Opinion ID: 768289
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Purpose of the FLSA

Text: 49 Mindful that we should not adhere only to a categorical preemption analysis, we also find that the career fraud claims are not contrary to the purpose of the FLSA. GD argues that the purpose of the FLSA was to protect employers as well as employees, and therefore the appellants' fraud claims would upset the careful balance established by the statute. Indeed, Congress amended the FLSA in 1947 in order to mitigate the impact of the statute on American industry by limiting retroactive relief and including a statute of limitations. See 29 U.S.C. SS 251-261. Despite these amendments, the Supreme Court and the Ninth Circuit have consistently found that the central purpose of the FLSA is to enact minimum wage and maximum hour provisions designed to protect employees. See Barrentine, 450 U.S. at 739; Adair, 185 F.3d at 1059. 50 The appellants' career fraud claims do not conflict with purpose of the FLSA of protecting employees. Nor do they upset by any balance created by amendments to the statute. Fraud claims by employees do not conflict with the FLSA any more than claims for wrongful death, assault, or murder. Claims that are directly covered by the FLSA (such as overtime and retaliation disputes) must be brought under the FLSA. That is not the case here. Thus, neither the district court nor GD has presented a convincing case that the career fraud claims conflict with the purposes of the FLSA. 51