Abstract:
This bulletin discusses the Supreme Court decision announced on June 23, 1999, in Alden v. Maine (No. 98-436), which greatly enhanced the states' sovereign immunity against claims brought against them by individuals alleging violations of federal law. North Carolina has not waived its right of sovereign immunity, and thus it is clear that individual employees may not sue a state agency for an FLSA violation; however, a suit may be pursued by the US Department of Labor.