Published
October 16, 2026
Hourly, non-exempt workers employed by or assigned to Menasha Packaging in California between January 15, 2017 and September 15, 2024, including staffing-agency temps, will be paid automatically from the $1,732,500 Menasha wage and hour class action settlement; there is no claim form to file. The deadline to opt out, object or dispute credited workweeks is November 21, 2026.
Current Status
There is no claim form; class members are paid automatically if the court grants final approval. The deadline to opt out, object or challenge the number of workweeks credited is November 21, 2026 (15 days later for people whose notice was re-mailed or who responded to the online and radio notice). The final approval hearing is set for February 9, 2027; no final approval order has been entered, and no payment date has been announced.Free settlement alerts
Get notified when new class actions open to claims
Join thousands of readers who get the latest class action settlements you may qualify for — delivered straight to your inbox.
Status
Pending — Automatic Payment
Opt-Out / Dispute Deadline
November 21, 2026
also the deadline to object or challenge credited workweeks · not a claim deadline
Estimated Payout
Pro rata by workweek
about $731,000 net to split if all requested deductions are approved · pre-2022 workweeks weighted about four times later ones · amount on each notice
Proof Required
Automatic Payment
no claim form · paid from Menasha and staffing-agency payroll records
What Changed Recently?
Judge William F. Highberger of the Los Angeles County Superior Court preliminarily approved the settlement in Tello v. Menasha Packaging Company, LLC, et al., No. 20STCV13818, and Simpluris, the court-appointed administrator, has mailed notices and opened the settlement website. The defendants are Menasha Packaging Company, LLC, Menasha Corporation and the staffing firm Simplified Labor Staffing Solutions, Inc.The lawsuit, brought by five former workers whose cases were combined, alleged that the companies failed to pay California hourly workers for all hours worked at minimum and overtime rates, failed to provide compliant meal and rest breaks or pay premiums for them, failed to reimburse work expenses, paid wages late, issued inaccurate wage statements and failed to provide adequate working conditions, including seating, restrooms and temperatures. It also sought civil penalties under California’s Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA). The companies deny violating any law and say they complied with all applicable rules. The court has not decided who is right; the parties settled through a mediator.
Who Qualifies?
The class covers all current and former hourly, non-exempt California employees of Menasha Packaging Company or Menasha Corporation, plus temporary hourly workers assigned to Menasha in California through Simplified Labor Staffing Solutions or any other staffing agency, at any time from January 15, 2017 through September 15, 2024.A separate PAGA group, called aggrieved employees, covers the same kinds of workers from July 31, 2018 through September 15, 2024. Most class members are in both groups.
Menasha does not have addresses for about 500 workers placed at its Rialto and Tracy locations by one staffing agency from about July 2022 onward. For them, the court ordered geographically targeted notice through Facebook and Instagram ads, Google search ads and Spanish-language streaming radio ads. Those workers can respond by giving the administrator their contact information.
How Much Can You Get?
The companies will pay $1,732,500. Before anything goes to workers, class counsel will ask the court to approve up to $779,625 in attorneys’ fees (45% of the fund) and up to $57,500 in costs, up to $10,000 for each of the five named plaintiffs ($50,000 total), up to $39,374.41 for administration, and $75,000 in PAGA penalties, of which $56,250 goes to the state Labor and Workforce Development Agency and $18,750 to workers. If every deduction is approved at its maximum, roughly $731,000 would remain for class payments. Class members can object to any of these amounts.The net fund is split by workweek, using Menasha’s and the staffing agencies’ payroll records, in two pools:
- 80% for workweeks from January 15, 2017 through January 16, 2022, the period when Menasha says it was rounding employees’ time.
- 20% for workweeks from January 17, 2022 through September 15, 2024, after Menasha says rounding stopped.
The court’s preliminary approval order estimates about 51,684 workweeks in the first period and 52,588 in the second. As an illustration only, assuming every requested deduction is approved and nobody opts out, that works out to roughly $11.30 per workweek in the earlier period and roughly $2.80 per workweek in the later one. The $18,750 PAGA share is divided separately by PAGA-period workweeks. Each class member’s notice states an estimated payment and the number of workweeks credited, and actual amounts will differ.
Is Any Proof Required?
No. There is no claim form, and payments are calculated from the companies’ and staffing agencies’ records. Class members who believe their credited workweeks are too low can challenge the number by sending the administrator a signed letter with copies of pay stubs or other records by November 21, 2026. Without contrary records, the administrator accepts the companies’ numbers, and its decision on a challenge is final.What Is the Deadline?
November 21, 2026 is the deadline to opt out, send a written objection or challenge workweeks. Class members whose notice was re-mailed, or who learned of the settlement through the online and radio notice, get 15 additional days. Requests can be sent to the administrator by mail, email or fax.An opt-out request must be a signed letter with the worker’s name, current address and telephone number and a statement asking to be excluded. A class member who opts out gets no class payment and keeps any individual wage claims, but cannot opt out of the PAGA portion and will still receive any PAGA payment. Class members who stay in can also object in person or online at the final approval hearing.
How Do You Take Action?
Nothing has to be done to be paid. Checks are mailed to the address the notice was sent to, so the administrator needs an updated address from anyone who has moved. Address updates, workweek challenges, opt-outs and the settlement documents are handled through the official Menasha settlement website.What Happens Next?
The motions for final approval and for attorneys’ fees, costs and service awards are due at least 16 court days before the final approval hearing, which is set for February 9, 2027 at 10:00 a.m. in Department 10 of the Los Angeles County Superior Court’s Spring Street courthouse. Class members can attend in person or remotely through LACourtConnect, and the court can reschedule the hearing.If the court grants final approval, the companies must fund the settlement within 20 days after the judgment becomes final, which is later if there are objections or an appeal. Each participating class member then receives a single mailed check combining the class and PAGA payments. Checks carry a void date; money from uncashed checks goes to the California State Controller’s Unclaimed Property Fund in the worker’s name. If the court denies approval, the settlement is void and no one is paid.
Other California wage cases are collected in the wage and hour class actions hub.
Sources and Verification
- Official Menasha settlement website (Simpluris), including the FAQs, important dates and settlement documents
- Court-approved notice of class action settlement, Tello v. Menasha Packaging Company, LLC, et al.
- Stipulation of class action and PAGA settlement, and the order granting preliminary approval (Los Angeles County Superior Court, No. 20STCV13818)
Questions
Are temp workers placed at Menasha by a staffing agency included?
Yes. The class covers hourly, non-exempt workers assigned to Menasha’s California locations through Simplified Labor Staffing Solutions or any other temporary staffing agency during the January 15, 2017 to September 15, 2024 settlement period, as well as Menasha’s own hourly employees.
Why are Menasha workers before 2022 paid at a higher rate?
Menasha says it stopped rounding employees’ recorded time on January 16, 2022. The settlement sends 80% of the net fund to workweeks worked through that date and 20% to workweeks worked afterward, even though the two periods have roughly the same number of workweeks, so each pre-2022 workweek is worth about four times as much.
What if a former Menasha temp worker never received a notice?
Menasha has no contact information for about 500 workers placed at its Rialto and Tracy locations by one staffing agency from about July 2022 on. The court ordered targeted online and radio notice in those areas, and those workers can send their contact information to the administrator through the settlement website so a payment can be mailed.
Can a Menasha class member opt out of the PAGA payment?
No. A class member can opt out of the class settlement, but not the PAGA portion. Workers who opt out lose their class payment, keep their own wage claims, and still receive any PAGA payment for workweeks between July 31, 2018 and September 15, 2024.
What happens to an uncashed Menasha settlement check?
Each check shows a void date. A lost check can be replaced if the request reaches the administrator before that date. Money from checks not cashed by the void date is sent to the California State Controller’s Unclaimed Property Fund in the worker’s name.
Official Settlement Notice
For more class actions keep scrolling below.
Settlement Amount
$1,732,500
Case Title
Tello v. Menasha Packaging Company, LLC, et al.
Case Number
20STCV13818
Court
Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles
Final Approval Hearing
February 9, 2027 at 10:00 AM PT
Dept. 10, Spring Street Courthouse · Judge William F. Highberger
Administrator
Simpluris
Official Website
Menasha Class Action Settlement.com
