About 29,600 people who applied for jobs with logistics company Schenker, Inc. between 2014 and 2022 and had a background check run on them are covered by a proposed $1.275 million Fair Credit Reporting Act settlement that a federal judge has twice declined to preliminarily approve. The court issued a new ruling on August 10, 2026, but no claim process, website or deadline has been announced, and there is nothing to file yet.
What Is This About?
Wickham v. Schenker, Inc., No. 5:23-cv-00946, is a proposed class action in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, before U.S. District Judge P. Casey Pitts. First filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court in 2019 and moved to federal court in 2023, it alleges Schenker’s background check disclosure forms for job applicants included extra material, such as state-law notices, in violation of the FCRA requirement that the disclosure be a standalone document. Schenker denies the allegations and any liability.After a November 2024 mediation, the parties agreed to settle for $1,275,000. Getting the deal approved has been slow. The court denied preliminary approval on April 11, 2025, raising concerns about the scope of the release, the charity chosen to receive leftover money, the fee request and whether every class member has standing to sue in federal court. A renewed motion filed in August 2025 did not win approval either, and class counsel filed a second renewed motion on January 12, 2026. The court heard it on April 16, 2026, and issued an order on the settlement motion on August 10, 2026. That order was not publicly available as of September 27, 2026, so it is not yet known whether preliminary approval was granted.
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Who Would Be Covered?
The proposed settlement class is everyone living in the United States who applied for a job with Schenker, Inc. between November 20, 2014, and February 28, 2022, and about whom Schenker obtained a consumer report, such as a background check. The class period stops the day before Schenker began using a revised disclosure form that class counsel says complies with the law.What the Proposed Deal Would Pay
Under the terms in the January 2026 filing, several amounts would come out of the $1,275,000 fund before class members are paid: attorneys’ fees of up to one-third ($425,000), up to $24,000 in litigation costs, estimated administration costs of $73,000 for administrator Simpluris, and a $7,500 service award, all subject to court approval. The rest would be split equally among class members who do not opt out. Class counsel estimated the average payment at about $25.16.No claim form is planned. Checks would be mailed automatically and would be good for 180 days. Money from uncashed checks would go out in a second round to class members who cashed their first check, and anything left after that would go to the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a privacy nonprofit.
What Happens Next?
If the August 10, 2026 order granted preliminary approval, the administrator would send notice by email or mail, and class members would have 60 days from that notice to opt out or object. A final approval hearing would follow. If the court denied approval again, the parties could revise the deal or return to litigation. OpenClassActions.com will update this story when the order or an official settlement notice becomes available.Questions
Who would be covered by the Schenker FCRA settlement?
The proposed class is people living in the United States who applied for a job with Schenker, Inc. between November 20, 2014, and February 28, 2022, and about whom Schenker obtained a background check report. The filings put the class at about 29,628 people.
Would class members have to file a claim?
Not under the proposed terms. Payments would be split equally and mailed automatically to class members who do not opt out. No claim form is planned.
How much would each person get?
Class counsel estimated an average payment of about $25.16 after fees and costs. That is an estimate from a court filing, and it depends on the court approving the deal and its fee terms.
Is there a settlement website or deadline?
Not that OpenClassActions.com could verify as of September 27, 2026. Deadlines to opt out or object would run 60 days from the date notice is sent, and notice goes out only after the court grants preliminary approval.
Settlement Filing
Sources
- CourtListener docket — Wickham v. Schenker, Inc., No. 5:23-cv-00946 (N.D. Cal.)
- Second renewed motion for preliminary approval (ECF No. 107, Jan. 12, 2026)
- Renewed motion for preliminary approval (ECF No. 98, Aug. 6, 2025)
