Compass Group Tobacco Penalty Lawsuit Certified as Class Action

Compass Group USA Inc. will face a certified class of thousands of tobacco-using workers saying the company charged them higher fees for health-care coverage without providing a valid way to waive the charges.

Judge Stephen R. Bough certified four classes of employees who paid a tobacco surcharge under the hospitality company’s health plan over various time periods. Bough’s order, issued Thursday in the US District Court for the Western District of Missouri, makes clear the classes can pursue only retrospective relief because the named plaintiffs are no longer covered by the Compass plan and therefore lack standing to seek ...