Summary
This Fifth Circuit opinion reverses a district court's judgment in a Fair Labor Standards Act overtime pay dispute. The court held that the plaintiffs, who worked as Measurements While Drilling Field Specialists, qualified as highly compensated employees exempt from overtime pay requirements because they customarily and regularly performed administrative duties, including quality control and advising clients on drilling operations.
Topics
Practice areas
Questions Presented
- Whether Gilchrist and Brockman qualify as highly compensated employees exempt from the FLSA overtime provisions based on the performance of administrative duties.
Holdings
- Gilchrist and Brockman qualify as highly compensated employees exempt from the FLSA overtime requirement because they regularly performed administrative duties of quality control and advisory work.
Key quotations
“We hold that Gilchrist and Brockman qualify as highly compensated employees exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA’s) overtime pay requirement because they performed administrative duties.” (at 1)
“We therefore REVERSE and REMAND the judgment with instructions to dismiss.” (at 17)
Factual background
Gilchrist and Brockman worked as Measurements While Drilling (MWD) Field Specialists for Schlumberger, performing real‑time data collection, quality‑control of survey data, and advising clients on drilling operations. They earned over $200,000 annually and were not paid overtime.
Procedural history
The district court found that Gilchrist and Brockman were not exempt under the FLSA and awarded overtime. The plaintiffs appealed, arguing they qualify as highly compensated employees performing administrative duties.
Remand instructions
Remand with instructions to dismiss the district court’s judgment.