Update: April 7, 2017 – Disbursement Made of Payments to Class Members
At long last, people employed by First Student who drove for First Student in the Riverside and Corona yards since April, 2011 should be receiving their payments relating to the settlement of this case.
Please note: Our office DOES NOT know who the members are unless they contact us and it’s been verified by First Student. So if you are a member of the class, or feel you should be, and don’t receive any payment by mid-April, please contact CPT Group, the third party administrator (“TPA”) handling the payments, to ask about your situation.
The TPA is in charge of making sure the payments go out. So if you moved, you may not have gotten a check. Or it might have been lost. Or it might have been mis-delivered. Whatever the case, if you feel you should have gotten a check, contact the CPT immediately. Here is its contact case manager’s information:
Taylor Mitzner, T: (949) 428-1058 F: (949) 428-1059
CPT Group, 16630 Aston, Irvine, California 92606
Telephone: (800) 542-0900 taylor@cptgroup.com
Thanks again for helping us bring this case to this point. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to call or email us at tom@falveylaw.com.
Update: February 17, 2017 – Motion for Final Approval of Class Action Settlement Granted
Great News! Our class action brought on behalf of First Student Bus Drivers in the Tyrer case was granted final approval today. This case applies to drivers who worked at either the Riverside or Corona yards in California from April 12, 2007 through August 19, 2016. A copy of the Order and Judgment signed by the court is attached. You can view it here.
We are grateful to all of those of you who called and emailed us and helped us prepare our case. Our being able to talk with many of you really helped us achieve a very good result.
It’s always a pleasure when we can report this outcome and we’re glad we were able to obtain this result after more than five years’ time, i.e., since it was filed in 2011.
To all of those of you who helped us reach the class members, we appreciate all of your efforts and assistance. It was thanks to your saving and providing us with schedules, timesheets, earnings statements and many other documents that helped us prove our case to the court.
If you have any questions or comments, whether on this case or any other matter, and whether in relation to First Student or elsewhere, please don’t hesitate to contact us, whether or not you are still working for one of those yards.
Thanks again. Feel free to call 818-547-5200 or email us (tom@falveylaw.com) at any time if you have any questions, comments or suggestions about this or any other case or matter.
Update: August 19, 2016 – Preliminary Approval Granted
After a long period of negotiations, we’re pleased to announce that the Los Angeles Superior Court recently granted our Motion for Preliminary Approval of our settlement in the case of Tyrer v First Student on behalf of school bus driverss who worked in California at the Riverside and Corona yards during roughly the past 7-8 years. A copy of the court’s order is attached hereto.
CPT, the third party administrator for the case, mailed out notices to all known class members on October 11, 2016. If you believe you are part of the class you should receive such a notice, First Student may not have your current address, however, and thus the administrator might not mail it to where you now live.
If you do not receive such a notice by the end of October, 2016, we recommend you immediately contact CPT as follows:
Timothy N. Phillips, Jr.
166630 Aston, Irvine, CA 92606
800-542-0900
Tim@cptgroup.com
We are very grateful for your patience in our endeavor to continue to see this case to conclusion. If all goes well, final approval should take place early next year.
If you have any questions about your current or former employment at CVS, please call us at 818-547-5200 or email us at tom@falveylaw.com.
Update: Plaintiff’s Unopposed Motion for Preliminary Approval of Settlement filed July 27, 2016
We’re very glad to report that we have filed an Unopposed Motion for Preliminary Approval of a Settlement for the Corona and Riverside yards of First Student for drivers who worked there over the past (approximately) 8 years.
The Motion is scheduled to be heard on August 19, 2016.
We’ll keep you informed of further developments as they happen.
Case Filed: Plaintiff’s Alligations
A proposed class-action lawsuit has been filed by former employee James Tyrer (“Plaintiff”) against First Student, Inc. on behalf of non-exempt employees who worked as non-exempt (hourly) drivers for First Student at any time since April 12, 2007. The case is entitled James Tyrer, Jr. v. First Student, Inc., Case No. BC 459305 (Los Angeles Superior Court).
In his lawsuit, filed on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, Plaintiff James Tyrer, Jr. contends that First Student did not comply with the requirements under California law for payment of wages. If successful, a class action allows former and current employees to receive back wages that are owed to them.
First Student denies the claims in their entirety and believes that it has followed California law with respect to the payment of wages to its employees. The court has not yet ruled on any of Plaintiff’s allegations or determined whether the case is appropriate for class action status.
If you are or were a First Student employee working in California since April 12, 2007, we would like to speak with you. Please contact us by either calling our office at 626.795.0205, by mailing us at 550 North Brand Blvd., Suite 1500, Glendale, California 91203, or by emailing us at tom@falveylaw.com.
Law Offices of Thomas W. Falvey 