Source: https://www.stuevesiegel.com/attorney/Ricke
Timestamp: 2019-04-20 23:17:50+00:00

Document:
Alex Ricke advocates for clients when their businesses and livelihoods are on the line. A proven litigator, he has a track record of success in bet-the-company commercial cases and complex class and collective actions.
Commercial Litigation. Alex represents plaintiffs – often entrepreneurs or small businesses – in commercial disputes, including breach of contract, dissolution of closely held entities (corporate divorces), breach of fiduciary duty, and misappropriation of trade secret and other intellectual property. In one current matter, Alex represents a construction project management software company prosecuting breach of contract, fraud, and breach of fiduciary duty claims against one of the country’s largest general contractors. After agreeing to work together and entering into what Alex’s client alleges was a joint venture, Alex’s client learned that the general contractor had planned to and subsequently did create a rival product while relying on Alex’s client’s software to do so.
Executive Departures and Negotiations. When executives or highly compensated employees leave their companies, Alex helps them negotiate the terms of their departure. These disputes can include executives who are still owed back and front wages, whistleblowers who have suffered retaliation, and executives who have had their stock options voided or suffered other retaliatory conduct. He handles these sensitive negotiations with urgency and discretion.
Criddell v. Premier Healthcare Services, LLC: The Court appointed Alex as class and collective counsel representing homecare aides who were subject to an illegal background check process and were not paid overtime. See Criddell v. Premier Healthcare Servs., LLC, No. CV 16-5842-R, 2017 WL 2079653 (C.D. Cal. Feb. 9, 2017). In February 2018, he secured and then collected a mid-six figure judgment that included, among other relief, complete overtime damages for the FLSA collective.
Confidential Collective Action Wage and Hour Settlement with Fortune 1000 Company: Alex filed, prosecuted, and settled, on a collective action basis, a Fair Labor Standards Act case regarding the company’s use of a time-clock rounding system, failure to provide compliant tip credit notices, and miscalculation of overtime premiums for tipped employees. This settlement was approved in May 2018.
Prior to joining Stueve Siegel Hanson, Alex practiced at a boutique complex litigation firm, where he prosecuted business and class action cases nationwide. A transplant from St. Louis, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Katrina, and his two black Labrador Retrievers (Bernie and Brooks), traveling, and supporting the Missouri Tigers.
DIRECTV Wage and Hour Litigation, Multiple Jurisdictions: Alex is part of the litigation team asserting violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act and state wage laws against DIRECTV and associated entities on behalf of satellite installation technicians. In over 50 federal cases against DIRECTV brought by Stueve Siegel Hanson, Plaintiffs are challenging DIRECTV’s fissured employment structure where DIRECTV disclaims the responsibility of employment while simultaneously controlling nearly every aspect of the technicians’ work, including hiring and firing. Plaintiffs are further challenging DIRECTV’s “piece-rate” payment structure, which fails to compensate technicians for all hours worked, overtime hours, and business expenses. Alex has deposed in excess of 30 current and former DIRECTV employees in connection with these cases. Alex also regularly drafts evidentiary and dispositive motions including successfully drafting and arguing a motion to compel the production of documents that DIRECTV had previously withheld.
Finefrock, et al. v. Five Guys Operations, LLC, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania: Alex has primary responsibility over this case, which asserts violations of the Equal Pay Act against Five Guys’ corporate-owned restaurants for paying women less than men for equal work. The case seeks recoupment of the underpaid wages and status as a collective action under the Equal Pay Act provision of the Fair Labor Standards Act. In March 2017, Judge Sylvia H. Rambo denied Five Guys’ motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim. Plaintiff is now engaging in class-wide discovery.
Hutkai, et al. v. Penn National Gaming, Inc., et al., U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri: Alex represents Plaintiffs asserting claims for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act and state minimum wage and overtime laws. Plaintiffs are current and former table games dealers at PNG’s subsidiary casinos who seek to represent similarly situated employees for claims of illegal time-clock rounding, failure to pay wages for training, and failure to correctly calculate overtime for tipped employees.
Hapka v. CareCentrix, Inc, U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas: Along with Barrett Vahle, Alex had day-to-day management responsibility for this data breach class action alleging that CareCentrix was negligent in permitting its 2015 W-2 Forms to be released to a third party fraudster in a “spoofing” attack. After successfully defending against a motion to dismiss and an attempt to engage in absent class member discovery, Plaintiff reached a class action settlement with CareCentrix that was granted final approval in February 2018.
Criddell v. Premier Healthcare Services, LLC, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California: Alex managed this case from inception through approval of the class and collective action offer of judgment. The Plaintiff asserted claims for violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, Fair Labor Standards Act, and California Labor Code against a home healthcare provider. In February 2017, the Court certified the FCRA claim as a class action and conditionally certified the FLSA claim as a collective action. In March 2017, Plaintiff accepted a Rule 68 offer of judgment for $247,854 for the FCRA class ($101 per class member with checks mailed directly to class members without the need to submit a claim form) and complete overtime damages to the FLSA collective (like the FCRA class, checks were mailed to directly to FLSA collective members without the need to submit a claim form). Plaintiff’s counsel also recovered a robust attorneys’ fee award separate from and in addition to the class and collective recoveries through a vehemently contested arbitration of the issue, which was then adopted and approved by the Court in January 2018.
Defective Product Litigation Against a Major Automotive Manufacturer, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California: Alex coordinated the litigation team that, in April 2016, secured final approval of a nationwide settlement between a class of owners and lessees of class vehicles and a major automotive manufacturer. The lawsuit stemmed from allegations that the steering system in the class vehicles was defective and caused the vehicles to “wander” at highway speeds. The settlement followed extensive written and deposition discovery where Alex deposed five corporate executives. The settlement relief provided cash refunds or repair vouchers to class members who made claims.
Commercial Litigation Against a Major Bank Holding Company, Confidential Jurisdiction: Alex was a part of the litigation team that filed a lawsuit on behalf of a bank holding company against a major bank holding company and one of its subsidiaries. The litigation arose out of a merger agreement between the parties whereby Defendants agreed to purchase Alex’s client. However, the merger failed to obtain regulatory approval due to Defendants’ actions in another market in violation of federal regulations. After defeating a motion to dismiss and engaging in discovery, Alex and the litigation team were able to reach a settlement with Defendants resulting in Defendants purchasing Alex’s client. Alex worked closely with Defendants’ counsel to ensure the acquisition obtained regulatory approval.
Antitrust Litigation Against a Nationwide Dairy Cooperative, Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri: Alex was a part of the litigation team that, in November 2015, secured final approval of a $3,500,000 settlement between a certified class of Missouri citizens who had purchased milk and cream products and Defendant. The lawsuit stemmed from one of Defendant’s programs whereby Defendant incentivized member farmers to cull their cattle herds. Plaintiffs alleged that Defendant’s program artificially increased the price of milk and dairy products in Missouri in violation of the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act. The case was settled following class certification, denial of a writ related to class certification, and argument on summary judgment.
Antitrust Litigation Against Pool Products Manufacturers and a Distributor, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana: Alex was a part of the litigation team that, between 2014 and 2015, secured finally approved settlements between indirect purchasers of pool products in California, Arizona, Missouri and Florida and three manufacturers of pool products. The allegations in the suit stemmed from a Federal Trade Commission investigation that a pool product distributor conspired with three pool product manufacturers to damage competition in the supply chain and increase prices.

References: v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v.