Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_10-cv-01451/USCOURTS-caed-2_10-cv-01451-10/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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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

CATHERINE WILKIE, individually

and on behalf of all others

similarly situated,

 Plaintiffs,

 v.

GENTIVA HEALTH SERVICES, INC., 

 Defendant.

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2:10-cv-01451-GEB-GGH

ORDER PRELIMINARILY APPROVING

SETTLEMENT

The Plaintiffs’ proposed Order Preliminarily Approving

Settlement, filed in the docket as ECF No. 69-2, is hereby approved and

reproduced below.

WHEREAS, the Plaintiff and Defendant have entered into a

Settlement Agreement intended to resolve the litigation against

Defendant arising out of its alleged unlawful compensation practices for

Clinical Associates (“CAs”) who are or were paid pursuant to Defendant’s

Pay Per Visit Program; and

WHEREAS, the Settlement Agreement, together with supporting

materials, sets for the terms and conditions for a proposed settlement

and dismissal with prejudice of this action against the Defendant; and

WHEREAS, the Court has before it Plaintiffs’ Motion for

Preliminary Approval of Settlement and supporting papers in support

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thereof, together with the Settlement Agreement and supporting

materials; and

WHEREAS, the Court is satisfied that the terms and conditions

set forth in the Settlement Agreement were the result of good faith,

arms-length settlement negotiations between competent and experienced

counsel for both Plaintiff and Defendant.

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED AS FOLLOWS:

1. The terms of the parties’ Settlement Agreement are hereby

conditionally approved, subject to further consideration thereof at the

Final Approval Hearing provided for below. The Court finds that the

Settlement is sufficiently within the range of reasonableness and that

notice of the proposed settlement should be given as provided in this

Order.

2. The Court conditionally certifies the following Settlement

Classes:

(a) Collective Action Class: Pursuant to 216(b), the Court

conditionally certifies, for settlement purposes only, a class that

includes all clinical associates who are or were employed by Gentiva

either in California or at Gentiva’s branch locations in Troy, Alabama

(Branch No. 2431), Fort Walton Beach, Florida (Branch Nos. 2100 and

2101), Newnan, Georgia (Branch Nos. 2659 and 2655), or Hickory, North

Carolina (Branch Nos. 2447 and 947); and paid pursuant to Gentiva’s Pay

Per Visit Program for work performed at any time between June 11, 2007,

through the Date of Preliminary Approval, but not including any of the

plaintiffs in Rindfleisch, et al v. Gentiva Health Services, Inc.,

1:10-cv-03288 (SCJ) (N.D. Ga.) (“Rindfleisch”).

(b) State Settlement Class: Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil

Procedure 23, the Court conditionally certifies, for settlement purposes

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only, a class that includes all clinical associates who are or were

employed by Gentiva in California and paid pursuant to Gentiva’s Pay Per

Visit Program for work performed at any time between June 11, 2006

through the Date of Preliminary Approval, but not including any of the

Rindfleisch Plaintiffs.

3. The Court further conditionally finds that Plaintiff

Catherine Wilkie (“Representative Plaintiff” or “Settlement Class

Representative”) is an adequate class representative for the Settlement

Classes.

4. The Court further conditionally finds that Plaintiff’s

Counsel are adequate to serve as Class Counsel and conditionally

appoints the following as counsel for the Classes:

Seth R. Lesser

Fran L. Rudich

Michael J. Palitz

KLAFTER OLSEN & LESSER LLP

Two International Drive, Suite 350

Rye Brook, New York 10573

C. Brooks Cutter

KERSHAW, CUTTER & RATINOFF, LLP

401 Watt Avenue

Sacramento, California 95864

5. Any person who does not elect to be excluded from the

Settlement Classes may, but need not, enter an appearance through his or

her own attorney. Settlement Class members who do not enter an

appearance through their own attorneys will be represented by Class

Counsel.

Notice to Settlement Class and Appointment of Settlement Administrator

6. The Court approves the forms of Notice attached as Exhibit

C to Plaintiff’s Motion for Preliminary Approval and the manner of

notice set forth in Section 5 of the Settlement Agreement. Such Notice

shall issue on or before the date fifteen (15) days from the date that

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Defendant provides class member information to the Claims Administrator.

Defendant shall provide class member information to the Claims

administrator on or before the date thirty (30) days from the date of

this Order.

7. The manner and forms of Notice set forth in Section 5 of

the Settlement Agreement are hereby approved and the provisions thereof

are hereby incorporated into this Order so that upon entry of this

Order, the parties are directed to ensure that the notices are

disseminated according to the terms of Section 5. Settlement Class

members may request exclusion from the Settlement or file claim forms to

participate in the settlement as described in the Settlement Agreement

on or before the date forty five (45) days after mailing. Settlement

Class members may object to the Settlement on or before the date thirty

(30) after mailing. Prior to the Final Approval Hearing, Plaintiff

and/or the Claims Administrator shall serve and file a sworn statement

attesting to compliance with the provisions of this paragraph.

8. The Notice, in form and manner, to be provided as set forth

in the Settlement Agreement is hereby found to be the best practicable

means of providing notice under the circumstances and, when completed,

shall constitute due and sufficient notice of the proposed Settlement

and the Final Approval Hearing to all persons and entities affected by

and/or entitled to participate in the Settlement, in full compliance

with the notice requirements of Fed R. Civ. P. 23, due process, the

Constitution of the United States, the laws of California and all other

applicable laws. The form of Notice is accurate, objective, informative

and provides members of the Settlement Classes with all of the

information necessary to make an informed decision regarding their

participation in the Settlement and its fairness.

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9. The parties and their respective counsel are authorized to

retain Garden City Group, Inc., to serve as the Claims Administrator in

accordance with the terms of the Settlement Agreement and this Order.

Requests for Exclusion from the State Settlement Class

10. Any member of the State Settlement Class who wishes to be

excluded (“opt out”) must send an Opt-out Statement for exclusion to the

Claims Administrator, so that it is received by the Claims Administrator

at the address indicated in the Notice on or before the date forty five

(45) days after mailing of the Notices. If, however, the State

Settlement Class member submits a timely Claim Form in addition to an

Opt-out Statement, his or her opt out request will be void.

11. Members of the State Settlement Class may not exclude

themselves by filing requests for exclusion as a group or class, but

must in each instance individually and personally execute a request for

exclusion and timely transmit it to the Claims Administrator.

12. Any member of the State Settlement Class who does not

properly and timely request exclusion shall be bound by all the terms

and provisions of the Settlement Agreement, whether or not such person

objected to the Settlement and whether or not such person made a claim

upon, or participated in, the settlement fund pursuant to the Settlement

Agreement. All members of the State Settlement Class who do not

personally and timely request to be excluded are enjoined from

proceeding against the Defendant for the claims made in the Amended

Complaint.

Objections to Settlement

13. Any person who does not elect to be excluded from the

Settlement may, but need not, submit comments or objections to the

proposed Settlement, entry of Final Order and Judgment approving the

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settlement, or Settlement Class Counsel’s application for fees and

expenses by serving a written objection.

14. Any individual making the objection (an “Objector”) must

sign the objection personally. To object, Settlement Class members must

file with the Court and serve on counsel for the Parties a written

statement describing their reasons for objecting to the Settlement no

later than 30 days after the date of the postmark of the notice sent by

the Claims Administrator. No person shall be entitled to be heard at the

Final Approval Hearing (whether individually or through separate

counsel) or to object to the Settlement, and no written objections or

briefs submitted by any person shall be received or considered by the

Court at the Final Approval Hearing, unless such written statement of

objections and supporting materials are timely filed and served as set

forth herein.

15. An objection must also state the Objector’s full name,

address, and the dates and position of the objector’s employment with

Defendant.

16. If an objector intends to appear personally at the Final

Approval Hearing, the Objector must include with the objection a notice

of the Objector’s intent to appear at the hearing. If counsel is

appearing on behalf of more than one Settlement Class member, counsel

must identify each such Settlement Class member, and each Settlement

Class member must have complied with the requirements of this Order.

The Final Approval Hearing

17. A hearing on Final Approval of the Settlement (the “Final

Approval Hearing”) is hereby scheduled to be held before this Court on

March 25, 2013, commencing at 9:00 a.m., a date at least one hundred and

fifty-five (155) days after this Order consistent with the terms of the

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Settlement Agreement, to consider the fairness, reasonableness, and

adequacy of the proposed Settlement, the dismissal with prejudice of the

Lawsuit with respect to Defendant herein, and the entry of final

judgment in the Lawsuit.

18. Settlement Class Counsel’s application for award of

attorneys’ fees and costs and the Settlement Class Representative’s

application for Incentive Award shall be heard at the time of the Final

Approval Hearing. Any application for an award of attorneys’ fees and

costs and any application for Incentive Award shall be filed with the

Court on or before the date twenty-one (21) days prior to the Final

Approval Hearing.

19. The date and time of the Final Approval Hearing shall be

set forth in the Notice, but the Final Approval Hearing shall be subject

to adjournment by the Court without further notice to the members of the

Settlement Classes other than that which may be posted by the Court.

20. Only Settlement Class members who have filed and served

valid and timely notices of objection shall be entitled to be heard at

the Final Approval Hearing. Any Settlement Class member who does not

timely file and serve an objection in writing to the Settlement, entry

of Final Judgment, or to Settlement Class Counsel’s application for

fees, costs, and expenses or to the award proposed for the Settlement

Class Representative, in accordance with the procedure set forth in the

Notice and mandated in this Order, shall be deemed to have waived any

such objection by appeal, collateral attack, or otherwise.

Other Provisions

20. Each and every time period and provision of the Settlement

Agreement shall be deemed incorporated herein as if expressly set forth

and shall have the full force and effect of an Order of this Court.

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21. All reasonable costs incurred in notifying members of the

Settlement Classes, as well as administering the Settlement Agreement,

shall be paid as set forth in the Settlement Agreement.

22. If the Settlement Agreement is terminated or not

consummated for any reason whatsoever, the conditional certification of

the Settlement Classes shall be void and the Defendant, pursuant to the

terms of the Settlement Agreement, shall have reserved all of its rights

to oppose any and all class certification motions, to contest the

adequacy of Plaintiff as representative of the putative class, and to

contest the adequacy of Plaintiff’s counsel as adequate Class Counsel.

Additionally, Plaintiff, pursuant to the terms of the Settlement

Agreement, reserves all of her rights, including the right to continue

with the litigation pending at the time of the settlement should the

Settlement Agreement not be consummated. IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: October 5, 2012

 

GARLAND E. BURRELL, JR.

Senior United States District Judge

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