The dispute centered on claims that Grid One violated the Fair Labor Standards Act and Article Six of the New York Labor Law by failing to properly compensate hourly non-exempt employees, including Entry Level Technicians, Level 2 Technicians, Gas Technicians, and Field Leads, between November 2022 and July 2024.
The settlement establishes a fund of $120,000 to compensate up to 400 class members employed in New York State during the relevant period. Class Counsel estimated that payments would be distributed based on the total number of weeks worked by each member relative to the rest of the class.
Judge Coombe certified the settlement class, finding the agreement fair, reasonable, and adequate under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23. The court noted that notice was successfully delivered to 98.2% of the 391 identified class members, with no objections filed and only one member opting out.
The court also approved attorneys' fees and costs associated with the resolution. Class Counsel requested $48,000, representing 40% of the settlement fund, but the judge reduced the award to $42,150, or 33% of the fund, citing local precedent and the complexity of the hybrid FLSA and state law claims.
Service awards were granted to the named plaintiffs, Scott Ruffner and Jeremy Nimmo, in the amounts of $3,000 and $2,000, respectively. The court also approved $10,000 in claims administration fees for Analytics Consulting LLC.
The order permanently enjoins class members from asserting released claims against Grid One and its officers, directors, and employees. The case is dismissed with prejudice, though the court will retain jurisdiction to enforce the settlement agreement until 30 days after the expiration of the time for class members to cash their settlement checks.