February 7, 2024
Dr. Phillip Johnson’s Testimony was Pivotal in the Jackson Hewitt No-Poach Settlement.
In a major antitrust case, a group of nearly 20,000 employees have obtained a tentative settlement in which they will receive 100% of the damages calculated by Dr. Phillip Johnson, Managing Director of Econ One.
The class action lawsuit against Jackson Hewitt and its subsidiary Tax Services of America alleged that the franchisor conspired with its franchisees to restrict recruiting and hiring of tax preparers. No-poach agreements are collusive horizontal agreements which violate antitrust laws and harm workers by suppressing their wages and impacting career mobility.
The class includes current and former Jackson Hewitt tax preparation employees who worked in any of the company’s United States locations dating back to Dec. 20, 2014. Prior to the settlement, amicus briefs were filed by the Department of Justice and 18 states along with the District of Columbia in support of the tax preparersā proposed class.
Dr. Phillip Johnson analyzed data produced on behalf of the workers and calculated class-wide impact and damages using an econometric model to isolate the impact to the class. Johnson testified to the class-wide impact and damages and on February 2, 2024 the parties announced they had reached a settlement. The settlement reached will reportedly provide workers with 100% of their damages.
Read full article here >.