AutoZone Manager FLSA Wage Class Proceeds, Minus 485 Members

AutoZone Stores Inc. lost its bid to oust most of more than 1,600 store managers from a certified Fair Labor Standards Act collective action alleging wage violations, when an Alabama federal judge ruled a genuine factual dispute exists over the applicable statute of limitations.

The retailer sought to dismiss 705 plaintiffs whose claims are barred by the FLSA’s two-year statute of limitations and 485 plaintiffs whose claims fall outside the three-year time limit. Only the latter group are barred from proceeding, the court held.

A reasonable factfinder could conclude AutoZone willfully violated the FLSA by classifying store managers as exempt ...