Osegueda v. Northern California Inalliance

District Court, E.D. California·Decided July 21, 2020·No. 2:18-cv-00835·Unknown

Opinion

----oo0oo---- JOSEPH OSEGUEDA, individually No. 18-cv-00835 WBS EFB and on behalf of all similarly situated and/or aggrieved employees of Defendants in the State of California, MEMORANDUM AND ORDER RE: MOTION FOR FINAL APPROVAL OF Plaintiff, CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT AND MOTION FOR ATTORNEYS’ FEES, v. COSTS, AND REPRESENTATIVE SERVICE PAYMENT NORTHERN CALIFORNIA INALLIANCE; and DOES 1 through 50, inclusive, Defendants. ----oo0oo---- Plaintiff Joseph Osegueda, individually and on behalf of all other similarly situated employees, brought this putative class action against Defendant Northern California InAlliance (“InAlliance”) alleging violations of state and federal wage and hour laws. (First Am. Compl. (“FAC”) (Docket No. 14).) Before the court now are plaintiff’s unopposed motions for final approval of the parties’ class action settlement and attorneys’ fees, costs, and a class representative service payment. (Docket Nos. 28, 29.) I. Discussion1 The Ninth Circuit has declared a strong judicial policy favoring settlement of class actions. Class Plaintiffs v. City of Seattle, 955 F.2d 1268, 1276 (9th Cir. 1992); see also Rodriguez v. W. Publ’g Corp., 563 F.3d 948, 965 (9th Cir. 2009) (“We put a good deal of stock in the product of an arms-length, non-collusive, negotiated resolution[.]”) (citation omitted). Rule 23(e) provides that “[t]he claims, issues, or defenses of a certified class may be settled . . . only with the court’s approval.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(e). “Approval under 23(e) involves a two-step process in which the Court first determines whether a proposed class action settlement deserves preliminary approval and then, after notice is given to class members, whether final approval is warranted.” Nat’l Rural Telecomms. Coop. v. DIRECTV, Inc., 221 F.R.D. 523, 525 (C.D. Cal. 2004) (citing Manual for Complex Litig. (Third), § 30.41 (1995)). This court satisfied step one by granting plaintiff’s unopposed motion for preliminary approval of class action settlement on January 15, 2020. (Docket No. 25.) Now, following notice to the class members, the court will consider whether final approval is merited by evaluating: (1) the treatment of this litigation as a class action and (2) the terms

1 The court already recited the factual and procedural background in its order granting plaintiff’s unopposed motion for preliminary approval of the class action settlement. (See Order Granting Preliminary Approval at 2-4 (Docket No. 25).) of the settlement. See Diaz v. Tr. Territory of Pac. Islands, 876 F.2d 1401, 1408 (9th Cir. 1989). A. Class Certification A class action will be certified only if it meets the requirements of Rule 23(a)’s four prerequisites and fits within one of Rule 23(b)’s three subdivisions. Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(a)- (b). Although a district court has discretion in determining whether the moving party has satisfied each Rule 23 requirement, the court must conduct a rigorous inquiry before certifying a class. See Califano v. Yamasaki, 442 U.S. 682, 701 (1979); Gen. Tel. Co. of Sw. v. Falcon, 457 U.S. 147, 161 (1982). 1. Rule 23(a)

Rule 23(a) restricts class actions to cases where: (1) the class is so numerous that joinder of all members is impracticable; (2) there are questions of law or fact common to the class; (3) the claims or defenses of the representative parties are typical of the claims or defenses of the class; and (4) the representative parties will fairly and adequately protect the interests of the class. Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(a). These requirements are commonly referred to as numerosity, commonality, typicality, and adequacy of representation. In the court’s order granting preliminary approval of the settlement, the court found that the putative class satisfied the Rule 23(a) requirements. (Order Granting Preliminary Approval at 5-12.) The court is unaware of any changes that would affect this conclusion, and the parties indicated that they were aware of no such developments. (Mot. for Final Approval at 11 (Docket No. 28).) Because the court is not aware of any facts that would alter its initial Rule 23(a) analysis, the court finds that the class definition proposed by plaintiff meets the requirements of Rule 23(a).2 2. Rule 23(b) An action that meets all the prerequisites of Rule 23(a) may be certified as a class action only if it also satisfies the requirements of one of the three subdivisions of Rule 23(b). Leyva v. Medline Indus. Inc., 716 F.3d 510, 512 (9th Cir. 2013). In its order granting preliminary approval of the settlement, the court found that both the predominance and superiority prerequisites of Rule 23(b)(3) were satisfied. (Order Granting Preliminary Approval at 12-15.) The court is unaware of any changes that would affect this conclusion. Because the settlement class satisfies both Rule 23(a) and 23(b)(3), the court will grant final class certification of this action. 3. Rule 23(c)(2) Notice Requirements If the court certifies a class under Rule 23(b)(3), it “must direct to class members the best notice that is practicable under the circumstances, including individual notice to all members who can be identified through reasonable effort.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(c)(2)(B). Rule 23(c)(2) governs both the form and content of a proposed notice. See Ravens v. Iftikar, 174 F.R.D. 651, 658 (N.D. Cal. 1997) (citing Eisen v. Carlisle & Jacquelin, 417 U.S. 156, 172–77 (1974)). Although that notice must be

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