Facts

Ahmed Higazi was the lead plaintiff of 207 technical support workers. The class members were employed by Cadence Design Systems Inc. in the United States between May 2003 and July 2008. The majority of the class members worked in California.

The plaintiffs sued under the Fair Labor Standards Act and the California Labor Code.

PLAINTIFFS' CONTENTIONS:
The plaintiffs contended that they were not paid overtime and that they were misclassified as exempt from laws governing overtime pay.

DEFENDANT'S CONTENTIONS:
Defendant countered that the employees were properly classified as exempt employees in adherence to federal and state law.

Damages

The plaintiffs sought an unspecified amount in compensation for overtime work performed. The defendant alleged that the overtime hours claimed was in excess of hours actually worked.

Result

The plaintiffs settled for $7,664,856.61, which was distributed to the class members based on the number of weeks worked and whether the employee worked in California. Due to California's greater remedies for workers, plaintiffs who had worked in California would be entitled to more compensation. Slightly less than twenty-five percent of the recovery went toward attorney fees and costs.