A federal judge in Indiana has granted FedEx Corp.'s motion to dismiss some claims in the nationwide class-action case brought against the company by delivery drivers who contend they were improperly classified as contractors instead of employees. But the ruling by Judge Robert L. Miller Jr. could be only a temporary victory for FedEx. It leaves the drivers the option to refile their claims under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, or ERISA, once they have "exhausted their available administrative remedies" through the company. "In a word, this is a procedural ruling, not a substantive ruling," said Lynn Faris, one of three co-lead lawyers in the class-action case, which involves about 27,000 former and current drivers. "What it means is we have to jump through a few more hoops before we can reach the substantive issue." Read the full story here.
