Published
July 30, 2026
This settlement resolves claims that Big Al's, the family entertainment center chain, bound its lowest-paid Washington employees to an outside-employment policy that state law restricts. If you worked for Big Al's in Washington between January 1, 2020 and May 22, 2026 and earned less than twice the state minimum hourly wage, you share equally in a $450,000 fund with no claim form to file.
Current Status
There is no claim form. If you worked for Big Al's, Inc. in Washington between January 1, 2020 and May 22, 2026 and earned less than twice the applicable state minimum hourly wage, the defendant's records already put you in the class, and you share equally in the $450,000 fund. Clark County Superior Court granted preliminary approval on May 22, 2026, and the final approval hearing is set for September 25, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. before Judge Gregory M. Gonzales. As of July 30, 2026, no final approval order had been entered and no payment date had been announced. August 24, 2026 is the postmark deadline both to exclude yourself and to object — if you do nothing you stay in and are paid, though you should confirm the Settlement Administrator has your current mailing address.
Status
Pending Final Approval
Fairness hearing September 25, 2026
Opt-Out / Object By
August 24, 2026
Postmark deadline · do nothing to stay in and be paid
Estimated Payout
Equal share of the Class Fund
$450,000 fund · $174,999 in requested fees, costs & service award come out first · class size not published
Proof Required
Automatic Payment
No claim form — just confirm the administrator has your current mailing address
What Changed Recently?
The claim-free notice period opened this summer. Clark County Superior Court granted preliminary approval on May 22, 2026 and authorized the Settlement Administrator, Simpluris, Inc., to issue the class notice. That order also fixed the close of the class period at May 22, 2026, so the class is now a closed group drawn from Big Al's employment records rather than something anyone can join.The underlying case is Lazova-Fast v. Big Al's, Inc., Case No. 25-2-01504-06, brought by a former employee in Clark County Superior Court in Washington. The complaint claims Big Al's violated RCW 49.62.070 by binding employees to an outside employment policy. That statute is part of chapter 49.62 RCW, Washington's Noncompetition Covenants Act, and it limits an employer's ability to restrict low-wage employees — those earning less than twice the applicable state minimum hourly wage — from taking a second job, working for another employer, or working for themselves.
Big Al's is a family entertainment center chain built around bowling lanes, an arcade, and a sports bar, with its Washington location in Vancouver. The settlement class is limited to people who worked for the company in Washington, so the other locations are not covered.
Big Al's denies that it is or can be held liable for the claims in the lawsuit, and the Notice is explicit that the Court has made no determination on the merits and has not decided whether the company violated Washington law. The settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing. Both sides agreed to it to avoid the uncertainty, risk, and expense of continued litigation.
Who Qualifies?
The Settlement Class is every current and former employee of Big Al's, Inc. who worked in Washington and earned less than twice the applicable state minimum hourly wage at any point from January 1, 2020 through May 22, 2026.Three conditions do the work, and all three have to be true. You worked for Big Al's, Inc. You worked in Washington. And your pay was under twice the state minimum hourly wage. That last threshold is not a fixed dollar figure — Washington adjusts its minimum wage annually, so the cutoff moved over the six-year class period, and whether you cleared it in a given year depends on the rate in effect then.
You did not need to have an outside job, and you did not need to have been turned down for one. The claim is about being bound to the policy, not about what happened afterward. Membership is drawn from the defendant's payroll records, so the practical test is whether the Settlement Administrator mailed you a notice. Notice recipients are the identified class.
How Much Can You Get?
Big Al's agreed to pay a Common Fund of $450,000. Every class member who does not exclude themselves receives an equal share of the Class Fund — there are no tiers, no seniority weighting, and no documented-loss category. Someone who worked two weeks and someone who worked five years get the same amount.The Class Fund is what is left after the Court approves the deductions taken from the $450,000:
• Attorneys' fees for Class Counsel, requested at $149,999.
• Costs and expenses, requested at $5,000.
• A service award for the class representative, requested at $20,000.
• Settlement administration costs, which the Notice does not put a figure on.
The three requested items total $174,999, which would leave $275,001 before administration costs. Big Al's has agreed not to oppose those requests, but the Court sets the final amounts and may award less than what is asked. The Notice does not publish how many people are in the class, so a per-person estimate cannot be calculated from the documents available — divide the remainder by a class size nobody has stated and you get a number, not an estimate.
One timing rule matters once checks go out: every settlement payment expires and becomes void 180 days after it is issued.
What Proof or Claim Form Is Required?
None. There is no claim form, no notice ID to enter, no receipts, and nothing to prove about your employment — the class comes straight from Big Al's records.There is one administrative step worth taking, and it is the reason this page does not simply say "do nothing." The Notice asks class members to confirm the Settlement Administrator has a current, valid mailing address, either by contacting the administrator or by returning the Address Form that came with the mailed Notice. If the administrator does not have your current address, the Notice warns you may not receive your payment. That matters most if you have moved since you left the company. It is an address confirmation, not a claim — your eligibility does not depend on it.
The same goes for any later change: if your address or phone number changes before checks are mailed, the Notice asks you to tell the administrator. You can reach the administrator through the contact page on the official settlement website.
What Is the Deadline?
There is no claim deadline, because there is no claim. Two other deadlines fall on the same day:• To exclude yourself, mail a written request postmarked no later than August 24, 2026. It has to include your full name, your address, a statement that you want to be excluded, and your signature with the date. You cannot exclude yourself by phone or email, and each person must send their own — group requests are not accepted.
• To object, file a written objection with Clark County Superior Court no later than August 24, 2026 and mail copies to Class Counsel and to Big Al's counsel, postmarked by the same date. The Notice sets out what the objection must contain, including your contact details, the case name and number, your reasons, whether you intend to appear at the hearing, and a three-year history of any other class settlement objections by you or your attorney.
The Notice gives postmark deadlines and does not specify a timezone. You cannot both exclude yourself and object — excluding yourself removes you from the case, which leaves nothing to object to. The final approval hearing follows on September 25, 2026.
How Do You Take Action?
For most class members the answer is: confirm your address and wait. Use the contact page on the official settlement website to reach the Settlement Administrator, or return the Address Form that came with your mailed Notice. That site also carries the settlement agreement, the notice, the important-dates page, and any changes the Court makes to the hearing.If you would rather keep your own claims, you can exclude yourself by the August 24 postmark deadline, which forfeits your payment but leaves you free to sue Big Al's separately over the same claims. If you want to stay in but tell the Court you disagree with the settlement or with the fee and service-award requests, file an objection by the same date.
The Notice also addresses the question current employees usually ask first: it states that Big Al's fully supports the settlement and will not retaliate against any class member for participating, and that your choice to participate, not participate, or object will not affect your employment or how the company treats you.
What Happens Next?
The final approval hearing is scheduled for September 25, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. before Judge Gregory M. Gonzales at Clark County Superior Court in Vancouver, Washington. Remote attendance by Zoom is available; the link is printed in the official Notice and on the settlement website. At that hearing the Court decides whether the settlement is fair, reasonable, and adequate, hears any objections, and rules on the requested attorneys' fees, costs, and service award. A hearing taking place is not the same as approval being granted.The Notice warns that the hearing date and time can change by court order, and that any change is posted to the settlement website or the Court's public docket — worth checking before you make plans to attend.
If the Court approves the settlement, payments go out to class members who did not exclude themselves after all appeals and other reviews are complete. That timeline is not fixed and no payment date has been announced. Once checks are issued, the 180-day expiration clock starts.
Washington has produced a steady run of employer-specific class settlements over the past two years, most of them under a different statute — the state's pay-transparency law, which governs what job postings must disclose. Recent examples include the Red Robin job postings settlement and the automatic-payment Domino's franchisee settlement. If you are new to how these employer cases pay out, our wage and hour class action entry covers the mechanics.
Sources and Verification
• Official settlement website: BA Inc Settlement.com• Notice of Class Action Settlement, Lazova-Fast v. Big Al's, Inc., Case No. 25-2-01504-06, Superior Court of the State of Washington in and for the County of Clark
• Frequently Asked Questions published on the official settlement website
• Order granting preliminary approval and authorizing notice, entered May 22, 2026
Questions
Do I have to file a claim to get paid from the Big Al's settlement?
No. There is no claim form. Big Al's records identify the class, and everyone who does not exclude themselves receives an equal share automatically if the Court approves the settlement. The one thing the Notice asks you to do is make sure the Settlement Administrator has your current mailing address, either by contacting the administrator or by returning the Address Form that came with your Notice.
How much will each person get from the Big Al's settlement?
Everyone who stays in the class receives an equal share of the Class Fund. The Common Fund is $450,000. Class Counsel are requesting $149,999 in attorneys' fees, $5,000 in costs and expenses, and a $20,000 service award for the class representative, which together total $174,999, and settlement administration costs also come out of the fund. The Notice does not publish the number of class members, so no per-person figure can be calculated yet, and the Court may award less than the amounts requested.
What is an outside employment policy and why is it a problem under Washington law?
An outside employment policy is a workplace rule limiting whether an employee may hold a second job, work for another employer, or work for themselves. RCW 49.62.070, part of Washington's Noncompetition Covenants Act, limits an employer's ability to impose that kind of restriction on employees earning less than twice the applicable state minimum hourly wage. The lawsuit claims Big Al's bound employees to such a policy. Big Al's denies that it is or can be held liable, and the Court has not decided the question.
What is the difference between excluding myself and objecting?
Excluding yourself takes you out of the class entirely: you get no payment, but you keep the right to sue Big Al's separately over these claims. Objecting keeps you in the class and tells the Court you disagree with part of the settlement; you still receive a payment if the settlement is approved. You cannot do both. Both deadlines are August 24, 2026.
Can Big Al's retaliate against me for taking part in the settlement?
The Notice states that Big Al's fully supports the settlement and will not retaliate against any class member for participating, and that your decision to participate, not participate, or object will not affect your employment or how you are treated as a current or former employee.
Official Settlement Notice
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Settlement Amount
$450,000
Case Title
Lazova-Fast v. Big Al's, Inc.
Case Number
25-2-01504-06
Court
Clark County Superior Court, Washington
Final Approval Hearing
September 25, 2026 at 9:00 AM
Before Judge Gregory M. Gonzales in Vancouver, WA · Zoom attendance available · date subject to change
Administrator
Simpluris, Inc.
Official Website
BA Inc Settlement.com
