March 28, 2015
Fairfield v. Coast Leasing Corp.
In this wage and hour class action, the plaintiffs were a group of Advantage Rent-A-Car hourly employees. They claimed that they were not correctly compensated for overtime and missed meal breaks.
Brian Kriegler (prior to joining Econ One) was retained by counsel for the plaintiffs to determine the class size (both the number of people and the number of work periods). He recommended a sampling procedure for examining employees’ punch card and pay stub records so that the class size could be estimated. Using probabilistic and statistical analyses, Dr. Kriegler estimated: (1) the number of work periods that did not accurately reflect the actual number of hours worked; (2) the number of work periods for which employees were not compensated appropriately according to State law; and (3) the number of people in the class. Dr. Kriegler provided deposition testimony to support his sampling methodology and analytical results. The case settled prior to trial for $2.5 million.