Long Beach Community College $18M Class Action Settlement

William C. Gendron

Editor in Chief

Published

October 21, 2026 2:00 PM

Updated

October 21, 2026

Who are the class members?

Class members are individuals whom Long Beach Community College District employed as part-time hourly instructional faculty members at any time during the period from April 5, 2019, through Aug. 25, 2025, regardless of the number of terms they worked within the class period.

How much can class members receive?

Each class member’s payment is based on the number of weekly credit hours Long Beach Community College District assigned them to teach during the class period with adjustments for when those hours occurred to account for changes in California’s minimum wage. After deductions for attorneys’ fees, service awards and administration costs, the settlement administrator will distribute the fund among class members proportionally.

The administrator may deduct a portion of the payment for class members who enrolled in CalSTRS for retirement and transmit it to CalSTRS on their behalf, depending on guidance from CalSTRS.

The settlement administrator treats 50% of each payment as taxable wages reported on a Form W-2 and 50% as liquidated damages and interest reported on a Form 1099.

No action needed to receive payment

Class members do not need to file a claim to receive payment. The settlement administrator will automatically mail a check to each eligible class member at the address on file. Class members who moved or changed their address should notify the settlement administrator as soon as possible to ensure they receive their payment.

Settlement administrator's mailing address: Roberts v. Long Beach Community College District, Settlement Administrator, P.O. Box 26170, Santa Ana, CA 92799

What proof or documentation required to submit a claim?

Class members do not need to proactively provide proof to receive a payment unless they wish to challenge the number of weekly credit hours assigned to them. In that case, they must submit supporting documentation, such as pay stubs or other employment records, with their challenge by Dec. 3, 2026.

Payout options

The settlement administrator will mail checks to eligible class members at the address on file. If a check is lost or misplaced before it is cashed, the administrator will issue a replacement if requested before the check’s void date. If a check is not cashed by the void date, the funds will be sent to the California controller’s unclaimed property fund in the class member’s name.

$18 million settlement fund breakdown

The $18,000,000 settlement fund includes:

Settlement administration costs: Up to $16,000
Attorneys' fees: Up to $1,440,000
Attorneys' expenses: Up to $50,000
Service awards to class representatives: Up to $20,000 each ($40,000 total)
Payments to eligible class members: The remainder of the fund

Important dates

Deadline to opt out: Dec. 3, 2026
Dispute deadline to challenge weekly credit hours: Dec. 3, 2026
Final approval hearing: Feb. 9, 2027

When is the Long Beach Community College District payout date?

The settlement administrator will issue payments to eligible class members within 14 days after the court resolves any appeals and grants final approval of the settlement.

Why is there a class action settlement?

The class action lawsuit alleged the Long Beach Community College District failed to pay part-time instructional faculty at least the minimum wage for all hours worked, particularly for work performed outside classroom teaching hours.

The district denied any wrongdoing but agreed to settle to avoid the risks and costs of continued litigation.