in any calendar year.”

While Chen is a victory for the employer community in light of the widespread series of actions brought by individuals classified as outside FLSA protection, principally asserted by interns,  many businesses are not seasonal in nature and thus cannot readily avail themselves of this exemption.  All potential exemptions and defenses to claims for minimum and overtime wages must be closely analyzed under the FLSA and, as applicable, state law.

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Photo of Noel P. Tripp Noel P. Tripp

Noel Tripp is a Principal in the Long Island office of Jackson Lewis P.C., one of the largest law firms in the United States devoted exclusively to representing management in labor and employment matters. Since joining Jackson Lewis P.C. as a summer associate…

Noel Tripp is a Principal in the Long Island office of Jackson Lewis P.C., one of the largest law firms in the United States devoted exclusively to representing management in labor and employment matters. Since joining Jackson Lewis P.C. as a summer associate in May 2005, he has practiced exclusively in employment law and has been involved in matters pending before federal and state courts and administrative agencies covering the gamut of employment-related matters from discrimination and workplace harassment to wage/hour disputes and affirmative-action compliance. His principle focus is the defense of class and collective action lawsuits under federal and state wage-and-hour laws.

Mr. Tripp is a graduate of Dartmouth College (A.B. 1999), and Fordham Law School (J.D. 2006). Prior to attending law school, Mr. Tripp was a complex commercial litigation paralegal at a large national law firm in Los Angeles, California. He is admitted to practice in the state of New York.

Education

  • Fordham University, J.D., 2006
  • Dartmouth College, A.B., 1999

Admitted to Practice

  • New York, 2007
  • New York – E.D. N.Y., 2008
  • New York – S.D. N.Y., 2008