United States Fourth Circuit

Under 29 C.F.R. section 825.220(d), a regulation implementing the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, the plain language of section 220(d) precludes both the prospective and retrospective waiver by employees of all FMLA rights, including the right of action or claim for a past violation of the Act.

Appellate Information

• Argued 10/25/2006
• Decided 07/03/2007
• Published 07/03/2007

Judges

• Before MICHAEL and DUNCAN, Circuit Judges, and Robert E. PAYNE, United State District Judge for the Eastern District of Virginia, sitting by designation.

Court

• United States Fourth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
• ARGUED:  April Gordon Dawson, Dawson, Dawson & Dawson, P.A., Graham, North Carolina, for Appellant.  Zebulon Dyer Anderson, Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan, L.L.P., Raleigh, North Carolina, for Appellee.  Howard Marc Radzely, United States Department of Labor, Office of the Solicitor, Washington, DC, for Elaine Chao, Secretary of Labor, Amicus Supporting Appellee.   ON BRIEF:  Robert M. Elliot, J. Griffin Morgan, Elliot, Pishko, Morgan, P.A., Winston-Salem, North Carolina, for National Employment Lawyers Association and North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers, Amici Supporting Appellant;  Marissa M. Tirona, The National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA), San Francisco, California, for National Employment Lawyers Association, Amicus Supporting Appellant.  Stephen A. Bokat, Robin S. Conrad, Robert J. Costagliola, National Chamber Litigation Center, Inc., Washington, DC, for The Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America;  Ann Elizabeth Reesman, McGuiness, Norris & Williams, L.L.P., Washington, DC, for Equal Employment Advisory Council and Society for Human Resource Management, Amici Supporting Appellee.  Steven J. Mandel, Associate Solicitor, Paul L. Frieden, Counsel for Appellate Litigation, Lynn S. McIntosh, United States Department of Labor, Office of the Solicitor, Washington, DC, for Elaine Chao, Secretary of Labor, Amicus Supporting Appellee.