Target Loses Bid to Pause Warehouse Class Action

On March 3, 2025, the United States District Court denied Target’s motion for a stay to wait for a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court in another case that has not even been briefed or argued. The Court ruled that “Defendant has not demonstrated that a stay would prevent undue hardship or simplify the issues for trial, and granting a stay would unduly prejudice plaintiffs by delaying the proceedings.” The Court also agreed with the Plaintiffs that “[o]nly in rare circumstances will a litigant in one case be compelled to stand aside while a litigant in another settles the rule of law that will define the rights of both.” The Court’s decision is linked below.

In January 2025, the Court certified the Class covering all nonexempt workers who worked at Target’s New Jersey distribution centers from Aug. 6, 2019, to the present.

Partner Charles J. Kocher of McOmber McOmber & Luber P.C., who is representing the workers, told Law360 that allowing the case to go forward “will not delay ruling on plaintiffs’ pending motion for summary judgment on liability, which, if granted will pave the way for a damages trial on a class-wide basis.”