Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-casd-3_06-cv-01507/USCOURTS-casd-3_06-cv-01507-1/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 710
Nature of Suit: Fair Labor Standards Act
Cause of Action: 28:1331 Fed. Question: Fair Labor Standards

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

MARK CHIARAMONTE, individually and

on behalf of himself and All Others Similarly

Situated,

Plaintiff,

CASE NO. 06 CV 1507 JM (NLS)

ORDER ADOPTING REPORT

AND RECOMMENDATION

vs.

PITNEY BOWES, INC., et al.,

Defendant.

On January 14, 2008, Magistrate Judge Nita L. Stormes issued a Report and Recommendation

(“R&R”) recommending that the court (1) grant Plaintiff’s motion for final approval of the class action

settlement (Doc. no. 23) by signing the proposed order attached to the R&R, and (2) grant Plaintiff’s

motion for an award of attorneys’ fees, costs, a class representative enhancement, and claims

administration expenses (Doc. no. 24), subject to a modification reducing attorneys’ fees from 33-

1/3% of the total settlement to 25% of the total settlement. The parties filed no objections to the R&R.

 Having carefully considered the R&R, the record before the court, the absence of any

objections to the R&R, and the applicable authorities, the court adopts the R&R in its entirety.

Accordingly, the court hereby ORDERS:

Motion for Final Approval of Class Action Settlement 

1. The court finds that the Stipulation of Settlement and Release Between Plaintiff and

Defendant Pitney Bowes, Inc. (“Settlement Agreement”) was entered into in good faith and that it

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constitutes a fair, reasonable and adequate compromise between the Parties.

2. The court finds and finally certifies the proposed Class for the purposes of this

settlement pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23, and in conformance with this court’s Order

of conditional certification.

3. If this Judgment and the settlement do not become final and effective in accord with

the terms of the Settlement Agreement, then this Judgment and all orders entered in connection

therewith shall be deemed null and void and shall be vacated. 

4. This court has jurisdiction over the subject matter of this litigation and over all Parties

to this litigation.

5. Distribution of the Notice of Settlement ("Notice") to members of the Class as

described in the Settlement Agreement and as preliminarily approved by the court, has been completed

in conformity with the Order of Preliminary Approval of Class Action Settlement filed August 14,

2007. Such individual Notice was mailed to all members of the Class who could be identified through

reasonable effort, and was the best notice practicable under the circumstances. This Notice provided

due and adequate notice of the proceedings and of the matters set forth therein, including the proposed

terms set forth in the Settlement Agreement, to all persons entitled to such Notice. The Notice fully

satisfied the requirements of due process as to the settlement. No member of the Class objected to the

settlement and six (6) members of the Class requested to be excluded from the settlement in a timely

manner. 

6. For purposes of the Settlement Agreement and this Judgment, a “Class Member" is

defined as follows: 

"All California-based Global Mailstream Solutions ("GMS") Sales

Executives, Area Sales Executives, Senior Account Sales Executives,

Major Account Executives, and Strategic Account Executives

employed by Pitney Bowes between July 26, 2002 and May 1, 2007.”

7. This court hereby approves the settlement and finds that the settlement is, in all

respects, fair, adequate and reasonable, and directs the Parties to effectuate the settlement according

to its terms. The court has considered numerous factors, including the opinions and experience of

counsel; the procedural history of the case including the litigation status at the time of the settlement;

the risk, expense, complexity, and likely duration of further litigation; and the terms negotiated in the

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1

 The effective date of settlement has been defined in Paragraph 11(5) as follows:

 “... The effective date shall be the date of final approval if no objections are filed to the

settlement. If objections are filed and overruled, and no appeal is taken of the final approval

order, then the effective date of final approval shall be sixty-five (65) days after the district

court enters final approval. If an appeal is taken from the Court's overruling of objections to

the settlement, then the effective date of final approval shall be twenty (20) days after the

appeal is withdrawn or after an appellate decision affirming the final approval decision

becomes final. No money will be distributed unless and until the effective date of final

approval occurs.

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settlement. Accordingly, the court hereby approves the terms of the settlement as fair, reasonable,

adequate and in the best interests of the Parties and the Class. 

8. The court further finds that the settlement has been reached as a result of intensive,

serious, and non-collusive arms-length negotiations, including voluntary, non-binding mediation

before an experienced mediator. The court finds that the Parties have conducted extensive

investigation, research, and discovery and that counsel for the Parties are able to reasonably evaluate

the Parties' respective positions. The court finds that settlement at this time will avoid additional

substantial costs, as well as avoid the delay and risks that would be presented by the further

prosecution of the Action. The court has reviewed the monetary recovery prescribed by the Settlement

Agreement and recognizes the significant value to the Class of that monetary recovery.

9. As of the effective date1

 of settlement, the released claims of each member of the Class,

pursuant to the terms of the Settlement Agreement, are and shall be deemed to be fully, finally, and

conclusively released as against Defendant, Pitney Bowes, Inc., and each member of the Class shall

be forever barred and enjoined from prosecuting the released claims. 

10. The court hereby dismisses the Litigation on the merits and with prejudice, pursuant

to the terms of the Settlement Agreement, against the Named Plaintiff and all members of the Class

who have not requested exclusion in favor of Defendant as to all claims asserted.

11. Without affecting the finality of this Judgment in any way, this court hereby retains

continuing jurisdiction over the interpretation, implementation and enforcement of the Settlement and

all orders and judgments entered in connection 

therewith.

//

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Motion for Award of Attorneys’ Fees, Costs, Class Representative Enhancement, and Claims

Administration Expenses

For the reasons set forth in the R&R, the court hereby grants Plaintiff’s motion for an award

of attorneys’ fees, costs, a class representative enhancement, and claims administration expenses,

subject to the following modification: the attorneys’ fees award is reduced from 33-1/3% of the total

settlement to 25% of the total settlement.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

DATED: February 25, 2008

 Hon. Jeffrey T. Miller

 United States District Judge

cc: All parties

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