In re California Gasoline Spot Market Antitrust Litigation

Background

On March 14, 2025, the court approved the class-action settlement and granted in part and denied in part the plaintiffs’ motion for attorneys’ fees, costs, and service awards. The court denied the requested service awards because the plaintiffs had not provided evidence showing the quantity or quality of the settlement-class representatives’ service. The plaintiffs then filed an unopposed renewed motion for service awards.

Legal standard

A service award, also called an incentive award, compensates a class representative for work performed for the class and may recognize financial or reputational risks associated with serving in that role. Courts consider factors including the representative’s financial and other risks, personal difficulties, time and effort, the length of the litigation, and any personal benefit from the case. Each award must be evaluated individually and supported by evidence showing the quality of the representative’s service.

Court’s ruling

The plaintiffs requested $5,000 for each of three settlement-class representatives: Fricke-Parks Press, Inc., Bogard Construction, Inc., and Ritual Coffee Roasters, Inc. They asserted that the representatives publicly associated their businesses with litigation against major participants in the California gasoline market and spent dozens of hours over nearly five years responding to discovery, sitting for depositions, and coordinating with counsel through class certification and mediation.

The representatives submitted declarations stating that they spent between 20 and 59 hours on the litigation. The court found that their individual contributions warranted incentive awards and that $5,000 for each representative was reasonable. The court therefore granted the plaintiffs’ renewed motion and awarded $5,000 each to Fricke-Parks Press, Inc., Bogard Construction, Inc., and Ritual Coffee Roasters, Inc. The order disposed of Docket No. 635.