C.R. England Truckers Finalize $20 Million Wage, Breaks Deal

A federal judge in Utah signed off on a $20 million settlement between C.R. England Inc. and more than 12,800 truckers, resolving claims over the company’s for-profit training program, uncompensated sleeper-berth time, and missed breaks.

The truckers sued in 2016 under California labor and unfair competition law, alleging CRE induced them to enroll in its for-profit training program and obtain loans through the company to pay for it by promising them guaranteed full-time jobs upon completion. They also claimed CRE failed to pay them for time spent in their trucks’ sleeper berths and provide compliant meal and rest breaks.

Under the deal, CRE will pay the class members $3.6 million in cash and forgive more than $15 million in loan debt. Each class member is expected to recover about $1,300 total.

Class counsel will get $1.44 million in attorneys’ fees and $90,000 for costs, and the four named plaintiffs will each receive $12,000 service awards.

Eight class members have opted out of the deal and only one class member objected to it.

The objector, who is the lead plaintiff in a later-filed proposed wage and hour class action against CRE, primarily argued the plaintiffs here had undervalued the claims. The court overruled the objection, saying it “raises only debatable possibilities.”

The deal also allocates nearly $75,000 for administration costs and $54,000 in penalties under California’s Private Attorney Generals Act.

The approval order was entered Nov. 20 by Judge David Nuffer of the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah.

Van Vleck Law Firm LLP, Blumenthal Nordrehaug & Bhowmik, Strindberg & Scholnick LLC, and Cook & Monahan PC represented the class. Nossaman LLP and Ray Quinney & Nebeker PC represented CRE. Parsons Behle & Latimer and Schneider Wallace Cottrell Konecky LLP represented the objector.

The case is Gradie v. C.R. Eng., Inc., 2020 BL 453528, D. Utah, No. 2:16-cv-00768-DN, 11/20/20.