*UPDATE* 10/14/2020
Our investigation thus far indicates that WeWork membership contracts contain an arbitration provision. This provision, which tenants would have assented to in their initial contract with WeWork, prevents a tenant from moving forward with any dispute against WeWork on a class action basis. However, although our firm specializes in class action lawsuits, we also have experience with what is called “mass arbitration.” In these scenarios, our firm typically represent dozens, if not hundreds, of individuals with similar complaints on a case-by-case basis, in the hopes that the sheer bulk of cases brought forward will facilitate a positive outcome. As noted, in order for mass arbitration to be viable, we need a sufficient number of willing plaintiffs. At this time, we have not yet reached the threshold at which a mass arbitration play would be viable. However, if you complete the questionnaire linked below, we can store your information for future use and reach out should we decide to move forward. Feel free to contact our firm directly if you have any further questions on this subject.
ORIGINAL POST:
Migliaccio & Rathod is currently investigating WeWork Companies Inc. for continuing to charge rent and membership fees to its tenants, despite government guidelines discouraging and oftentimes outright restricting worker movement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, states such as California and New York, which together host 126 of WeWork’s 739 workspaces, have passed wide-ranging stay-at-home orders for non-essential workers. Tenants who live in such areas are thus paying for access to workspaces they cannot legally occupy.
WeWork tenants also claim that their membership fees are meant to cover not just the rental space, but related services as well, which the company is not able to provide at this time. Indeed, WeWork recently announced a plan to pay daily bonuses to service employees who opt to work on-site, rather than remotely. Service tasks include on-site programming, mail and package handling, and member communications. At present, many of these services are unavailable, or only available in a limited capacity.
Are you a WeWork tenant who has been forced to pay continued membership fees, despite inability to access the workspace and/or services included in your membership?
If so, we would like to hear from you. Please complete the questionnaire below, send us an email at [email protected], or give us a call at (202) 470-3520.
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The lawyers at Migliaccio & Rathod LLP have years of experience in class action litigation against large corporations, including in cases involving unfair and deceptive trade practices. More information about our current cases and investigations is available on our blog.