Michael Scott v. Baltimore County, Maryland

  1. June 06, 2024

    Full 4th Circ. Won't Rehear Inmates' Wage Suit

    The full Fourth Circuit won't review a panel's ruling that the purpose of the job of incarcerated individuals performed at a Baltimore County recycling plant determines whether federal minimum wage laws apply, turning down on Thursday the county's bid to step in.

  2. May 23, 2024

    County Tells Full 4th Circ. Inmates' Wage Ruling Went Too Far

    A Fourth Circuit panel decision that determining pay for incarcerated people working at a Baltimore County recycling plant should focus on the purpose of their work unprecedentedly expands the reach of federal labor law, the county said, asking for the full court's intervention.

  3. May 08, 2024

    4th Circ. Says Purpose Of Inmate Labor Affects Classification

    The primary purpose of prisoners' work at a Baltimore County recycling plant should determine whether a group of incarcerated people were employees under federal law, a Fourth Circuit panel ruled Wednesday, rejecting the county's view that any amount of rehabilitative-oriented work spared it from minimum wage obligations.

  4. March 19, 2024

    4th Circ. Judges Vexed By Disputes In Inmates' Wage Suit

    The Fourth Circuit appeared poised Tuesday to revive claims by Maryland inmates seeking minimum wage for doing county recycling work, with judges indicating that the case is still plagued by unknowns.

  5. March 18, 2024

    4th Circ. Preview: Airport Mishap, Inmate Pay Launch March

    The Fourth Circuit's spring session will task the court with refereeing a power struggle between Virginia regulators and the authority that runs Washington, D.C.'s airports — stemming from a workplace amputation — and delving into the "honest belief" doctrine's role in a Family Medical Leave Act case.

  6. November 29, 2023

    Local Gov't Org Backs Baltimore In Incarceration Pay Fight

    An advocacy organization for local governments backed Baltimore County, Maryland, in its effort to convince the Fourth Circuit to uphold a ruling that people who performed work at a county recycling plant while incarcerated were not considered employees under federal law, telling the court that reversal would ultimately harm incarcerated people.

  7. November 21, 2023

    Baltimore County Tells 4th Circ. Inmates Aren't Employees

    Inmates who performed work at a recycling plant in a county jail are not considered employees for the purposes of federal law because their work was rehabilitative in nature, Baltimore County told the Fourth Circuit, asking the court to keep its district court win.

  8. September 27, 2023

    Civil Rights Attys Tell 4th Circ. Prisoners Owed Min. Wage

    A group of civil rights, anti-poverty and employment law groups urged the Fourth Circuit to revive claims that Baltimore County is obliged to pay minimum wages for work that county jail inmates perform at a recycling plant, arguing the work is profit-driven rather than rehabilitative.