Converse wage-and-hour $450K class action settlement

A $450,000 Converse wage-and-hour class action lawsuit settlement has been reached between Converse Inc. and a class of Converse employees who worked at two California facilities.

Two classes have been established in the settlement.

The Unpaid Wages Class includes all non-exempt Converse Inc. employees at Converse’s two California warehouses who were employed within the four years before the settlement deal received preliminary approval.

The Section 203 Class includes any members of the Unpaid Wages Class who were involuntarily or voluntarily separated from their employment within three years before the settlement deal received preliminary approval.

This settlement ends claims brought forward by Andres Campos on behalf of himself and others similarly situated Converse employees. Campos claimed Converse violated California wage-and-hour law by not paying workers at two of their warehouse facilities for all of the hours that they worked.

Allegedly, workers were required to pass through a security exit process but were not paid for that time. Campos states California law requires employees to be paid for all time worked, and asserts that completing the exit process was time spent working.

Additionally, Campos states the workers at the two facilities were not given appropriate meal and rest breaks in accordance with California law.

Converse denies Campos’ claims, but has agreed to settle with employees in the interest of avoiding the potential costs and risks of continued litigation.

Per the terms of the Converse class action lawsuit settlement, each class member can receive a percentage of the settlement fund based on their payroll.

Of the $450,000, up to $165,000 has been allocated for class counsel attorney fees and costs. Class members will be compensated from the remainder.

Individual payments for members of the Unpaid Wages Class will be based on a calculation. The settlement administrator will divide each class member’s individual gross payroll by the total gross payroll for the class. This will result in a percentage for each class member that will then be used to determine their portion of the net settlement amount.

The Section 203 Class fund will be distributed on a proportionate basis.

Class members are invited to attend a final fairness hearing in the Converse settlement, scheduled for Aug. 15, 2022.

The deadline to opt out of the settlement, submit a dispute or file an objection to the settlement is Aug. 2, 2022.

Who’s Eligible

Two classes have been established in the settlement.

The Unpaid Wages Class includes all non-exempt Converse Inc. employees at Converse’s two California warehouses who were employed within the four years before the settlement deal received preliminary approval.

The Section 203 Class includes any members of the Unpaid Wages Class who were involuntarily or voluntarily separated from their employment within three years before the settlement deal received preliminary approval.

Potential Award

Varies

Proof of Purchase

No proof of purchase applicable

Opt-out and Objection Deadline

08/02/2022

Case Name

Campos v. Converse, Inc., et al., Case No. 5:20-cv-01576-JGB-SP, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California

Final Hearing

08/15/2022

Settlement Website

CPTGroupCaseInfo.com/ConverseIncSettlement

Claims Administrator

Campos v. Converse, Inc.
c/o CPT Group, Inc.
50 Corporate Park
Irvine, CA 92606
converseincsettlement@cptgroup.com
888-398-3288

Class Counsel

Peter R Dion-Kindem
THE DION-KINDEM LAW FIRM PETER R DION KINDEM PC

Lonnie C Blanchard III
THE BLANCHARD LAW GROUP APC

Defense Counsel

Matthew A Tobias
Limore Torbati
Bryanne Lewis
SHEPPARD MULLIN RICHTER & HAMPTON