Olam Spices employees wage-and-hour $4.5M class action settlement

Olam Spices agreed to pay $4.5 million as part of a settlement to resolve claims it didn’t pay its California employees minimum and overtime wages.

The settlement benefits individuals who worked as a non-exempt or hourly non-exempt employee at Olam West Coast Inc.’s Fresno, Firebaugh, Hanford, Lemoore, Gilroy or Williams locations in California between July 7, 2011, and Sept. 22, 2021.

Olam Spices — which rebranded in October 2021 as olam food ingredients, or ofi — is a spice distributor that partners with farmers and manufacturers around the world to sell spices to consumers. 

According to a class action lawsuit, Olam Spices failed to pay its California employees the wages they were owed under state laws.

California labor laws have strict requirements for employee classification and wages. Olam allegedly violated these laws by failing to pay their workers minimum wages, failing to pay overtime wages, failing to provide meal and rest periods, failing to provide accurate itemized wage statements and more. 

According to plaintiffs in the case, these failures violated California labor laws and the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The class action lawsuit also included claims under Claifornia’s Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA), which allows workers to bring claims on behalf of the state’s labor authority.

Originally, four separate lawsuits brought similar wage and hour allegations against Olam. In 2018, these cases were consolidated into one amended complaint. 

Olam hasn’t admitted any wrongdoing but agreed to resolve the consolidated class and collective action lawsuit with a $4.5 million settlement fund.

This Olam Spices employee wage settlement includes a $150,000 PAGA payment. Of this payment, 75% will go to California’s Labor and Workforce Development Agency as PAGA penalties. The remaining 25% will be added to the settlement fund to make payments to consumers. 

Of the remaining net settlement fund, 75% will be distributed as non-FLSA payments while the remaining 25% will be distributed as FLSA payments. 

Under the terms of the settlement, class members can collect non-FLSA and FLSA cash payments based on the number of workweeks they were employed by the defendant. Class members who worked a higher number of workweeks will be eligible for a larger share of the settlement fund. 

Exact payments will vary, but class members may have received a payment estimate with their mailed settlement notice.

The deadline for exclusion and objection is Oct. 11, 2022. 

The final approval hearing for the Olam Spices employees wage settlement is scheduled for Jan. 25, 2023. 

No claim form is required to benefit from the class action settlement. However, class members who wish to participate in the FLSA settlement must opt in by Oct. 11, 2022, by submitting an opt in form.

Who’s Eligible

The settlement benefits individuals who worked as a non-exempt or hourly non-exempt employee at Olam West Coast Inc.’s Fresno, Firebaugh, Hanford, Lemoore, Gilroy or Williams locations in California between July 7, 2011, and Sept. 22, 2021.

Potential Award

Varies

Proof of Purchase

No proof of purchase applicable

FLSA Opt-in 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.

FLSA Opt-in Deadline

10/11/2022

Case Name

Thomas Beltran, et al. v. Olam Spices and Vegetables, Inc., Case No. 1:18-cv-01676-JLT-SAB, in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, Fresno Division

Final Hearing

01/25/2023

Settlement Website

OlamSettlement.com

Claims Administrator

Beltran et al v. Olam Spices and Vegetables, Inc.
c/o Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 26170,
Santa Ana, CA 92799
866-607-3453

Class Counsel

Edwin Aiwazian
Arby Aiwazian
Joanna Ghosh
LAWYER FOR JUSTICE PC

Defense Counsel

Susan K Hatmaker
Robert Branch
HATMAKER LAW GROUP