18th Annual Workplace Class Action Report - 2022 Edition

34 Annual Workplace Class Action Litigation Report: 2022 Edition 9. $7.75 million – Western Digital Corp. 10. $3.7 million – Syracuse University The top 10 settlements were spread out across the country, with California leading the way with two settlements in federal court and one in state court, and Massachusetts with two in federal court. Five of the top 10 settlements involved gender discrimination allegations, including three that involved allegations of pay disparity. 1. $100 million – McCracken, et al. v. Riot Games, Inc. , Case No. 18STCV03957 (Cal. Super. Ct. Dec. 27, 2021) (settlement agreement reached in class action involving allegations of gender discrimination and sexual harassment). 2. $90 million – Rudi, et al. v. Wexner , Case No. 20-CV-3068 (S.D. Ohio Aug. 25, 2021) (preliminary approval granted for a class action settlement of shareholder lawsuits alleging a toxic culture of sexual harassment and misogyny). 3. $44 million – Breen, et al. v. Buttigieg , Case No. 05-CV-654 (D.D.C. Aug. 13, 2021) (settlement agreement reached in class action involving allegations that the Federal Aviation Administration discriminated against nearly 700 older flight service specialists). 4. $34 million – Bland, et al. v. Edward D. Jones & Co. , Case No. 18-CV-3673 (N.D. Ill. July 12, 2021) (final approval granted for class action settlement involving allegations of race discrimination brought by Black financial advisers). 5. $14 million – Tsui, et al. v. Wal-Mart, Inc. , Case No. 20-CV-12309 (D. Mass. Oct. 15, 2021) (final approval granted for a class action settlement involving allegations relative to military-related leaves of absence). 6. $12 million – Rabin, et al. v. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP , Case No. 16-CV-2276 (N.D. Cal. Feb. 3, 2021) (final approval granted for settlement of a class action involving allegations that older job applicants were denied employment on the basis of their age). 7. $10 million – Kassman, et al. v. KPMG LLP , Case No. 11-CV-3743 (S.D.N.Y. April 12, 2021) (final approval granted for an Equal Pay Act class and collective action brought by female employees against their employer). 8. $8 million – Hispanic National Law Enforcement Association NCR, et al. v. Prince George ’ s County , Case No. 18-CV-3821 (D. Md. July 20, 2021) (settlement agreement reached in class action involving allegations that a police department’s promotional system discriminated against Black and Hispanic officers). 9. $7.75 million – Chen, et al. v. Western Digital Corp. , Case No. 19-CV-909 (C.D. Cal. Jan. 5, 2021) (final settlement approval granted for settlement of an Equal Pay Act class and collective action brought by females against their employer). 10. $3.7 million – Chew, et al. v. Syracuse University , Case No. 525007/2021 (N.Y. Oct. 1, 2021) (settlement agreement reached for a class action alleging gender pay disparities between female and male professors at a university). Settlements In Private Plaintiff Wage & Hour Class Actions For wage & hour class actions, the monetary value of the top 10 private plaintiff settlements entered into or paid in 2021 totaled $641.3 million. This amount represents a near doubling in the amount from the 2020 total of $294.6 million, as well as the 2019 total of $449.05 million.