OHIO STATE WEXNER MEDICAL CENTER LAWSUIT AND SETTLEMENT

Jul 31, 2020
By Peter Friedmann

 

 

 

A settlement in the the lawsuit titled Oakley et al. v. Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Case No. 2017-00845, Ohio Court of Claims, has been preliminarily approved by the Court. 

This blog post serves to provide information related to that settlement and to provide information related to that lawsuit and settlement.

All Hourly Employees should have received a Notice with additional information on participation options for the settlement.  For more information on the lawsuit, settlement, and important documents related to the lawsuit, please continue reading below. 

Background of Lawsuit

Plaintiffs, including named Plaintiff James Oakley, initiated the lawsuit on October 18, 2017, alleging that Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (and all of its 190+ facilities) violated the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) by failing to pay hourly employees for all compensable time as a result of OSUWMC’s time-clock rounding practice. The lawsuit alleged that the time clocks consistently rounded clock-in and clock-out times in favor of OSUWMC and resulted in unpaid overtime wages for hourly workers.

There are currently 181 individuals in multiple job classifications and at multiple facilities that are Plaintiffs in this lawsuit.  The Plaintiffs are represented by Class Counsel of Mansell Law LLC and The Friedmann Firm LLC.

Class Action Settlement

The Plaintiffs and OSUWMC informally exchanged millions of time entries, payroll information, and representative samples relating to the members of the class action.  The parties then engaged in two full days of mediation in February and April 2020.  As a result of the mediation, the parties agreed to settlement terms.  The Court has preliminarily approved the Settlement Agreement.

The basic terms of the Settlement Agreement provide Funds Available for Settlement of Four Million Dollars ($4,000,000.00). The Settlement Agreement also required that a Notice and Claim Form be sent to potential class members on July 24, 2020.  If you received this Notice and Claim Form, you are eligible to participate in the lawsuit. In order to receive payment under the Settlement Agreement, the class member must return a completed Claim Form by September 2, 2020.  The Claim Form can be returned by mail to: Oakley/OSUWMC Class Action Settlement Administrator, P.O. Box 2006, Chanhassen MN, 55317-2006.  Additionally, the Claim Form can be filled out and submitted online at www.oakleyclassaction.com.

Please note that the Settlement Agreement is not final until the Court grants final approval, which would not occur until after the period to make a claim has ended.  If you have any questions, regarding the Settlement, please contact The Friedmann Firm, Mansell Law or you can call the Claims Administrator, Analytics Consulting LLC, toll-free at 1-844-902-0377.