San Francisco – August 8, 2016 – The Liu Law Firm, P.C. and Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld LLP announced that they have reached a preliminary settlement in a class action lawsuit in federal court in San Francisco filed on behalf of three former California store managers of ULTA Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance, Inc. (“ULTA”). The plaintiffs alleged that ULTA incorrectly classified them as exempt from the overtime requirements of California law. [Update: Judge Orrick issued an order provisionally certifying the settlement class and preliminarily approving class settlement on September 22, 2016.]
The class action lawsuit was brought on behalf of approximately 230 current and former store managers who had worked for ULTA in California from September 9, 2011 to the present. The $3,650,000 settlement includes attorney fees and settlement costs.
According to its latest Form 10‑K filed in March 2016 with the Securities and Exchange Commission, ULTA is the nation’s largest beauty retailer. ULTA sells cosmetics, haircare products, salon styling tools, skincare products, fragrance, and nail care products, and provides in-store salon services at most of its stores. As of January 30, 2016, the Company operated 874 retail stores in 48 states, including 104 stores in California.
“We are very pleased with the settlement and believe it is an excellent result for ULTA store managers,” said plaintiffs’ co-counsel Jennifer Liu of The Liu Law Firm, P.C.
“The settlement appropriately acknowledges the long hours its store managers have put into making ULTA’s California stores so successful,” added plaintiffs’ co-counsel Gay Grunfeld of Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld LLP.
The case is Quinby et al. v. ULTA Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance, Inc., U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, Case 3:15-cv-04099.
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Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld LLP, founded in San Francisco in 1990, focuses its practice on complex litigation and handles disputes in federal and state trial and appellate courts throughout California and nationwide. More information at rbgg.com.
The Liu Law Firm, P.C. is a San Francisco-based employee rights law firm representing employees nationwide in areas such as wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, employment contracts, severance negotiations, and wage and hour violations. More information at liulawpc.com.