Case Summary: Alden et al v. Maine
527 U.S. 703 (1999)
When a group of probation officers attempted to sue the state of Maine in 1992 for violating the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, a federal court dismissed their case, citing a recent Supreme Court decision holding that private parties could not sue states in federal courts. When the same group tried to sue Maine in state court, their case was also dismissed. The case then reached the Supreme Court.
Justice Kennedy delivered the decision for a divided court. Stressing state sovereignty, the Court held that state employees could not recover monetary damages when their employers violate the Fair Labor Standards Act, therefore denying state workers an effective remedy for their claims.
