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.
Damages Sought
The Plaintiffs sought substantial financial compensation on behalf of the entire class of workers. They demanded recovery for all unpaid premium wages and resulting interest. They also sought civil penalties under the Private Attorney General Act (PAGA), which allows employees to recover penalties for labor code violations on behalf of the State of California. Finally, the lawsuit asked the Court to compel the Defendants to pay all attorney fees and litigation costs the Plaintiffs incurred while pursuing the claims.
Key Arguments and Proceedings
The lawsuit began when the Plaintiffs lodged their complaint with the Superior Court. The Defendants, including LS & Partners and the various Paradies Lagardère entities, vigorously contested the allegations from the start. They submitted a formal answer to the complaint, denying that they had broken any laws or that they owed any back wages or penalties to their workforce.
Legal Representation
Plaintiff(s): James Miller | Ashley Leon | Damesha Christopher | Class of current and former employees.
· Counsel for Plaintiff(s): Michael D. McLachlan | Jaclyn E. Fortini Laing | Thomas W. Kielty | Gutierrez Rolando Juvenal
Defendant(s): Ls & Partners Ca, Llc | Ls And Partners At Lax, Llc | Paradies Lagardere Lax (F&B), Llc | Paradies Lagardere Lax, Llc.
· Counsel for Defendant(s): Gina Haggerty Lindell | Justin M. Michitsch | Jennifer M. Martin
Claims
The class action suit was built upon four primary categories of alleged labor code violations that accumulated significant liabilities over the class period.
Meal and Rest Period Violations
The most prominent claims revolved around meal and rest periods. The Plaintiffs asserted that the companies did not ensure workers received a timely, uninterrupted, thirty-minute meal period for shifts exceeding five hours, or a second meal period for shifts over ten hours. They also contended that the Defendants failed to provide the required ten-minute paid rest break for every four hours worked, or major fraction thereof.
Failure to Pay Wages and Provide Wage Statements
The employees further claimed the companies violated laws regarding general wage payments. They argued the Defendants failed to accurately calculate and pay all regular and overtime wages due to errors in the payroll system. Additionally, the workers maintained that the wage statements they received lacked legally required information, such as the total hours worked and the applicable hourly rates.
Waiting Time Penalties
The lawsuit also sought waiting time penalties. Under California law, an employer must immediately pay a terminating employee all earned wages. If the company willfully failed to do this, the law imposed a waiting time penalty equal to the employee's daily rate of pay for up to thirty calendar days.
Private Attorney General Act (PAGA) Penalties
Finally, the case included a PAGA claim. This allowed the Plaintiffs to pursue civil penalties against the Defendants for each instance of labor code violation across the class period, significantly increasing the potential financial exposure for the companies.
Defense
Throughout the litigation, the Defendants consistently maintained that their practices fully complied with all California and federal labor laws. The companies argued that they provided adequate meal and rest periods to their employees and had accurately paid all due wages. They asserted that any isolated errors in record-keeping or payroll calculation were not systemic violations and that their business practices had always met industry standards. The Defendants strongly denied the allegations of willful misconduct required to trigger PAGA and waiting time penalties.
Court-Approved Settlement
After nearly seven years of complex litigation, the parties reached a mutual agreement to settle the class action, bypassing the need for a jury trial. The Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, granted Final Approval of the Class Action and Private Attorney General Settlement in 21st, March 2025.
The Defendants agreed to pay a total gross settlement amount of $ 1,500,000 to resolve all claims made by the named Plaintiffs and the class members. The Court approved the final terms, which allocated the funds to cover payouts to the employees, pay statutory PAGA penalties, and cover the Plaintiffs’ considerable legal expenses. The Court’s order concluded the case and provided financial relief to the airport workers. This resolution marked a definitive end to the protracted wage and hour dispute, legally binding all class members who had not opted out of the settlement agreement.
Court documents are available upon request at [email protected]
