Dr. Brian Kriegler’s Damages Analysis in Bennett v. Providence Health & Services Results in the Largest Jury Award ($98.3 Million) in a Wage and Hour Class Action in the History of the State of Washington.

In a major wage and hour case (Naomi Bennett et al. v. Providence Health & Services, case number 21-2-13058-1), a Seattle jury awarded $98.3 million to a group of approximately 33,000 healthcare workers.  This damages figure was calculated by Managing Director Brian Kriegler and his team at Econ One, who have extensive experience in wage and hour cases and other employment-related matters.

The class action lawsuit against Providence Health & Services alleged an extensive practice of unpaid wages stemming from time clock rounding and missed second meal breaks. 

The class includes current and former Providence employees dating back to September 30, 2018.  Prior to the damages trial in April 2024, the trial court had granted numerous components of the employees’ summary judgment motion.  Given that ruling along with the $98.3 million jury verdict, total damages including interest and penalties are expected to exceed $220 million.  This marks the largest jury award in a wage and hour class action in the history of the State of Washington.

Dr. Brian Kriegler and his team analyzed Providence’s historical timekeeping and payroll records to perform a series of calculations, including the net difference between rounded and unrounded time on the clock and the number of shifts over 10 hours with no recorded second meal break.  During his two days on the witness stand, Kriegler testified about the size/complexity of Providence’s records, his team’s damages model, and various analytical tests for robustness on his damages calculations.