Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_07-cv-05239/USCOURTS-cand-3_07-cv-05239-2/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 710
Nature of Suit: Fair Labor Standards Act
Cause of Action: 29:201 Fair Labor Standards Act

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JOINT STIPULATION AND PROPOSED ORDER FOR CONDITIONAL CLASS CERTIFICATION AND JUDICIAL NOTICE 

Counsel listed on next page 

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

Jennifer Meade, individually, on behalf of 

all others similarly situated, and on behalf 

of the general public 

 Plaintiff, 

v.

Advantage Sales & Marketing, LLC, 

Advantage Sales & Marketing, Inc., 

Retail Store Services, LLC, and 

KSRSS, Inc. 

 Defendants. 

Case No.: C-07-5239-SI 

JOINT STIPULATION AND PROPOSED 

ORDER FOR CONDITIONAL CLASS 

CERTIFICATION AND JUDICIAL NOTICE 

Date: June 13, 2008 

Judge: Hon. Susan Illston 

Date Action Filed: October 12, 2007 

Case 3:07-cv-05239-SI Document 97 Filed 06/13/2008 Page 1 of 5 Case 3:07-cv-05239-SI Document 100 Filed 06/19/08 Page 1 of 10
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JOINT STIPULATION AND PROPOSED ORDER FOR CONDITIONAL CLASS CERTIFICATION AND JUDICIAL NOTICE 

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Matthew C. Helland, CA State Bar No. 250451 

Helland@nka.com

NICHOLS KASTER & ANDERSON, LLP 

One Embarcadero Center, Ste. 720 

San Francisco, CA 94111 

Telephone: 415-277-7235 

Facsimile: 415-277-7238 

Donald H. Nichols, MN State Bar No. 78918* 

Nichols@nka.com

Paul J. Lukas, MN State Bar No. 22084X* 

Lukas@nka.com

Matthew H. Morgan, MN State Bar No. 304657* 

Morgan@nka.com

David C. Zoeller, MN State Bar No. 0387885* 

NICHOLS KASTER & ANDERSON, PLLP 

4600 IDS Center 

80 S. 8th Street

Minneapolis, MN 55402 

Telephone: 612-256-3200 

Facsimile: 612-215-6870 

* admitted pro hac vice 

ATTORNEYS FOR PLAINTIFFS 

BRIDGES & BRIDGES 

Harold A. Bridges, SBN 93560 

Maj-le Tate Bridges, SBN 179522 

466 Foothill Boulevard, Suite 394 

La Canada, CA 91011 

Telephone: 626-304-2836 

Facsimile: 626-628-0465 

drew@bridges-law.com 

majle@bridges-law.com 

ATTORNEYS FOR DEFENDANTS 

ADVANTAGE SALES & MARKETING LLC, 

ADVANTAGE SALES & MARKETING, INC., 

RETAIL STORE SERVICES, LLC 

SNELL & WILMER, LLP 

Frank Cronin, SBN 69840 

Erin A. Denniston, SBN 247785 

600 Anton Boulevard, Suite 1400 

Costa Mesa, CA 92626 

Telephone: 714-427-7000 

Facsimile: 714-427-7799 

fcronin@swlaw.com

edenniston@swlaw.com

ATTORNEY FOR DEFENDANT 

KSRSS, INC. 

Case 3:07-cv-05239-SI Document 97 Filed 06/13/2008 Page 2 of 5 Case 3:07-cv-05239-SI Document 100 Filed 06/19/08 Page 2 of 10
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JOINT STIPULATION AND PROPOSED ORDER FOR CONDITIONAL CLASS CERTIFICATION AND JUDICIAL NOTICE 

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The parties, by and through their counsel of record, submit this Stipulation and Joint Proposed 

Order for Conditional Class Certification and Court-Authorized Notice. 

 WHEREAS, the parties held a series of telephone conferences in June 2008 and 

thereafter exchanged e-mails resulting in the parties within agreement to conditionally certify the 

below defined class, without prejudice to any parties’ right to subsequently move to decertify said 

class, and send court-approved notice to be issued to these allegedly similarly situated class 

members, subject to the terms described in the Order below:

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT:

1. The following class is conditionally certified under 29 U.S.C. § 216(b) of the Fair 

Labor Standards Act (FLSA): 

All persons who are or have been employed by Defendant Retail Store Services LLC 

(“RSS LLC”) or Retail Store Services, Inc., (“RSS, Inc.”; now Defendant KSRSS, Inc.) as 

a Merchandising Representative, and who were classified as exempt employees under the 

FLSA, at any time within three years prior to this action’s filing date through the date of 

final disposition of this action. 

2. The Court shall authorize and approve judicial notice to potential opt-ins to inform 

them of the action and to give them an opportunity to join this action by opting in. The Notice 

shall be issued within three (3) business days of Plaintiffs’ counsel receiving the list described in 

Paragraph 4 below. The form of the Notice of Pendency of Lawsuit (“Notice”) and Plaintiff 

Consent Form shall be in the same form as those attached as Exhibit A.

3. Plaintiffs’ counsel, Nichols Kaster & Anderson, PLLP, in Minneapolis, 

Minnesota shall mail the Notice via first-class U.S. Mail, and shall bear the costs of mailing. 

4. Defendants RSS LLC and RSS, Inc. (now Defendant KSRSS, Inc.) shall each use 

their best efforts to provide Plaintiff’s counsel with a list no later than twenty (20) days after 

service of the Court’s Order regarding this stipulation, in electronic format, (i.e., Microsoft Excel 

(.xls), or Symbolic Link (SYLK(.slk)), of all persons employed by it who are or have been 

employed as a Merchandising Representative, and who were classified as exempt employees 

under the FLSA, from three years prior to this action’s filing date to present, including their 

Case 3:07-cv-05239-SI Document 97 Filed 06/13/2008 Page 3 of 5 Case 3:07-cv-05239-SI Document 100 Filed 06/19/08 Page 3 of 10
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JOINT STIPULATION AND PROPOSED ORDER FOR CONDITIONAL CLASS CERTIFICATION AND JUDICIAL NOTICE 

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name, most recent known address, dates of employment as a Merchandising Representative, 

states where employed, and the last four digits of their social security number or their dates of 

birth.

5. There shall be a ninety (90) day notice period for opting into this lawsuit. Plaintiff 

Consent Forms post-marked later than 90 days after the Notice is mailed by Plaintiffs’ counsel, 

are not timely, and the individuals sending such untimely Consents shall not be eligible to join 

this lawsuit. 

6. Those persons who have heretofore filed or shall hereafter file a Consent Form 

seeking to opt-in to this action and who were not employed by Retail Store Services, Inc. or 

Retail Store Services LLC as a Merchandising Representative and classified as exempt under the 

FLSA within the three year period prior to the filing of this action are ineligible to become 

members of the within conditionally certified class and their Consent Form(s) and respective 

Notice(s) shall be without any force or effect, they are not parties to this action and their Consent 

Form(s) shall be deemed to have been withdrawn. 

Dated: 6/13/2008 s/Matthew H. Morgan 

NICHOLS KASTER & ANDERSON, PLLP 

Donald H. Nichols, MN State Bar No. 78918* 

Nichols@nka.com

Paul J. Lukas, MN State Bar No. 22084X* 

Lukas@nka.com

Matthew H. Morgan, MN State Bar No. 304657* 

Morgan@nka.com

David C. Zoeller, MN State Bar No. 0387885* 

Zoeller@nka.com 

4600 IDS Center 

80 S. 8th Street 

Minneapolis, MN 55402 

* admitted pro hac vice

NICHOLS KASTER & ANDERSON, LLP 

Matthew C. Hallend, CA State Bar No. 250451 

Helland@nka.com

One Embarcadero Center 

Ste. 720 

San Francisco, CA 94111 

ATTORNEYS FOR PLAINTIFFS 

[Signatures Continued on Next Page] 

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JOINT STIPULATION AND PROPOSED ORDER FOR CONDITIONAL CLASS CERTIFICATION AND JUDICIAL NOTICE 

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Dated: 6/13/2008 s/Harold A. Bridges 

BRIDGES & BRIDGES 

Harold A. Bridges, CA State Bar No. 93560 

 drew@bridges-law.com 

 Maj-le Tate Bridges, CA State Bar No. 179522 

 majle@bridges-law.com 

 466 Foothill Boulevard, #394 

 La Canada, CA 91011 

 ATTORNEYS FOR DEFENDANTS 

ADVANTAGE SALES & MARKETING LLC, 

ADVANTAGE SALES & MARKETING INC., 

RETAIL STORE SERVICES LLC 

Dated: 6/13/2008 s/Frank Cronin 

SNELL & WILMER, LLP 

Frank Cronin, CA State Bar No. 69840 

fcronin@swlaw.com

Erin A. Denniston, CA State Bar No. 247785 

edenniston@swlaw.com

600 Anton Boulevard, Suite 1400 

Costa Mesa, CA 92626 

ATTORNEYS FOR DEFENDANT KSRSS, INC.

IT IS SO ORDERED. 

Dated:

 

The Hon. Susan Illston

 U.S. District Court Judge

Case 3:07-cv-05239-SI Document 97 Filed 06/13/2008 Page 5 of 5 Case 3:07-cv-05239-SI Document 100 Filed 06/19/08 Page 5 of 10
EXHIBIT A 

Case 3:07-cv-05239-SI Document 97-2 Filed 06/13/2008 Page 1 of 4 Case 3:07-cv-05239-SI Document 100 Filed 06/19/08 Page 6 of 10
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

Jennifer Meade, individually, on behalf of 

all others similarly situated, and on behalf 

of the general public 

 Plaintiff, 

v.

Advantage Sales & Marketing, LLC, 

Retail Store Services, LLC, and 

KSRSS, Inc. 

 Defendants.

Case No.: C-07-5239-SI 

NOTICE OF OVERTIME LAWSUIT 

THIS NOTICE AND ITS CONTENT HAS BEEN AUTHORIZED BY THE FEDERAL DISTRICT 

COURT, THE HONORABLE SUSAN ILLSTON, U.S. DISTRICT JUDGE. THE COURT HAS TAKEN 

NO POSITION REGARDING THE MERITS OF THE PLAINTIFFS’ CLAIMS OR OF DEFENDANTS’ 

DEFENSES. 

INTRODUCTION

 The purpose of this notice is to inform you of a collective action lawsuit in which you are potentially 

“similarly situated” to the named Plaintiff, to advise you of how your rights may be affected by this action, and to 

instruct you on the procedure for participating in this action. 

DESCRIPTION OF THE LAWSUIT

The named Plaintiff brings this action against Retail Store Services LLC, and KSRSS, Inc., formerly known 

as Retail Store Services, Inc., (“Defendants”) on behalf of herself and all other individuals who worked as 

merchandising representatives for Retail Store Services LLC or Retail Store Services, Inc., and who were 

classified as exempt employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act during the past three years. Specifically, this 

action alleges that these individuals are owed overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) 29 

U.S.C. § 201, et seq., for work they performed in excess of forty (40) hours per work week. 

Defendants deny any wrongdoing or liability and contest all claims that have been asserted. Specifically, 

Defendants claim that Plaintiff and all other merchandising representatives were properly classified as “exempt” 

employees and were properly paid for all hours worked and therefore are not owed overtime pay under the FLSA. 

YOUR RIGHT TO MAKE A CLAIM IN THIS ACTION

The named Plaintiff alleges that during the last three years she was employed by Defendants Retail Store 

Services, Inc., and Retail Store Services LLC as a merchandising representative and classified as an exempt 

employee under the FLSA. She seeks to sue on behalf of herself and all other employees who meet the following 

requirements: 

(a) were employed by Retail Store Services, Inc. or Retail Store Services LLC as a merchandising 

representative and classified as an exempt employee under the FLSA in any location across the 

country at any time from October 12, 2004 to present; 

(b) worked more than forty (40) hours a week during that period without overtime compensation. 

If you fit the definition above, you may make an overtime claim in this action by mailing, faxing, or emailing the 

attached Consent Form to Plaintiffs’ Counsel for filing with the Court: 

Nichols Kaster & Anderson 

Case 3:07-cv-05239-SI Document 97-2 Filed 06/13/2008 Page 2 of 4 Case 3:07-cv-05239-SI Document 100 Filed 06/19/08 Page 7 of 10
Attn: Matthew Morgan 

4600 IDS Center, 80 South Eighth Street 

Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402 

Toll Free Telephone: (877) 448-0492 (no faxes to this number) 

Fax: (612) 215-6870 

Email: morgan@nka.com 

The Consent Form must be post marked on or before [90 DAYS FROM THE DATE THE NOTICE IS 

MAILED BY PLAINTIFFS’ COUNSEL] for you to make a claim in this case. 

EFFECT OF JOINING OR NOT JOINING THIS LAWSUIT

 If you choose to join this action, you and Defendants will be bound by any ruling, judgment or settlement, 

whether favorable (e.g. an award for Plaintiff) or unfavorable (e.g. shared liability for payment of costs should 

Defendants prevail). If you choose not to join this action, you will not be affected by any ruling, judgment, or 

settlement, entered in this case, favorable or unfavorable. If you choose not to join this action you are free to take 

action on your own or do nothing at all. 

 If you are eligible and file a Consent Form, your continued right to participate in this action may depend upon 

a later decision by the Court that you and the Named Plaintiff are actually “similarly situated” in accordance with 

applicable laws and that it is appropriate for this case to proceed as a collective action. 

STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS

 The FLSA has a maximum statute of limitations of three years. If you choose to join this action, you may be 

able to recover damages if you were improperly denied overtime compensation only for overtime hours worked 

within two, and in some cases three years, of the date you filed a Consent Form. If you choose not to join this 

action some or all of your potential claims may later be barred by the applicable statute of limitations. 

NO RETALIATION PERMITTED

 The law prohibits retaliation against employees or former employees for exercising their rights under the 

FLSA. Therefore, Defendants are prohibited from retaliating against you in any manner because you choose to 

participate in this action. 

YOUR LEGAL REPRESENTATION IF YOU JOIN

 If you choose to make a claim in this case by filing a Consent Form, your interests will be represented by 

Plaintiffs’ Counsel: 

Nichols Kaster & Anderson, PLLP 

Paul J. Lukas, Donald H. Nichols, Matthew H. Morgan and David C. Zoeller 

4600 IDS Center, 80 South 8th Street 

Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402 

Toll Free Telephone: (877) 448-0492; Website: www.overtimecases.com

Plaintiffs’ Counsel has taken this case on a contingency basis. They may be entitled to receive attorneys’ fees and 

costs from Defendants should there be a recovery in Plaintiffs’ favor. If there is a recovery, Plaintiffs’ Counsel 

will receive a part of any settlement obtained or money judgment entered. If there is no recovery or judgment in 

Plaintiffs’ favor, Plaintiffs’ Counsel will not seek any attorneys’ fees from any of the Plaintiffs. The specific 

terms and conditions will be contained in a fee agreement separately entered into by Plaintiffs’ Counsel and you if 

you decide to participate in this case. 

Case 3:07-cv-05239-SI Document 97-2 Filed 06/13/2008 Page 3 of 4 Case 3:07-cv-05239-SI Document 100 Filed 06/19/08 Page 8 of 10
______________________________________________________________________________

RSS PLAINTIFF CONSENT FORM 

___________________________________________________________________________

I hereby consent to join the action against Retail Store Services LLC, and Retail Store 

Services, Inc. (now KSRSS, Inc.) (Defendants), as a Plaintiff to make a claim for overtime pay. 

During the past three years, I worked for Retail Store Services, Inc. and/or Retail Store Services 

LLC as a merchandising representative and was not paid for all my overtime hours worked. 

<<NAME>>

<<ADDRESS>>

<<CITY>>,<< STATE>><< ZIP>> 

If any of the above information has changed, please update 

____________________________________

Signature Date 

____________________________________

Best Telephone Numbers 

____________________________________

E-Mail Address 

________________________________________

Emergency Contact (and phone number) 

Fax, Mail or Email to: 

Nichols Kaster & Anderson, PLLP 

Attn.: Matthew Morgan 

4600 IDS Center, 80 South Eighth Street, 

Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402-2242 

Fax: (612) 215-6870 

Toll Free Telephone: (877) 448-0492 

Email: Morgan@nka.com 

Web: www.overtimecases.com

Case 3:07-cv-05239-SI Document 97-2 Filed 06/13/2008 Page 4 of 4 Case 3:07-cv-05239-SI Document 100 Filed 06/19/08 Page 9 of 10
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

SAN FRANCISCO/OAKLAND DIVISION 

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE 

I HEREBY CERTIFY that a true and correct copy of the foregoing document has been 

filed with the Clerk of the Court on June 13th, 2008 by using the CM/ECF system, which will 

send a notice of electronic filing to: 

Harold Andrew Bridges drew@bridges-law.com

Frank Cronin fcronin@swlaw.com, tmartin@swlaw.com

Matthew C Helland helland@nka.com, assistant@nka.com

Paul J. Lukas lukas@nka.com, assistant@nka.com

Matthew H Morgan morgan@nka.com

Donald H. Nichols nichols@nka.com, assistant@nka.com

David C. Zoeller zoeller@nka.com, assistant@nka.com

Dated: June 13th, 2008 NICHOLS KASTER & ANDERSON, PLLP 

s/ Sylvia Ewald_________________

Sylvia Ewald 

Legal Assistant 

4600 IDS Center, 80 S. 8th St. 

Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402 

Telephone: (612) 256-3294 

Case 3:07-cv-05239-SI Document 97-3 Filed 06/13/2008 Page 1 of 1 Case 3:07-cv-05239-SI Document 100 Filed 06/19/08 Page 10 of 10