Quay v. Monarch Healthcare Management LLC
- John Tunheim
- 0:21-cv-01796
- U.S. District Court · District of Minnesota
- 2
Counsel of record per CourtListener. Firm names are approximate.
In Quay v. Monarch Healthcare Management, Judge Tunheim approved a joint settlement agreement resolving wage claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act and dismissed the case with prejudice.
Workers who brought or joined a collective wage lawsuit under the Fair Labor Standards Act against Monarch Healthcare Management LLC, including named plaintiff April Quay and Opt-In Plaintiffs who joined the case.
What happened
In April Quay v. Monarch Healthcare Management LLC (Civil No. 21-1796), plaintiff April Quay and defendant Monarch Healthcare Management LLC jointly asked the court to approve a settlement resolving claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the federal law that sets minimum wage and overtime requirements. The parties submitted their settlement agreement on September 5, 2025, and the court reviewed the agreement and supporting documents to determine whether the resolution was fair and reasonable.
The court found that the settlement represents a fair and reasonable resolution of a genuine dispute over FLSA provisions, citing established legal standards for approving such settlements. The agreement includes attorneys' fees and costs for the lawyers who represented the collective group of plaintiffs. April Quay was appointed as the representative for the other workers (called "Opt-In Plaintiffs") who joined the lawsuit, and attorneys from the firms Anderson Alexander, PLLC and Nichols Kaster PLLP were formally approved as counsel for the plaintiffs.
Judge John R. Tunheim granted the joint motion, approved the settlement agreement, and dismissed the case with prejudice — meaning the case is permanently closed and cannot be refiled — except that attorneys' fees and costs are handled as specified in the settlement agreement itself.
The detailed version
- Quay v. Monarch Healthcare Management LLC · No. 0:21-cv-01796
- John Tunheim
- Mar. 9, 2026
Background
Plaintiff April Quay brought this action against Monarch Healthcare Management LLC asserting claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the federal statute governing minimum wage, overtime pay, and related labor standards. The case proceeded as a collective action, meaning other similarly situated workers (referred to as "Opt-In Plaintiffs") joined the lawsuit in addition to the named plaintiff.
Settlement Motion
On September 5, 2025, the parties filed a Joint Motion for Approval of FLSA Settlement (Docket No. 142), along with a proposed Settlement Agreement and Release of Claims (Docket No. 143-2). Under established Eleventh Circuit precedent adopted in this district — Lynn's Food Stores, Inc. v. United States, 679 F.2d 1350, 1355 (11th Cir. 1982) — FLSA settlements generally require court approval to be enforceable. The court must find that the settlement is a "fair and reasonable resolution of a bona fide dispute over FLSA provisions" before it can be approved.
Court's Analysis and Ruling
After reviewing the motion and supporting documents, the court found that the settlement meets the applicable legal standard — that it constitutes a fair and reasonable resolution of a genuine FLSA dispute. The court cited Lynn's Food Stores and Johnson v. Thomson Reuters, Civ. No. 18-0070, 2019 WL 1254565 (D. Minn. Mar. 19, 2019), as guiding authority.
The court's order: - Granted the Joint Motion for Approval of FLSA Settlement; - Approved the proposed Settlement Agreement, including attorneys' fees and costs to Collective Counsel; - Appointed April Quay as representative for the Opt-In Plaintiffs; - Approved Clif Alexander and Austin W. Anderson of Anderson Alexander, PLLC, and Michele R. Fisher of Nichols Kaster PLLP as counsel for the plaintiffs; - Authorized counsel for both parties to use reasonable procedures in administering the settlement consistent with the order and agreement; and - Dismissed the case with prejudice and without attorneys' fees or costs, except as expressly provided in the Settlement Agreement.
Disposition
The case is dismissed with prejudice, meaning it is permanently closed. Attorneys' fees and costs are governed solely by the terms of the Settlement Agreement itself.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.