Denny’s Settles Wage and Hour Claims for $950K

A group of Denny’s employees in California asked a federal court to approve a $950,000 settlement over allegations of wage and hour law violations by the restaurant chain.

The California-based class action lawsuit claims that Denny’s broke various wage and hour laws, stiffing employees out of proper overtime pay and paid breaks.

The claims that Denny’s violated the Fair Labor Standards Act as well as California labor laws would be put to an end by the settlement.

The wage and hour lawsuit alleged that Denny’s failed to properly pay around 25,000 workers for overtime and regular hours, as well as failing to ensure workers had meal and rest periods required by California labor laws.

Although 25,000 workers were included in the claims, less than 10 percent of these workers ended up submitting claim forms in time to be included in the wage and hour lawsuit. $480,000 of the settlement money will go towards these plaintiffs.

If this money were split evenly between the workers, each plaintiff would receive just under $200 from the wage and hour lawsuit. However, the 2,415 workers will split the settlement money based on the number of hours they worked.

The rest of the settlement money will go towards class counsel, the lead plaintiff, the claims administrator, and the California Labor & Workforce Development Agency.

This is not the first wage and hour lawsuit which Denny’s has faced in recent years. In a similar case last year, Denny’s avoided allegations that it had illegally taken out the cost of work shoes employees’ paychecks.

The Ninth Circuit ruled in June that Denny’s was not required to pay for apparel that was not part of the uniform.

California Wage and Hour Lawsuits

It is common for workers to not know their rights under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Many employees who believe that they are being treated unfairly by an employer choose to keep quiet rather than file a wage and hour lawsuit. Many do this in the fear that they will lose their job if they pursue litigation.

However, there are laws to protect employees in these kinds of situations, and more and more employees are beginning to learn their rights under California labor laws.

California labor laws include penalties for employers’ failure to adequately follow wage and hour policies. These laws cover underpayment or unpaid wages, misclassification of employees to avoid paying overtime wages, failure to provide breaks for meals or rest, and failure to pay termination wages.

If you or someone you know has worked for Denny’s or another employer in California that failed to follow California wage and hour laws, such as overtime pay and discrimination laws, you may be eligible to join a wage and hour class action lawsuit or file your own claim.

Join a Free California Overtime, Wage & Hour Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you were forced to work off the clock or without overtime pay in California within the past 2 to 3 years, you have rights – and you don’t have to take on the company alone.

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