In Farah v. Emirates, Renaker Hasselman Scott LLP, Risman & Risman, P.C., and Brustein Law PLLC represent a proposed class of former employees of Emirates airlines who were laid off without severance pay in 2020. In their complaint, filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on July 6, 2021, the plaintiffs allege that Emirates has an ERISA-governed severance plan that requires it to pay benefits of up to 26 weeks’ pay plus subsidized COBRA coverage to employees terminated without cause, but that Emirates has refused to honor this obligation to U.S. employees laid off in 2020. The plaintiffs also allege that Emirates failed to comply with other requirements of ERISA in administering the severance plan, including the requirement to provide a summary plan description. In addition to violations of ERISA, the complaint alleges violations of the New York State Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (NY WARN Act), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the New York State Human Rights Law and New York City Human Rights Law.
For more information on this case, please contact Kirsten Scott, kirsten@renakerhasselman.com.user.s408.sureserver.com, or Teresa Renaker, teresa@renakerhasselman.com.user.s408.sureserver.com.
Read the complaint here.