A batch of proposed class actions filed in Washington state against major companies such as adidas AG, Home Depot Inc., and Marriott International Inc., will help employers gauge the litigation risk they face under a recent nationwide wave of pay transparency laws requiring salary ranges in job ads.

A handful of job applicants have sued companies in roughly 40 lawsuits alleging they failed to advertise the pay ranges and benefits information that Washington’s law began requiring Jan. 1. Each case could cover “potentially hundreds” of job applicants, according to the complaints. READ MORE