Summary
The United States District Court for the Southern District of California grants final approval of a $1.25 million class action settlement in an ERISA lawsuit involving the administration and investments of SeaWorld’s 401(k) plans. The order also awards class counsel $375,000 in attorneys’ fees, approves $273,540 in litigation costs, and addresses incentive awards for the named plaintiffs.
Court
United States District Court for the Southern District of California
Jurisdiction
United States District Court for the Southern District of California
Decision date
September 10, 2025
Docket number
21-cv-1430-RSH-DDL
Disposition
approved
Questions Presented
- Whether the proposed class action settlement satisfied Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(e), due process, and the Class Action Fairness Act notice requirements.
- Whether the Rule 23(b)(1) settlement class and subclasses should receive final approval and be bound by the settlement releases.
- What amount of attorneys' fees and costs was reasonable under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(h).
- Whether the requested incentive awards and settlement-administration, recordkeeper, and independent-fiduciary expenses were reasonable.
Holdings
- The notice provided to the class was adequate under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(e) and due process, and the defendants complied with the Class Action Fairness Act's notice requirements.
- The settlement was fair, adequate, reasonable, and in the best interests of the class, and final approval was warranted.
- An award of $375,000 in attorneys' fees, representing thirty percent of the $1,250,000 gross settlement fund, was reasonable.
- The Court approved $273,540 in litigation costs, reduced the incentive awards to $5,000 for each named plaintiff, and approved the requested settlement-administration, recordkeeper, and independent-fiduciary expenses.
Court Document
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