New York footwear chain Shoe Mania could pay $1.1 million to former and current employees to settle several outstanding wage-and-hour lawsuits.
Attorneys for both the shoe retailer and the suits’ plaintiffs asked a federal judge to approve a proposed settlement in a joint motion filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.
The agreement would give class status to Shoe Mania employees who worked as retail sales persons, stock persons, security guards, cashiers, managers, assistant managers and office personnel between October 2002 and the date of a signed order. An attorney for the plaintiffs declined to comment on the number of people in such a class on Monday.
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Neil Greenberg, an attorney for Shoe Mania, said the company looked forward to “putting this matter behind it and working with the employees to ensure the continued prosperity of the business in these difficult economic times.”
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The proposed agreement stipulates the company continues to deny any liability or wrongdoing in the cases.
If approved, the settlement would end four lawsuits brought by employees between 2008 and 2009. Among other allegations, the complaints accused Shoe Mania of failing to properly pay minimum wage and overtime.
Under the terms of the proposed settlement, certified class members would receive a share of the $1.1 million payment based on the number of weeks worked at the firm’s stores. The six lead plaintiffs in the four settled suits would each receive $15,000. Lawyers for the class could get up to a third of the award to cover attorneys’ fees in addition to a reimbursement of litigation costs.
According to court documents, Shoe Mania lost more than $1 million in 2009. The prospective settlement would allow the plaintiffs to seek a larger sum if a search of the retailer’s books reveals greater financial resources.