BROOKLYN SAVINGS BANK v. O'NEIL, 324 U.S. 697

Summary

Respondent employees, in consolidated actions, sought to recover wages and liquidated damages under § 16(b) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (Act), 52 Stat. 1060. The suits were brought in different appellate courts. Two respondents had executed waivers of their rights to recover such damages. The lower court found respondents who executed waivers were barred from receiving liquidated damages under the Act. The third respondent was awarded interest on the wages and liquidated damages it had recovered. The court reversed the judgments with respect to respondents who had allegedly waived their rights to recover such damages, finding that their alleged waivers did not bar them from subsequently seeking to recover liquidated damages because such a waiver was improper on policy grounds. The Court held that the third respondent was not entitled to interest on sums recovered as wages and liquidated damages because to allow respondent to recover interest on such sums would have the ...