Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-4_13-cv-05961/USCOURTS-cand-4_13-cv-05961-14/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 790
Nature of Suit: Other Labor Litigation
Cause of Action: 28:1441 Petition for Removal

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24824967v1

4:13-cv-05961-KAW

JOINT MOTION FOR HEARING ON DATA ISSUES RE CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT

DON SPRINGMEYER

dspringmeyer@wrslawyers.com

BRADLEY S. SCHRAGER (Admitted Pro Hac Vice)

bschrager@wrslawyers.com

JUSTIN JONES (SBN 218217)

jjones@wrslawyers.com

WOLF, RIFKIN, SHAPIRO, SCHULMAN & RABKIN, LLP

3556 E. Russell Road, Second Floor

Las Vegas, Nevada 89120

Telephone: (702) 341-5200

Facsimile: (702) 341-5300

MATTHEW OSTER (SBN 190541)

moster@wrslawyers.com

ERIC LEVINRAD (SBN 169025)

elevinrad@wrslawyers.com

RICARDO ROZEN (SBN 279151)

rrozen@wrslawyers.com

WOLF, RIFKIN, SHAPIRO, SCHULMAN & RABKIN, LLP

11400 West Olympic Boulevard, 9th Floor

Los Angeles, California 90064-1582

Telephone: (310) 478-4100/Fax: (310) 479-1422

Attorneys for Plaintiffs

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA, OAKLAND DIVISION

HOLLY GEHL; CHRIS ARMENTA; 

et al. each on behalf of himself/herself, 

and on behalf of all others similarly 

situated,

Plaintiffs,

vs.

T-BIRD RESTAURANT GROUP, 

INC., a California corporation; T-BIRD 

NEVADA, LLC, a Nevada Limited 

Liability Company; and DOES 1 

through 100, Inclusive,

Defendants.

Case No. 4:13-cv-05961-KAW

[Judge Kandis A. Westmore]

JOINT MOTION FOR HEARING 

ON DATA ISSUES RE CLASS 

ACTION SETTLEMENT 

Trial Date: None

Case 4:13-cv-05961-KAW Document 141 Filed 11/20/15 Page 1 of 5
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4:13-cv-05961-KAW

JOINT MOTION FOR HEARING ON DATA ISSUES RE CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT

The parties to the above-captioned action, through their attorneys of record, 

hereby respectfully request a hearing with the Court to discuss newly discovered 

data issues as follows:

WHEREAS, the parties entered into a settlement following mediation on May 

5, 2015 where the number of class members was believed to be close to 10,000 

current and former hourly employees based upon Defendant’s February 2015 

research into its payroll records;

WHEREAS, Plaintiffs’ Motion for Preliminary Approval of Settlement, in 

which defendants joined, was heard on August 20, 2015; 

WHEREAS, on August 24, 2015, following the hearing on Plaintiffs’ Motion 

for Preliminary Approval of Settlement, the Parties filed a joint supplemental 

submission regarding notice to class members of settlement and claims procedures 

(Dkt. No. 132), and a revised [Proposed] Order Granting Preliminary Approval of 

Class Action Settlement (Dkt. No. 134); 

WHEREAS, on September 28, 2015, the Court issued an Order Granting 

Preliminary Approval of Class Action Settlement (Dkt. No. 135);

WHEREAS, pursuant to the Order Granting Preliminary Approval of Class 

Action Settlement (Dkt. No. 135), defendant T-Bird Restaurant Group, Inc. again

researched its payroll system to obtain the information required by the Court’s Order 

(Dkt. No. 135, ¶8.d. ( name, address, telephone number, social security number, 

locations worked, dates of employment) and transmitted that information to the 

Third Party Administrator (“TPA”) on November 2, 2015. Thereafter, the Third 

Party Administrator worked to prepare the data for mailing the claims forms (due to 

be mailed on November 17, 2015 under the terms of the Court’s Order (Dkt. No. 

135)). On November 11, 2015, the TPA transmitted a final spreadsheet that 

indicated 13,361 Class Members. This number appears to include 1193 Class 

Members who began working for defendant between February 2015 when defendant 

Case 4:13-cv-05961-KAW Document 141 Filed 11/20/15 Page 2 of 5
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4:13-cv-05961-KAW

JOINT MOTION FOR HEARING ON DATA ISSUES RE CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT

formerly researched the potential number of class members, and September 28, 

2015, the cutoff date for determining Class Membership. The 13,361 Class Member 

list also appears to include 2854 individuals who were employed by defendant 

between November 2009 and February 2015 but whom were not on the list of 

potential class members pulled by defendant in February 2015. Those individuals 

were former employees who had been coded as “purged” from the payroll system 

and were inadvertently excluded from the report pulled in February 2015;

WHEREAS, the plaintiffs’ counsel and defendant’s counsel are meeting and 

conferring in an attempt to determine the best course of action;

WHEREAS, the parties believe that the situation should be brought to the 

Court’s attention so as to ensure that the Court’s preliminary determination as to the 

reasonableness of the class action settlement remains satisfied;

WHEREAS, the parties request a hearing at the Court’s earliest convenience 

to present this matter to the Court; and 

WHEREAS, the parties request that the Court temporarily suspend all future 

action dates set forth in the Order Granting Preliminary Approval of Class Action 

Settlement (Dkt. No. 135) to prevent any potential Class Notice mailings claims 

processes that may be revised by the Court at the requested hearing.

THEREFORE, IN LIGHT OF THE FOREGOING, THE PARTIES HEREBY 

JOINTLY REQUEST: 

That the Court set a hearing at the Court’s earliest convenience to present the 

matter concerning the data issues that came to light on November 11, 2015, and 

That the Court temporarily suspend all future action dates set forth in the 

Order Granting Preliminary Approval of Class Action Settlement (Dkt. No. 135) 

pending the Court’s requested hearing on the data matter. 

Case 4:13-cv-05961-KAW Document 141 Filed 11/20/15 Page 3 of 5
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JOINT MOTION FOR HEARING ON DATA ISSUES RE CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT

IT IS SO STIPULATED.

DATED: November 20, 2015 WOLF, RIFKIN, SHAPIRO,

SCHULMAN & RABKIN, LLP

By: /s/ Eric Levinrad

ERIC LEVINRAD

Attorneys for Plaintiffs

DATED: November 20, 2015 LATHROP & GAGE, LLP

By: /s/ Allison Wallin

BETH SCHROEDER

LAUREN KATUNICH

ALLISON WALLIN (Admitted Pro Hac Vice)

Attorneys for T-BIRD RESTAURANT GROUP, 

INC. and T-BIRD NEVADA, LLC

Case 4:13-cv-05961-KAW Document 141 Filed 11/20/15 Page 4 of 5
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JOINT MOTION FOR HEARING ON DATA ISSUES RE CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT

[PROPOSED] ORDER

WHEREFORE upon consideration of the parties’ Joint Motion for Hearing 

on Data Issues re Class Action Settlement, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that a 

Hearing on the Data Issues is set for December 17, 2015 at 11:00 AM. On or 

before December 7, 2015, the parties shall submit a joint brief outlining how, if at 

all, the newly discovered potential class members impact the Court’s prior 

determination granting preliminary approval of the class action settlement (Dkt. No. 

135). Additionally, the parties shall provide new proposed future action dates, as 

well as a proposed order setting new action dates.

It is further ORDERED that all future action dates set forth in the Order 

Granting Preliminary Approval of Class Action Settlement (Dkt. No. 135) are 

HEREBY SUSPENDED pending the Hearing on the Data Issues as set forth above. 

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: November 20, 2015

KANDIS A. WESTMORE

United States Magistrate Judge

Case 4:13-cv-05961-KAW Document 141 Filed 11/20/15 Page 5 of 5