Major accounting firm KPMG has recently settled the class action lawsuit launched on behalf of employees who claimed damages for unpaid overtime.

The settlement, expected to be worth about $10 million dollars, was announced last week. Employees now have until September 30th to claim their portion of the settlement.

Unfortunately for the employees affected by the claim, they now have another hurdle to jump before they can recoup damages. The employees must now prove that they fall into the class that has been awarded the damages.

As I ‘ve stated in my previous post regarding the current Scotiabank and Bell Canada mass torts, a class action lawsuit, while appropriate for overtime and pension claims, may not always be in the best interest of the plaintiffs or may not be particularly practical in mass dismissal claims.  In wrongful dismissal claims, class actions habitually fail to consider the individual employee’s mitigation efforts, they regularly force a broad application of the Bardal principles, and there is often a duplication of work on client files.

Daniel A. Lublin is a Toronto Employment Lawyer focusing on the law of wrongful dismissal.  He can be reached at [email protected] or visit www.toronto-employmentlawyer.com