Published
July 7, 2026
Updated
August 31, 2026
People who worked for Guitar Center in California between January 11, 2022 and July 11, 2025 will be paid automatically from a $2.4 million wage and hour class action settlement, with checks mailed to the address on the class notice; there is no claim form to file. September 1, 2026 is the deadline to opt out or object.
What Is the Guitar Center Wage and Hour Settlement About?
You may be part of a $2,418,495 class action settlement if you worked as a non-exempt employee for Guitar Center Stores, Inc. in California between January 11, 2020 and July 11, 2025.The lawsuit, Seilhamer v. Guitar Center Stores, Inc., was filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Court by two former employees, Benjamin Seilhamer and Trevor West. The complaint accuses the company of a series of California wage-and-hour violations, including failing to pay overtime and minimum wages, failing to provide compliant meal periods and rest breaks, failing to pay all wages due upon termination, failing to reimburse business expenses, and failing to provide accurate itemized wage statements. The named plaintiffs also brought a representative claim for civil penalties under the California Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA).
Guitar Center strongly denies that it violated any laws or failed to pay any wages, and it admits no wrongdoing. The company agreed to settle to avoid the cost and uncertainty of continued litigation. The Court has preliminarily approved the settlement and will decide whether to grant final approval at a hearing scheduled for later this year.
Status
Pending Final Approval
No claim form needed · final approval hearing October 2, 2026
Settlement Fund
$2,418,495
Net fund estimated at roughly $1.29M, paid pro rata by workweeks worked
Claim Form
Not Required
Checks mailed automatically to the address on your Class Notice
Proof Required
No
Eligibility comes from Guitar Center's employment records
Opt-Out / Object By
September 1, 2026
Only if you want to exclude yourself or object — otherwise do nothing
Who Is in the Settlement Class?
You are a Class Member if you worked for Guitar Center Stores, Inc. as a non-exempt employee in California at any time during the Class Period, which runs from January 11, 2020 through July 11, 2025.The settlement has a second, overlapping group. The PAGA portion covers the "Aggrieved Employees" — all non-exempt employees who worked for Guitar Center in California during the PAGA Period, January 11, 2022 through July 11, 2025. If you worked during that window, you are also entitled to an Individual PAGA Payment on top of your Class Payment.
You do not need to prove your employment or figure out which group you fall into. The Settlement Administrator already has your information from Guitar Center's records, and your mailed Class Notice states the number of workweeks and pay periods credited to you. If you worked even one day as a non-exempt employee in California during the relevant period, you are included.
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How Much Can You Get?
The Gross Settlement Amount is $2,418,495. This is an all-in fund, and Guitar Center pays its share of employer payroll taxes separately, on top of it. Before money is distributed to employees, the Court will consider deductions from the fund, including:• Attorneys' fees of up to 35% of the fund (about $846,473) plus litigation expenses up to $35,000
• Service payments of up to $10,000 each to the two plaintiffs who brought the case
• Settlement administration costs of up to $26,000
• $200,000 in PAGA penalties, of which $150,000 (75%) goes to the State of California's Labor and Workforce Development Agency and $50,000 (25%) is distributed to Aggrieved Employees as Individual PAGA Payments
After the maximum requested deductions, the remaining Net Settlement Amount available for Individual Class Payments is estimated at roughly $1.29 million. Because these are "up to" amounts, the net could be higher if the Court awards less than what is requested.
Your Individual Class Payment is calculated pro rata. The administrator divides the Net Settlement Amount by the total number of workweeks worked by everyone in the class, then multiplies that figure by your own number of workweeks. Because the payout is tied to how long you worked during the Class Period, individual amounts vary — employees who worked more workweeks receive more.
If you also qualify as an Aggrieved Employee, your share of the $50,000 PAGA distribution is calculated the same way, based on the number of PAGA pay periods you worked, and is combined with your Class Payment into a single check. For tax purposes, 20% of each Individual Class Payment is treated as wages (reported on a W-2) and 80% as interest and penalties (reported on a 1099); the Individual PAGA Payments are treated entirely as penalties.
Do I Need to File a Claim?
No. There is no claim form for this settlement.If the Court grants final approval and you do not exclude yourself, the Settlement Administrator will automatically mail a single check to the same address where your Class Notice was sent. That one check combines your Individual Class Payment and any Individual PAGA Payment. You do not have to do anything to receive your payment.
The one thing worth doing is making sure the administrator has your current mailing address. If you have moved since you worked for Guitar Center, notify the administrator through the official settlement website so your check reaches you. Settlement checks expire on the void date printed on the front of the check — if you do not cash it in time, the money is sent to the California Controller's Unclaimed Property Fund in your name, so cash or deposit your check promptly once it arrives.
What Are My Options?
Most class members will simply do nothing and receive a payment. You have a few other options if you want them:• Do nothing. You stay in the settlement, receive your automatic payment, and give up the right to sue Guitar Center over the wage claims covered by the settlement.
• Opt out. You can exclude yourself from the Class portion by sending the administrator a signed written Request for Exclusion by September 1, 2026. If you opt out, you will not receive an Individual Class Payment, but you keep your right to pursue the wage claims on your own. You cannot opt out of the PAGA portion, and Aggrieved Employees still receive their Individual PAGA Payment even if they exclude themselves.
• Object. If you stay in the settlement but disagree with any part of it, you can submit a written objection by September 1, 2026, or appear at the Final Approval Hearing.
• Challenge your workweeks. If you believe Guitar Center's records understate how many workweeks or pay periods you worked, you can submit a written challenge to the administrator by September 1, 2026, with supporting documents such as pay stubs.
When Will Payments Be Made?
The Final Approval Hearing is scheduled for October 2, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. in Department 6 of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, 312 North Spring Street, Los Angeles, California. At that hearing the Court will decide whether to finally approve the settlement and how much to award in fees, service payments, and administration costs.If the Court approves the settlement and the judgment becomes final, Guitar Center must fund the Gross Settlement within 14 business days, and the administrator will then mail checks. Hearing dates can be moved, so check the official settlement website for the most current schedule.
How Do I Get More Information?
More detail about the lawsuit and settlement, including the Settlement Agreement and Court filings, is available by:• Visiting the official settlement website: CA Employee Settlement Guitar Center.com
• Reviewing case filings on the Los Angeles County Superior Court online case access portal under Case No. 23STCV00544
Class Action Complaint
Sources
• Official Class Action Settlement Notice and website: CA Employee Settlement Guitar Center.com• Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, Seilhamer v. Guitar Center Stores, Inc., Case No. 23STCV00544
• Class Counsel, Aegis Law Firm, PC: aegislawfirm.com
Filing Class Action Settlement Claims
This settlement pays eligible non-exempt California employees of Guitar Center automatically. There is no separate claim form.Always review your personal Class Notice carefully and contact the Settlement Administrator or Class Counsel listed on the official settlement website if you have questions about your payment. OpenClassActions.com is a consumer news site and is not the settlement administrator or a law firm.
For more class actions keep scrolling below.
Settlement Amount
$2,418,495
Net fund estimated at roughly $1.29M
Case Title
Seilhamer v. Guitar Center Stores, Inc.
Case Number
23STCV00544
Court
Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles
Final Approval Hearing
October 2, 2026 at 9:00 a.m.
Dept. 6, 312 North Spring Street, Los Angeles
Administrator
Atticus Administration
Official Website
CA Employee Settlement Guitar Center
