Memorial Health System wage-and-hour $2.5M class action settlement

Memorial Health System agreed to pay $2.5 million to resolve claims its break policies caused employees to work off the clock.

The settlement benefits current and former hourly Memorial Health System employees who were responsible for direct patient care and were subject to the company’s automatic meal deduction policy between Oct. 29, 2012, and Dec. 31, 2018.

Memorial Health System is an Illinois-based health system that employs over 6,700 staff members to serve thousands of patients each year. According to Memorial Health’s website, the health system treats over 125,000 patients across its four emergency departments each year and treats even more patients through inpatient and outpatient visits.

According to a class action lawsuit against Memorial Health System and other defendants, employees of the health system automatically had 30 minutes of time deducted from their shifts as a 30-minute lunch break — regardless of whether they were actually able to take an uninterrupted break. 

Plaintiffs in the case say they should not have had breaks automatically deducted from their shifts since they did not always get uninterrupted breaks. As a result, Memorial Health System’s break policy allegedly forced employees to work off the clock.

According to the lunch break class action lawsuit, the health system’s policies violated state and federal wage and hour laws which require business to pay their workers for all work they complete. Plaintiffs in the case sought overtime wages and other damages from the defendants.

Memorial Health System and the other defendants haven’t admitted any wrongdoing but agreed to fund a $2.5 million class action settlement to resolve these allegations.

Under the terms of the settlement, class members can collect a cash payment. Payments will vary depending on the number of shifts each class member worked during the class period. 

According to the settlement agreement, each applicable shift will result in one “point.” Then, each class Member’s points will be multiplied by $1.19 to calculate payment amounts. 

Half of each settlement payment will be treated as unpaid wages for tax purposes, while the other half will be treated as liquidated damages. Class members are responsible for paying taxes on these payments.

Unclaimed funds from the settlement will revert back to the defendants, according to the settlement agreement. 

The deadline for exclusion and objection is July 6, 2022. 

The final approval hearing for the Memorial Health System settlement is scheduled for Aug. 23, 2022.

In order to receive a payment from the settlement, class members must submit a valid claim form by Aug. 5, 2022.

Who’s Eligible

The settlement benefits current and former hourly Memorial Health System employees who were responsible for direct patient care and were subject to the company’s automatic meal deduction policy between Oct. 29, 2012, and Dec. 31, 2018.

Potential Award

Varies

Proof of Purchase

No proof of purchase applicable

Claim Form

NOTE: If you do not qualify for this settlement do NOT file a claim.

Remember: you are submitting your claim under penalty of perjury. You are also harming other eligible Class Members by submitting a fraudulent claim. If you’re unsure if you qualify, please read the FAQ section of the Settlement Administrator’s website to ensure you meet all standards (Top Class Actions is not a Settlement Administrator). If you don’t qualify for this settlement, check out our database of other open class action settlements you may be eligible for.

Claim Form Deadline

08/05/2022

Case Name

Myers, et al. v. Memorial Health System, et al., Case No. 2:15-cv-2956, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Eastern Division

Final Hearing

08/23/2022

Settlement Website

MemorialHealthSystemsSettlement.com

Claims Administrator

Myers, et al. v. Memorial Health System, et al.
CPT GROUP, Inc.
50 Corporate Park
Irvine, CA 92606
MemorialHealthSettlement@cptgroup.com
888-281-3941

Class Counsel

MEYER WILSON CO LPA

CHAPIN LEGAL GROUP LLC

BABIN LAW LLC

Defense Counsel

ICE MILLER LLP