Seattle Class Action Lawsuit Lawyers & Attorneys

We hold employers and corporations accountable.

Corporations often place profits over their responsibilities to their workers and consumers. And when their actions cause harm, the individuals who suffer often feel helpless when it comes to seeking restitution. That’s where SGB comes in. If you are a worker or consumer who has been cheated by a corporation, we’re here to fight for your rights with a class action lawsuit. A “class action” is a case brought by an individual or small group on behalf of a large number of people who have been harmed by the same wrongful conduct. We’re relentless in pursuing real results for real people.

What sets our class action attorneys apart?

SGB is one of the Northwest’s premier class action law firms. SGB class action attorneys have a long history of helping people like you take on even the largest defendants, including Fortune 500 companies. And unlike many firms, we have extensive experience taking class actions to trial, which enables us to negotiate better settlements when possible, or pursue the case to judgement when not. We pursue cutting-edge issues—including the wage-and-hour and consumer-protection fields—and our class actions have led to myriad precedent-setting decisions that have expanded worker and consumer rights, all the way up to the Washington State and U.S. Supreme Courts.

SGB attorneys have litigated many cutting-edge cases that have resulted in new law, benefiting our clients in particular and many workers and consumers in Washington in general. We take great pride in our innovative approach to the practice of law and our firm's focus on protecting and promoting employee and consumer rights.

Start with a free, confidential case review

If you or someone you love has suffered from consumer fraud or abuses in the workplace, SGB is here to help. There is no charge for us to evaluate your potential claim. If we take the case, we do so on a contingency basis. We only recover our fees and costs if we are successful in obtaining relief for the class through judgement or settlement. Contact us for a free, confidential case review or call us at (800) 809-2234 or (206) 622-8000.

Cascade Corporation

Along with attorney Brian Buchanan, SGB filed suit against Cascade Corporation, a leading manufacturer of forklift attachments, alleging that Cascade systematically paid overtime late in violation of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. The lawsuit was filed in November 2019 and is currently pending in the U.S. District Court for Oregon. No class has yet been certified and no trial date has been set.

First Amended Complaint

For further information about this case, or to tell us about your work experience with Cascade Corporation, contact legal assistant Mary Dardeau at (206) 233-1257 or (800) 809-2234 or dardeau@sgb-law.com.

Confluence Health

SGB filed suit against Confluence Health in January 2020, alleging that Confluence failed to provide nurses and other staff with two meal periods as required by Washington law for scheduled shifts of 12 hours or more. The lawsuit is currently pending in Chelan County Superior Court. No class has yet been certified and no trial date has been set.

First Amended Complaint

Letter

For further information about this case, or to tell us about your work experience with Confluence Health, contact paralegal, Victoria Molina, at (206) 233-1254 or (800) 809-2234 or molina@sgb-law.com.

Domino’s Pizza

Along with attorney Jim Pizl, SGB filed suit against Domino’s Pizza in September 2020, alleging that Domino’s failed to pay overtime wages to its commercial truck drivers operating out of Washington state. The lawsuit is currently pending in King County Superior Court in Seattle, Washington. No class has yet been certified, and trial is currently set for September 2021.

Complaint

For further information about this case, or to tell us about your work experience as a truck driver with Domino’s, contact legal assistant, Mary Dardeau at (206) 233-1257 or (800) 809-2234 or dardeau@sgb-law.com.

Eastside for Hire, Inc.

In September 2017, SGB filed a class action lawsuit against Eastside for Hire, Inc. and its Owners for their failure to uphold the terms of contracts with taxi and for-hire service Drivers. The lawsuit alleges that the Company and its Owners collected per-trip fees from Drivers beyond what they owe, charged Drivers for services the Company did not provide, and have otherwise failed to deal in good faith with the Drivers.

Trial is scheduled to start on November 18, 2019 in King County Superior Court. The Court has not yet certified a class.

Class Action Complaint

Order Granting Class Certification

If you have any questions about this case, please contact our legal assistant, Mary Dardeau at (206) 233-1257 or (800) 809-2234 or dardeau@sgb-law.com.

Extra Car Airport Parking, Inc.

SGB has filed a class action lawsuit in King County Superior Court in Kent, Washington, alleging that Extra Car Airport Parking failed to pay its employees the new minimum wage rate of $15 per hour established under the SeaTac Municipal Code. The lawsuit also alleges that Extra Car failed, in some instances, to pay proper overtime wages.

This case has settled and the Court entered final approval on June 7, 2018. Under the terms of the Settlement Agreement the first installment of payments under the settlement to direct employee of Extra Car (i.e., members of the Lehman class) were mailed on July 27th, with a second installment in February 2019. Settlement payments to employees of Command Center who worked at Extra Car (i.e., members of the Russell class) will be mailed in February 2020.

Class Action Complaint

Order

Settlement Agreement

If you have any questions about this case, please contact our legal assistant, Mary Dardeau at (206) 233-1257 or (800) 809-2234 or dardeau@sgb-law.com.

Garda CL Northwest, Inc.

Along with co-counsel Dan Johnson, SGB prosecuted a class action lawsuit in King County Superior Court alleging that Garda failed to provide its armored car drivers and guards with rest and meal breaks. Following a bench trial in the summer of 2015, Judge Julie Spector entered judgment in the amount of $8.4 million on behalf of the plaintiff class. Garda has appealed that judgment.

We then filed a second action, Gayken v. Garda CL Northwest, seeking damages for missed breaks after February 2015. That case was stayed pending the completion of the Hill case.

The Court of Appeals upheld the judgment, but partially revoked the award of double damages following the Pellino v. Brink’s decision of 2010. On August 23, 2018 the Washington State Supreme Court reversed the Court of Appeals and remanded for further consideration of the double damages award.

In September 2019, we reached a global settlement of both cases, for a total of $12.5 million. The court has granted final approval of the settlement on February 7, 2020.

We anticipate that settlement checks will be mailed no later than March 24, 2020.

Complaint

Judgment

Appeal

If you believe you should have received notice and have not yet received it, please contact our legal assistant, Mary Dardeau at (206) 233-1257 or (800) 809-2234 or dardeau@sgb-law.com.

GEO Group, Inc.

Along with attorneys Andrew Free, Devin Theriot-Orr, and Meena Mentor, SGB filed suit against the GEO Group, Inc. in September 2017, alleging that GEO violated the Washington Minimum Wage Act by not paying minimum hourly wages to civil immigration detainees who worked for GEO in its voluntary work program at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington. The lawsuit is currently pending in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington in Tacoma.

The Court certified the case as a class action on August 6, 2018. Due to delays caused by COVID-19, no trial date has been set.

Amended Class Action Complaint

Order Granting Class Certification

Class Notice (English)

Class Notice (Spanish)

For further information about this case, or to tell us about your experience in the voluntary work program at the NWDC, contact legal assistant, Mary Dardeau at (206) 233-1257 or (800) 809-2234 or dardeau@sgb-law.com.

Home Depot

SGB filed suit against Home Depot in June 2020, alleging that Home Depot failed to provide in-store supervisors and specialists working in Washington state with legally compliant rest and meal breaks meal periods as required by Washington law. The lawsuit is currently pending in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington in Seattle. No class has yet been certified and no trial date has been set.

Complaint

For further information about this case, or to tell us about your work experience with Home Depot, contact legal assistant, Mary Dardeau at (206) 233-1257 or (800) 809-2234 or dardeau@sgb-law.com.

JOHNSON CONTROLS FIRE PROTECTION, LP

In March 2019, SGB filed a class action lawsuit in King County Superior Court against Johnson Controls Fire Protection, LP on behalf of sprinkler inspectors, fire sprinkler systems inspectors, fire service technicians and employees who held similar job classifications alleging that Johnson Controls failed to pay prevailing wage rates for work done at public facilities, including overtime.

The Court certified the case as a class action on August 17, 2020, and trial is currently scheduled for September 13, 2021. See below links to view important documents in the case.

Class Action Complaint

Defendant's Answer

Order Granting Class Certification

Class Notice

Request for Exclusion Form

If you work or have worked for Johnson Controls Fire Protection, LP; Tyco SimplexGrinnell; or SimplexGrinnell, LP at any time since March 2016 and would like to discuss this case, please contact our legal assistant, Mary Dardeau at (206) 233-1257 or (800) 809-2234 or dardeau@sgb-law.com.

Kittens Cabaret

Along with attorney Gregg Greenberg, SGB filed suit against 728 LLC dba “Kittens Cabaret” in August 2020, alleging that Kittens Cabaret misclassified exotic dancers as independent contractors, rather than employees, under Washington law. The lawsuit alleges that Kittens Cabaret violated the Washington Minimum Wage Act and associated state and local wage laws and owes dancers back wages and damages for failing to pay dancers the required minimum wage, failing to provide rest and meal breaks, failing to provide paid sick leave, unlawfully taking a share of dancers’ tips, and charging dancers fees to work.

The lawsuit is currently pending in King County Superior Court. No class has yet been certified, and trial is currently scheduled for August 2021.

Complaint

For further information about this case, or to tell us about your work experience with Kittens Cabaret, contact legal assistant, Mary Dardeau at (206) 233-1257 or (800) 809-2234 or dardeau@sgb-law.com.

Oatridge Security Group

Along with Terrell Marshall Law Group, SGB represents a class of security guards who worked for Oatridge Security Group at a number of customer sites between 2014 and the present. The lawsuit was filed in September 2017 and alleges that Oatridge violated the Washington Minimum Wage Act and associated state wage laws by failing to pay security guards for all hours worked and failing to provide them with legally compliant rest and meal breaks.

The King County Superior Court certified a class of security guards who worked at 11 customer locations on December 23, 2019. Trial is currently scheduled for March 2021.

Class Action Complaint

Order Granting Class Certification

Class Notice

For further information about this case, or to tell us about your work experience with Oatridge Security, contact legal assistant, Brielle Preskenis, at (206) 233-1207 or (800) 809-2234 or preskenis@sgb-law.com.

PACIFIC PIE/LIBERTY PIZZA

In June 2018, SGB filed a class action lawsuit against Domino’s franchisees in the Spokane area: Pacific Pie, Liberty Pizza, and Shane Anderson. We allege that the franchisees failed to pay pizza delivery drivers for all the hours they worked and violated rules requiring lunch breaks. Trial is scheduled to commence in Spokane County Superior Court on October 19, 2020.

Complaint

If you are a current or former pizza delivery driver for any of these Domino’s franchisees, please contact our legal assistant, Mary Dardeau at (206) 233-1257 or (800) 809-2234 or dardeau@sgb-law.com.

Total Renal Care, Inc.

In April 2019, along with Jim Pizl of Entente Law Group in Puyallup, we filed a class action lawsuit in King County Superior Court on behalf of dialysis nurses or those in similar positions with similar duties who worked for Total Renal Care, Inc. and did not receive their statutory meal periods. The parties have reached a proposed settlement of that case. For more information regarding the proposed settlement, please go to: www.TotalRenalCareSettlement.com.

If you work or have worked for Total Renal Care and would like to discuss this case, please contact our legal assistant, Mary Dardeau at (206) 233-1257 or (800) 809-2234 or dardeau@sgb-law.com.

FAQs

What is a class action?

A class action is a lawsuit brought on behalf of one or a few individuals on behalf of a much larger group of people who have all been injured in the same way by the same conduct of a corporation, government agency, or other defendant.

How does a single claim become a class action?

In order for a case to go ahead as a class action, the person filing the lawsuit must ask the court’s permission for the case to be “certified” as a class. Usually this happens after an initial round of discovery, or exchange of information, between the parties to the lawsuit. Sometimes the court will make its decision based on written arguments by the parties, while other times it will hold an evidentiary hearing.

What happens after the court certifies a case as a class action?

Usually, after the court certifies a case as a class action, it will order notice to all class members informing them of the claims in the case and its certification as a class action. Class members will then have an opportunity to “opt out” of the class action, in which case they will neither benefit from any recovery in the case nor be bound by any judgment in the action. Class members who do not opt out will be bound by any further decisions in the case, whether favorable or unfavorable to the class. Class members are generally not obligated to do anything in order to remain in and benefit from the class action. They usually do not have to respond to any discovery, nor are they financially obligated in any way. Of course, some class members may choose to take a more active role and provide support to the class action by supplying information to the attorneys for the class or even testifying during discovery or at trial. However, this active participation is usually strictly voluntary.

How do class actions get resolved?

If a class action goes all the way through trial, a jury or judge will decide the case and award damages, if favorable, to the entire class. However, like most civil lawsuits, most class actions settle before trial. In that case, the parties will propose a settlement to the court, and all class members will receive notice of the proposed settlement and an opportunity to comment. Any class action settlement must be approved by the court, and the court will only approve a settlement if it is reasonable, fair and adequate.

Who pays the lawyers?

The lawyers in a class action only get paid if they are successful in obtaining a recovery for the class. Then, they may be awarded a percentage of the money recovered for the class. Alternatively, in many consumer and employment cases, the court may order the defendant to pay the attorneys’ fees and costs. In either event, the attorneys’ fees are subject to oversight and approval by the court. Similarly, the costs of litigating a class action are advanced by the lawyers, who are only reimbursed if the case is successful. Again, the court must approve any reimbursement of the costs incurred by the lawyers.

Team Members

Adam Berger

Attorney

Lindsay Halm

Attorney

Elizabeth Hanley

Attorney

Rebecca Roe

Attorney

Jamal Whitehead

Attorney

“Great attention to detail, compassion and dedication”

“I just received the notice of settlement letter in our favor in the Pellino v. Brink's Incorporated class action lawsuit and I would like to express my deep appreciation for Adam Berger. His attention to detail, compassion and dedication to providing the best possible representation for the plaintiffs in this case was outstanding and deserves to be recognized. I would not hesitate to recommend his services to anyone. Many thanks and many blessings!”

Michael, Class Action Client - Seattle, WA