Attorney Details
Christopher J. Eckhart
Practice Concentration
Mr. Eckhart’s practice is primarily devoted to defending clients in FLSA collective actions, state wage and hour class actions, and class actions alleging violations of the Federal Leasing Regulations. Mr. Eckhart’s practice also involves counseling clients on compliance with federal and state wage and hour laws, including compliance with the California Labor Code and Wage Order No. 9.
Profile
Christopher J. Eckhart is one of the firm’s lead partners in the Class Action Defense and Complex Litigation Practice Area. He has defended motor carriers and other transportation clients in multiple jurisdictions across the United States. As an attorney licensed in California, Mr. Eckhart regularly defends clients in California wage and hour class actions, including cases alleging independent contractor misclassification, and has provided counseling on compliance with California’s wage and hour laws. This counsel includes reviewing policies related to compensation, meal and rest breaks, and expense reimbursements. Mr. Eckhart also counsels clients on compliance with the FLSA’s minimum wage and overtime requirements, which includes conducting audits to assess the applicability of the motor carrier overtime exemption to the client’s operations. He frequently speaks at transportation-related seminars and webinars on topics related to class and collective actions and wage and hour compliance.
Prior to joining the Firm, Mr. Eckhart served as a law clerk for District Judge Larry J. McKinney in the U.S. District Court in Indianapolis. While in law school, Mr. Eckhart was an Editor for the Indiana Law Review. Mr. Eckhart was also a Moot Court participant, a tutor of Civil Procedure and Criminal Law for the Dean's Tutorial Society, and a judicial intern in Indianapolis.
On The Road
- Class Action Update
May 21, 2020, Christopher J. Eckhart, Scopelitis Webinar Series - Class Action Roundtable
Oct 6, 2019, Christopher J. Eckhart, ATA Management Conference and Exhibition - Class Action Update
Mar 21, 2019, Christopher J. Eckhart, Scopelitis Webinar Series - Class Action Roundtable
Oct 29, 2018, Christopher J. Eckhart, ATA Management Conference and Exhibition - Class Action Roundtable
Oct 25, 2017, Christopher J. Eckhart, ATA Management Conference and Exhibition - Class Action Update - Escaping the Eruption of Class and Collective Actions
Oct 19, 2017, Christopher J. Eckhart, Scopelitis Webinar Series
Publications
- Law Alert: Ninth Circuit Holds Oral Argument on CTA’s Challenge to AB5The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral argument in the California Trucking Association’s challenge to AB5, California’s recently enacted misclassification statute. While the Firm is hopeful the Ninth Circuit will leave the injunction in place and fully supports the CTA and feels its request for continued funding is very much warranted, read more about some issues that raised concern during the oral argument.
- Transportation Brief: Key Cases Addressing the Reach of California’s Strict Wage and Hour Laws
On a certified question from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the California Supreme Court decided a pair of cases that will certainly impact California wage and hour class actions against motor carriers. Read more from Scopelitis regarding what this means for the transportation industry.
- Transportation Brief on the Record: News from Scopelitis - Eckhart Passes California BarPartner Chris Eckhart has passed the California Bar. Learn more about Chris and his work in Scopelitis' Class Action Practice.
- Law Alert: California Supreme Court Decides Key Wage and Hour Cases Impacting Interstate WorkersOn a certified question from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the California Supreme Court decided a pair of cases that will certainly impact California wage and hour class actions against motor carriers. Read more about what that means for the transportation industry.
- Transportation Brief: FLSA Conditional Certification Denied In Driver CaseMore on how Shell v. Pie Kingz, LLC could help transportation companies defend against proposed FLSA collective actions by drivers whose compensation, hours worked, and business expenses vary from week to week.
- Transportation Brief: Choice of Law Questions Continue in CaliforniaTransportation companies outside of California face difficult questions about whether California law applies to their California operations. Read more about a recent Ninth Circuit decision involving California’s minimum wage and overtime laws applying to non-California residents.
- Transportation Brief: Spotlight on Scopelitis Class Action DefenseOver the last 15 years, the transportation industry has been subject to an onslaught of wage-and-hour class actions. Legislative efforts like New Jersey’s efforts to adopt the ABC test for misclassification claims and California’s AB 5 ensure wage-and-hour class actions will continue to threaten transportation companies for the foreseeable future. As one of the few legal teams in the country to have successfully tried multiple class actions to verdict, Scopelitis is at the forefront when it comes to making and defending the law. Learn more.
- Law Alert: U.S. DOL Opinion: Sleeper Berth Time Spent Off Duty Is Not CompensableAn alert from Scopelitis' Labor & Employment team regarding the DOL's position on sleeper berth time.
- Law Alert: District Court Dismisses Meal and Rest Break Claims Based on FMCSA Preemption DecisionA decision that sets an important precedent for transportation companies facing meal and rest break claims in California. Read more from the Scopelitis Class Action Defense and Complex Litigation team.
- Scopelitis In the News: "Class Wage-and-Hour Litigation is an Ongoing Threat" August, 24, 2016, The Indiana LawyerScopelitis Partners Jim Hanson and Chris Eckhart on the dynamics of class and collective actions and what drives them and why they should be a chief concern of every company that wants to avoid high-stakes, bet-the-company litigation.
- Scopelitis in the News: "Employers Beware: Burlington Northern v. White and the New Title VII Anti-Retaliation Standard" Indiana Law Review, Vol. 41:479Scopelitis Partner Chris Eckhart on employment discrimination claims for retaliation