Goldthorpe

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

DAN GOLDTHORPE, et al., Case No. 17-cv-03233-VC

Plaintiffs,

ORDER DENYING MOTION TO

v. INVALIDATE SETTLEMENT

RELEASES

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS LIMITED,

et al., Re: Dkt. No. 199 Defendants.

The plaintiffs move to invalidate settlement releases the defendants obtained from 57 putative class members. It’s a somewhat close question, but the motion is denied. This order assumes the reader’s familiarity with the facts of the case, the relevant law, and the arguments made by the parties. The plaintiffs concede that, as a general matter, a defendant is permitted to secure releases from proposed class members to settle a wage and hour dispute. See Chindarah v. Pick Up Stix, Inc., 171 Cal. App. 4th 796, 803 (2009). But the plaintiffs contend the way the defendants communicated with proposed class members was misleading and omitted critical information necessary for making an informed decision. See Camp v. Alexander, 300 F.R.D. 617, 621 (N.D. Cal. 2014). Specifically, the plaintiffs complain that the defendants failed to mention Ninth Circuit and California Supreme…