Sarrazin v. Coastal, Inc.

Summary

The court held that the applicable Connecticut travel-time regulation, as applied to the plaintiff's regular commute, provided fewer benefits than the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and was therefore preempted to the extent of the conflict. Applying the Portal-to-Portal Act, the court concluded that transporting tools in an employer-provided vehicle imposed no more than a minimal burden, and that the commute was within the normal commuting area and subject to an agreement, so the travel time was not compensable. The court also upheld the denial of attorney's fees because the trial court found no bad faith, arbitrariness, or unreasonableness.