The opinion
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8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
9 FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
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11 LAGARION BROWN, et al., No. 2:20-cv-01133-DJC-DMC
12 Plaintiffs,
v.
13 ORDER
TETRA TECH, INC., et al.,
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Defendants.
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17 On February 6, 2024, Plaintiffs moved for preliminary approval of their
18 amended Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23 (“Rule 23”) class, Fair Labor Standards
19 Act (“FLSA”) collective, and Private Attorneys General Act (“PAGA”) settlement. (ECF
20 No. 46.) Plaintiffs sought: (1) conditional certification of the settlement class and FLSA
21 collective; (2) preliminary approval of the amended settlement; (3) approval of the
22 amended class an d collective notice; (4) appointment of Plaintiffs as class
23 representatives; (5) appointment of Plaintiffs’ counsel as class counsel;
24 (6) appointment of Phoenix Class Action Administration Solutions as the settlement
25 administrator; and (7) a hearing date for final approval of the settlement. (Id. at 3.)
26 The Court granted the Motion in part and denied it in part. (ECF No. 53.)
27 Specifically, the Court granted conditional certification of the settlement class and
28 FLSA collective; appointed Plaintiffs Lagarion Brown, Roy Jackson, Yaphett Saunders,
1 Isaac Saunders, Hakeem Allambie, and Nichlon Garrett as the class representatives;
2 appointed Plaintiffs’ counsel Mallison & Martinez as class counsel (“Class Counsel”);
3 and appointed Phoenix Class Action Administration Solutions as the settlement
4 administrator (“Settlement Administrator”). (Id. at 28.)
5 However, the Court denied preliminary approval of the amended settlement
6 and notice without prejudice in order for the Parties to remedy issues related to the
7 treatment of Plaintiffs’ PAGA claims. (Id.) The Court also required the Parties to more
8 clearly specify the required contents of any dispute concerning the number of
9 workweeks used to calculate class members’ estimated settlement shares in the
10 amended notice. (Id. at 25–26.) Plaintiffs were granted forty-five days to submit a
11 further amended settlement and notice, which they have now done. (ECF No. 54.)
12 The Court has reviewed the further amended settlement (“Further Amended
13 Class Settlement”) and further amended notice (“Further Amended Class Notice”),
14 and find they adequately address the Court’s concerns. Concerning the Further
15 Amended Class Settlement, the Court previously found that preliminary approval of
16 the settlement was appropriate with respect to Plaintiffs’ Rule 23 class and FLSA
17 collective claims. (ECF No. 53 at 11–19.) However, the Court noted concerns
18 regarding Plaintiffs’ PAGA claims. Although the Court found that the PAGA settlement
19 amount was fair and reasonable, the settlement did not properly inform PAGA class
20 members that they would be bound by settlement of the PAGA claims and would
21 receive a share of the PAGA settlement regardless of whether they opted out of the
22 settlement or not.1 (Id. at 19, 23–24.) The Parties have now revised their settlement to
23 accurately explain that all PAGA class members will receive their pro rata portion of
24 the PAGA payment, regardless of whether they opt out of the settlement, and will
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26 1 Because a PAGA plaintiff serves “as the proxy or agent of the state's labor law enforcement agencies,”
“a judgment in th[e] action binds all those, including nonparty aggrieved employees, who would be
27 bound by a judgment in an action brought by the government.” Arias v. Superior Ct., 46 Cal. 4th 969,
986 (2009). Thus, unlike a class action, there is no mechanism for opting out of a judgment entered on
28 a PAGA claim. Amaro v. Anaheim Arena Mgmt., LLC, 69 Cal. App. 5th 521, 541 n.5 (2021).
1 release their PAGA claims. (See ECF No. 54-1 §§ I.X, III.D.6, III.H.2.a.) Accordingly, the
2 Court will approve the Further Amended Class Settlement.
3 The Court also previously found that the Rule 23 class and FLSA collective
4 notice were largely adequate, but required clarifications regarding Plaintiffs’ PAGA
5 claims and the procedure to dispute class members’ settlement share calculations.
6 (ECF No. 53 at 24–27.) The Further Amended Class Notice has been revised to
7 explain that any members of the PAGA class will be bound by the Further Amended
8 Class Settlement’s release of their PAGA claims and will receive payment for those
9 claims. (ECF No. 54-3 §§ IV–V.) In addition, the Further Amended Class Notice now
10 informs class members of the full scope of information they must submit in order to
11 dispute the workweeks used to calculate their anticipated settlement share. (Id. § III.)
12 Accordingly, the Court will approve the Further Amended Class Notice.
13 Finally, the Court will approve the following implementation schedule
14 proposed by the Parties (see ECF No. 46-7 at 5; ECF No. 54-1):
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16 Event Date
Last day for Defendants Tetra Tech, Inc. 15 calendar days after entry of the
17 and Jesco Environmental and Court’s order granting preliminary
18 Geotechnical Services, Inc. to provide to approval of the Further Amended Class
the Settlement Administrator a list of the Settlement and Further Amended Class
19 names, most recent known mailing Notice.
address and telephone number, Social
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Security Number, and respective
21 number of workweeks that each Class
Member2 worked during the Settlement
22 Class Period3 in a readable Microsoft
Office Excel Spreadsheet (“Class List and
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Data”).
24 Last day for Settlement Administrator to 10 calendar days after Settlement
mail the Further Am ended Class Notice Administrator’s receipt of Class List and
25 to Class Members. Data.
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2 As defined in the Further Amended Class Settlement. (ECF No. 54-1 § I.C.)
28 3 As defined in the Further Amended Class Settlement. (ECF No. 54-1 § I.B.)
1 Last day for Class Members to submit _—_| 30 calendar days after the initial mailing
5 written request for exclusion from the of the Further Amended Class Notice to
Further Amended Class Settlement to Class Members.
3 the Settlement Administrator.
Last day for Class Members to return the | 30 calendar days after the initial mailing
4 FLSA Opt-In Form to the Settlement of the Further Amended Class Notice to
5 Administrator. Class Members.
Last day for Class Members to objectto | 30 calendar days after the initial mailing
6 the Further Amended Class Settlement. | of the Further Amended Class Notice to
Class Members.
/ Last day for Class Members to submit _—_| 30 calendar days after the initial mailing
8 written notice of dispute concerning the | of the Further Amended Class Notice to
number of workweeks used to calculate | Class Members.
9 his or her estimated settlement share.
10 Last day for Class Counsel to file with the | 49 calendar days before the final
Court and serve declaration by settlement approval hearing.
11 Settlement Administrator specifying the
due diligence undertaken with regard to
12 | | the mailing of the Further Amended
13 Class Notice.
Final settlement approval hearing. February 20, 2025.
14 CONCLUSION
In accordance with the above, IT |IS HEREBY ORDERED:
16 1. Plaintiffs’ Further Amended Class Settlement (ECF No. 54-1) and
7 Further Amended Class Notice (ECF No. 54-3) are APPROVED;
18 2. The hearing for final settlement approval is set for February 20, 2025,
9 at 1:30 pm before the undersigned in Courtroom 10, with the motion
20 for final approval of class action settlement to be filed at least 35 days
21 in advance of the final settlement approval hearing, in accordance
22 with Local Rule 230(b); and
23 3. The Parties are directed to implement the Further Amended Class
24 Settlement in accordance with the schedule set forth above.
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26 IT IS SO ORDERED.
27 | Dated: August 12, 2024 “Danel CoD batt
28 Hon. Daniel alabretta
1 UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
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