$1.5M LAX Worker Settlement Over Wage Violations

Case Background

A legal battle focused on the rights of airport workers reached its conclusion in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, when the Court formally approved a significant class action settlement. The case, filed by three former employees on behalf of their coworkers, asserted that the companies operating retail and food services at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) failed to meet fundamental California labor laws. The parties ultimately negotiated a settlement, avoiding a long and costly trial.

Cause

The dispute centered on allegations that the Defendants, a group of related companies operating as the Paradies Lagardère Group, routinely violated several provisions of the California Labor Code. The named Plaintiffs James Miller, Ashley Leon, and Damesha Christopher brought the initial lawsuit in May 2018. They charged that the company's established pay practices and employee scheduling policies did not align with state requirements, leading to widespread financial injury for hundreds of current and former non-exempt employees who worked in the airport’s restaurants and shops.

Injury

The core injury to the employees involved unpaid wages and missed mandatory rest periods. Specifically, the Plaintiffs claimed the company neglected to give employees compliant meal breaks and rest breaks as required by law. When employees missed these breaks, or if the breaks were interrupted, the company owed premium pay that they never provided. Furthermore, the employees claimed they did not receive accurate wage statements, and the company failed to issue final paychecks in a timely manner to workers who left the job.