Settlement Structure: Claims Made
Active: Open
Case Summary:Sterling Jewelers, Inc. is settling a sex discrimination class action alleging it discriminated against its female employees, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the Equal Pay Act (EPA). The complaint alleged the company paid female sales associates less than it paid males doing the same work and denied females opportunities for promotion.
Docket Number:08 Civ. 2875 and 11-16-00655-08 (AAA)
Company: Sterling Jewelers Inc.
Filing Deadline: January 1, 2100
Class Period: July 22, 2004 to May 2, 2018
Objection Deadline: September 27, 2022
Exclusion Deadline: September 27, 2022
Final Approval Hearing: November 15, 2022
Proof of Purchase:You do not need to provide proof to receive a payment.
Eligibility:You may be eligible if you are a woman who is or was employed by Sterling Jewelers as a retail sales associate (that is, a part-time sales associate, full-time sales associate, department manager, assistant manager, assistant general manager, store manager, or general manager) in one or more of the following stores: Belden, Friedlanders, Goodman, Jared, JB Robinson, Kay, LeRoys, LeVian, Marks & Morgan, Osterman, Rogers, Shaws, Weisfield, or Ultra Diamonds (as of June 1, 2013, after Ultra Diamonds was acquired by Sterling Jewelers) and are a member of one of the following settlement classes:
- The Title VII Settlement Class is all female retail sales associates who are or were employed by Sterling at any time between July 22, 2004 and May 2, 2018.
- The EPA Settlement Class is all female retail sales associates who are or were employed by Sterling and who submitted forms consenting to join the EPA case in 2016.
Benefits: The Class Settlement Fund is $125 million that will be distributed as follows:
- Title VII Settlement Class: Allocated on a yearly basis, for work between July 22, 2004 and June 23, 2022. $2,996 per year for a store manager or general manager; $1,928 per year for an assistant manager or assistant general manager; $1,196 for a department manager; $672 per year for a full-time sales associate; and $270 per year for a part-time sales associate. Minimum amount: $50.
- EPA Settlement Class: Allocated on a yearly basis, for work between October 16, 2003 and June 23, 2022. $2,996 per year for a store manager or general manager; $1,361 per year for an assistant manager or assistant general manager; $1,152 for a department manager; $500 per year for a full-time sales associate; and $150 per year for a part-time sales associate. Minimum amount: $50.
Of these payments, 25% will be reported on a Form 1099-MISC and 1099-INT as other income or interest; 75% will be reported on a Form W-2 as wages, with Sterling paying the employer share of taxes normally collected on the wages.
Total Settlement Amount: $175,366,000
Class Representative Proposed Incentive Fee:From $5,000 to $117,000
Law Firms:
Burr & Smith, LLP
Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll
Thomas A. Warren Law Offices, PL
Case Name: Jock, et al. v. Sterling Jewelers, Inc.
Settlement Website: Sterling Jewelers Sex Discrimination Settlement Website
Claims Administrator:
Epiq Class Action & Claims Solutions, Inc.
Jock v. Sterling Jewelers Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 6968
Portland, OR 97228-6968
800-231-1918