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Lyon v. Whisman

United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

45 F.3d 758 (1995)

Facts

Patricia A. Lyon (plaintiff) worked as a bookkeeper for Whisman & Associates (Whisman) (defendant). At the end of 1988, Lyon complained that Whisman never paid her an agreed-upon bonus. In 1989 Whisman threatened to permanently withhold the bonus if Lyon left the company. Eventually Whisman paid Lyon a bonus that was less than the promised amount, and Lyon left the job. After she left, Lyon filed a lawsuit in federal district court alleging that Whisman violated the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) by failing to pay her overtime wages, violated state contract law by threatening to withhold a vested bonus, and violated state tort law by paying a smaller bonus than promised. Lyon and the district court believed the district court had federal-question jurisdiction over the FLSA claim and, under 28 U.S.C. § 1367, had pendent jurisdiction over the state-law claims. At trial, Lyon won on all counts. Whisman appealed the state tort claim.

Rule of Law

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Issue

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Holding and Reasoning (Greenberg, J.)

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A "yes" or "no" answer to the question framed in the issue section;
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