News

Plaintiff list slashed in Coldiron v. Pizza Hut labor suit

July 18, 2005

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — According to a 10-Q filing by Pizza Hut parent Yum! Brands, the number of plaintiffs in a class-action labor suit against the pizza chain will be much smaller than plaintiffs' attorneys once anticipated.

In the filing, Yum reported that on June 30, a California district court judge granted Pizza Hut's motion to strike from the class all members who joined the litigation after July 15, 2004. "The effect of this order is to reduce the number of (Fair Standards and Labor Act) class members to only approximately 87 (or approximately 2.5 percent of the eligible class members)," the filing read.

Filed in 2003, the suit, better known as Coldiron v. Pizza Hut, centers on former "restaurant general manager" Ann Coldiron's complaint that Pizza Hut avoided paying her and her peers deserved overtime by classifying them as managers but giving them hourly duties.

In 2004, Coldiron's attorneys predicted as many as 3,100 plaintiffs could join the class and that damages potentially could reach $300 million.

During a July 14 Yum investors conference call, a company official said the multi-brand king has spent $3 million this year on legal fees for Pizza Hut. The official did not say what portion of that amount was dedicated to the Coldiron case.

Read all related stories:
* Few signing on for Pizza Hut class action suit
* New overtime regs fuel labor dispute
* Federal judge rules against Pizza Hut in overtime case
* Judge finds for plaintiff in labor lawsuit against Pizza Hut