Roth v. Life Time Fitness, Inc.

Background

Jennifer Roth brought the case for herself and other similarly situated people against Life Time Fitness, Inc., LTF Club Operations Company, Inc., LTF Club Management Company, LLC, and LTF Yoga Company, LLC. She alleged that the defendants failed to compensate group fitness instructors for work performed before and after they taught fitness classes. Her claims were under the Ohio Prompt Pay Act or, alternatively, for unjust enrichment.

The court had preliminarily approved the proposed settlement and conditionally certified a settlement class under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(b)(3). The court-approved notice was sent to 283 class members. One hundred class members submitted claims, one opted out, and no class member objected. The submitted claims totaled $115,681.10.

Settlement Approval

The court certified the class as described in its preliminary approval order and found that the mailed notice satisfied due-process and Rule 23 requirements. It appointed Karon LLC, Shindler, Anderson, Goplerud & Weese, P.C., RoscaLaw LLC, and Reinhardt Wendorf & Blanchfield as joint settlement class counsel. It appointed Jennifer Roth as class representative.

The court found the settlement fair, adequate, and reasonable and approved the Class Settlement Agreement. The agreement created a $725,000 Settlement Fund, including:

- Up to $276,743.40 for the Class Member Fund, consisting of up to $269,243.40 for eligible class members who timely filed claims and $7,500 for Roth’s service award. - Up to $448,256.60 for attorneys’ fees, costs, and claims-administration expenses.

The order directed the settlement administrator to pay each class member who timely submitted a valid claim based on the number of weeks the person taught group fitness classes for the defendants in Ohio between August 1, 2013, and August 1, 2015. Any remaining Settlement Fund money was to remain in the defendants’ possession.

Attorneys’ Fees and Expenses

Roth requested $428,004.81 in attorneys’ fees, $20,251.79 in expenses, and a $7,500 class-representative award. The court explained that it evaluated the fee request using the lodestar method, which calculates reasonable hours multiplied by reasonable hourly rates.

The court noted that the settlement covered two of Roth’s original twenty-three claims, but found that her success on those claims served a public good. It also noted that counsel had reduced the fee request from a lodestar exceeding $1 million to approximately one-third of that amount. The court found the hours and rates reasonable and granted the requested attorneys’ fees in full. It also granted the requested expenses and class-representative award.

Disposition

The court granted Roth’s motion for final approval of the class settlement and granted her motion for attorneys’ fees, expenses, and class-representative award. It directed payment of $7,500 to Roth, $428,004.81 in attorneys’ fees, and $20,251.79 in expenses. The court dismissed all claims in the case with prejudice, enjoined class members from prosecuting the settled claims, retained jurisdiction to interpret and enforce the settlement and order, and directed entry of judgment.