Facts

Kyana Rampley was employed as a phlebotomist in a non-exempt hourly position by Bear Valley Community Healthcare District. From October 2017 through March 2021, Rampley worked at Bear Valley Community Hospital in Big Bear Lake. On July 29, 2021, Rampley filed suit on behalf of herself and all others similarly situated against the Healthcare District.

PLAINTIFF'S CONTENTIONS: The plaintiff contended that the defendant routinely had employees work more than 40 hours per work week; that she was paid on an hourly basis and received non-discretionary bonuses; that the defendant did not include the non-discretionary bonuses and shift differentials when calculating regular rates of pay for the purposes of calculating overtime compensation; that the defendant's failure resulted in the underpayment of overtime wages; that the defendant failed to properly compensate her for time spent on-call under the defendant's control; that the defendant failed to pay for all hours worked; and that the defendant did so willfully. The plaintiff contended that these failures made the defendant liable for damages and for civil penalties under the Private Attorneys General Act of 2004.

DEFENDANT'S CONTENTIONS: The defendant denied any wrongdoing or liability and all the plaintiff's material allegations.

Settlement Discussions

On December 2, 2022, the parties participated in a full-day mediation session that resulted in the principal terms of their settlement agreement.

Result

The parties reached an agreement wherein the defendant admitted no liability or wrongdoing but agreed to pay $240,000 to settle class and PAGA claims.