The Settlement The Settlement was reached on May 11, 2018. Class Counsel filed this action on May 10, 2018. Over two years prior to the filing of this action, Class Counsel and Defendant’s Counsel conducted an adversarial informal discovery process. Class Counsel reviewed and analyzed thousands of pages of documents provided by Defendant and also reviewed many other documents, including U.S. Department of Labor Forms 5500 and other publicly available documents. The Parties participated in mediation before a nationally recognized mediator who has extensive experience in resolving similar claims involving other 401(k) plans. Only after six months of extensive arm’s length negotiation following the mediation were the parties able to agree to the terms of the Settlement. As part of the Settlement, a Qualified Settlement Fund of $17,000,000 will be established to resolve the Class Action. The Net Settlement Amount is $17,000,000 minus any Administrative Expenses, taxes, tax expenses, Court-approved Attorneys’ Fees and Costs, Class Representatives’ Compensation, and other approved expenses of the litigation. The Net Settlement Amount will be allocated to Class Members according to a Plan of Allocation to be approved by the Court. In addition to the monetary component of the Settlement, the Parties to the Settlement have agreed to certain additional terms: (1) During the first eighteen months (18) following the final approval of the Settlement, Defendant has agreed that the Plan’s fiduciaries will conduct a Request for Proposal (“RFP”) process for recordkeeping services to the Plan; (2) Within the first year following final approval of the Settlement, Defendant has agreed to publish a communication to then current Plan participants explaining the risks and benefits of the Plan’s money market fund investment option; (3) Defendant also will use an independent consultant familiar with fixed income investment options in defined contribution plans who will review the investment lineup and make recommendations to the Plan’s fiduciaries regarding whether to retain the money market fund and whether to add a stable value or comparable fund; (4) In addition, during the three- year Settlement period, Defendant has agreed to provide Class Counsel a list of the Plan’s investment options and fees; and (5) In considering investment options for the Plan, Defendant has agreed that the Plan’s fiduciaries will consider: (a) the lowest-cost share class available for any particular mutual fund considered for inclusion in the Plan as well as other criteria applicable to different share classes; (b) the availability of revenue sharing rebates on any share class available for any particular mutual fund considered for inclusion in the Plan; and (c) the availability of collective trusts, to the extent such investments are permissible and are otherwise identical to a particular mutual fund considered for inclusion in the Plan.
Payment of Settlement Amount (1) Within thirty (30) days of the Date of Execution, the Settling Defendants shall pay the Settlement Amount to Siskinds LLP, for deposit into the Trust Account.
Loss Settlement Covered property losses are settled as follows:
Net Out of Settlement Amounts The Non-Defaulting Party will aggregate all Settlement Amounts into a single amount by netting out (a) all amounts that are due to the Defaulting Party for Product that has been Delivered and not yet paid for, plus, at the option of the Non-Defaulting Party, any cash, security or other Performance Assurance then available to the Non-Defaulting Party, plus any or all other amounts due to the Defaulting Party under this Agreement against (b) all Settlement Amounts that are due to the Non-Defaulting Party, plus any or all other amounts due to the Non-Defaulting Party under this Agreement, so that all such amounts will be netted out to a single liquidated amount (the “Termination Payment”) payable by the Defaulting Party. The Termination Payment, if any, is due from the Defaulting Party to the Non-Defaulting Party within two Business Days following notice.
Final Settlement The Parties agree and acknowledge that this Compromise Agreement shall constitute a final settlement between the Parties. This Compromise Agreement resolves only issues addressed in the Compromise Agreement.
THE SETTLEMENT BENEFITS What You Get
Final Settlement Approval 4.1 No later than ten (10) business days before the Fairness Hearing, Class Counsel shall submit to the Court a motion for entry of the Final Order (Exhibit 5) in the form approved by Class Counsel and Defense Counsel, which shall request approval by the Court of the terms of this Settlement Agreement and entry of the Final Order in accordance with this Settlement Agreement. The Final Order as proposed by the Settling Parties shall provide for the following, among other things, as is necessary to carry out the Settlement consistent with applicable law and governing Plan documents:
Enforcement of Settlement Agreement 11.1 Any party may file suit before the Superior Court of the County of Los Angeles, consistent with the terms and conditions set forth in paragraphs 11.2 and
Gross Settlement Amount Except as otherwise provided by Paragraph 8 below, Defendant promises to pay $290,000.00 and no more as the Gross Settlement Amount and to separately pay any and all employer payroll taxes owed on the Wage Portions of the Individual Class Payments. Defendant has no obligation to pay the Gross Settlement Amount (or any payroll taxes) prior to the deadline stated in Paragraph 4.3 of this Agreement. The Administrator will disburse the entire Gross Settlement Amount without asking or requiring Participating Class Members or Aggrieved Employees to submit any claim as a condition of payment. None of the Gross Settlement Amount will revert to Defendant.
Funding of Gross Settlement Amount Defendant shall fully fund the Gross Settlement Amount, and also fund the amounts necessary to fully pay Defendant’s share of payroll taxes by transmitting the funds to the Administrator no later than 14 days after the Effective Date.
