| |
On June 19, 2007, Leonard Carder partner Philip Monrad, as
lead counsel for a class of 858 California Best Buy in-store
Assistant Managers, secured final judicial approval of a
$13,750,000 settlement of a long and hard-fought class action
lawsuit against Best Buy Stores. Plaintiffs challenged Best
Buy's treatment of in-store Assistant Managers as "exempt"
from overtime requirements, allowing Best Buy to work these
Assistant Managers at least 50-60 hours per week - and often
more -- without paying them any overtime.
Leonard Carder filed this lawsuit in June of 2002, secured
class certification in April of 2005, and settled the case in
December of 2006 on the eve of a lengthy jury trial. The
settlement resulted in an excellent resolution of this
lawsuit. The average settlement share is $10,954; the highest
settlement share is $37,245; and the 12 named plaintiff class
representatives each received and additional $10,000
participation bonus for bringing the case and sticking with
it for more than 5 years of intense litigation.
Equally important, after Leonard Carder filed this lawsuit,
Best Buy revised the rules under which Assistant Managers
work, allowing them to exercise more discretion and judgment
consistent with their title as "managers." This excellent
result demonstrates that when workers band together, they can
secure justice and dignity in the workplace from huge
multi-national corporations.
|
