Court ends fight over pandemic era unemployment claim delays

The Alabama Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a years-long lawsuit over delays in unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A group of Alabamians in 2022 sued the Alabama Department of Labor, now the Alabama Department of Workforce, over backlogs in unemployment. Some waited for months for a decision on whether they qualified for benefits, while others never got a decision or saw benefits suddenly stop without explanation, according to court documents.