Aguirre v. Mardave Management Inc.

Background

The parties filed a joint letter and settlement agreement on February 3, 2023. They also submitted contemporaneous time records and a breakdown of Plaintiff’s counsel’s fees. The opinion refers to Plaintiff’s claims as involving wage-and-hour issues.

Settlement Approval

The court approved the settlement as fair and reasonable. It relied on the nature and scope of the claims, the risks and expenses of further litigation, and the fact that the agreement resulted from arms-length negotiations by experienced counsel. The court found no indication of fraud or collusion. It also found that the agreement did not release claims unrelated to wage-and-hour issues.

Attorney’s Fees and Disposition

The court granted Plaintiff’s counsel’s request for $13,868. That amount included $552 in reimbursed costs, with the remainder treated as an attorney’s fee. The court noted that the request was below the lodestar calculation—the reasonable hourly rate multiplied by the reasonable number of hours—and was approximately one-third of the settlement. The court found the amount fair and reasonable based on counsel’s quality, the risks of litigation, and the case’s magnitude and complexity. The remainder of the settlement was to be distributed to Plaintiff. The Clerk of Court was directed to close the case.

Classification

This is a procedural order because the court approved a settlement and ruled on an associated fee request without deciding the underlying wage-and-hour claims on their merits.