People who applied to a Groundlight, Inc. job opening in Washington between January 1, 2023 and August 28, 2026, where the posting did not disclose the pay range and benefits, will be paid an equal share of a $460,000 fund automatically from Groundlight’s records; there is no claim form to file. The final approval hearing is January 29, 2027.
Current Status
The King County Superior Court preliminarily approved the $460,000 settlement on August 28, 2026, and the administrator has sent notices to class members. There is no claim form: if the court grants final approval at the January 29, 2027 hearing, class members who do not opt out will be paid automatically. December 11, 2026 is the deadline to opt out, object, or update a mailing address or payment method with the administrator. No payments have been made yet.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.
What Is the Settlement About?
A job applicant sued Groundlight, Inc. on March 14, 2025 in King County Superior Court in Seattle. The complaint says Groundlight also does business as Positronix and has an office in Seattle. The case, Milito v. Groundlight, Inc., No. 25-2-08411-6 SEA, alleged that Groundlight’s job postings for Washington positions did not include the wage scale or salary range, or a general description of benefits and other compensation, as Washington’s Equal Pay and Opportunities Act (RCW 49.58.110) has required since January 1, 2023. The complaint sought statutory damages of $5,000 for each class member.Groundlight denies that it violated the law and says the claims have no merit; it filed an answer denying the allegations on November 24, 2025, and the settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing. The $460,000 is paid by Groundlight’s employment practices liability insurer, National Fire Insurance Company of Hartford. According to the settlement agreement, the policy limit was $500,000, the $460,000 is what remained after Groundlight’s defense fees and costs, and Groundlight represented that it cannot pay more. Judge Jason Holloway preliminarily approved the settlement on August 28, 2026. The case is one of many Washington job-posting settlements OCA follows on its Washington job posting settlements page.
Who Qualifies?
The settlement class is the named plaintiff and everyone who, from January 1, 2023 through August 28, 2026, applied for a job opening in Washington with Groundlight where the posting did not disclose the wage scale or salary range and a general description of benefits and other compensation. Groundlight told the parties there are 1,313 class members. Class members are identified from Groundlight’s application records, and people on the list were sent a notice by mail and email.Under the settlement agreement, disputes about being left off the class list had to be raised within 60 days of the notice mailing. Groundlight’s records control unless the person shows documents proving they should have been included; the settlement administrator decides disputes the lawyers cannot resolve, subject to the court’s review.
How Much Can You Get?
Every class member who does not opt out gets an equal share of the class fund. The class fund is the $460,000 total minus attorneys’ fees of $153,333.18 (one-third), up to $5,000 in costs, a $10,000 service award to the named plaintiff, and up to $20,000 in administration costs, all subject to the court’s approval. If those amounts are approved in full, about $271,667 would remain, or roughly $207 per person divided among 1,313 class members. That figure is OpenClassActions.com’s estimate from the settlement terms. Shares of anyone who opts out go back into the class fund for everyone else, and any administration money left unspent is added to it, so either would raise the per-person amount.Payments go out as paper checks to class members with a valid mailing address, or electronically, through a service such as PayPal, to those without a valid address or who ask for a digital payment. Checks expire 180 days after they are issued. Uncashed money is sent to Washington’s unclaimed property program in the class member’s name, and any other leftover funds go to the Legal Foundation of Washington.
Is Proof Required?
No proof is involved because there is no claim to file. The LoginID and PIN printed on the notice are used only to sign in on the settlement website to update a mailing address or switch from a paper check to a digital payment. Class members can also return the address form that came with the notice. The administrator resends a lost LoginID and PIN to class members who request it with their full name and mailing address.What Are the Deadlines?
December 11, 2026 is the deadline to:- opt out, by a signed letter to the settlement administrator postmarked by that date (opt-outs cannot be made by phone or email, and opting out means no payment);
- object, by filing a written objection with the King County Superior Court and mailing copies to class counsel and Groundlight’s counsel, postmarked by that date; and
- update a mailing address or choose a digital payment.
What Happens Next?
Judge Jason Holloway will hold the final approval hearing on January 29, 2027 at 10:00 a.m. at the King County Courthouse in Seattle, with remote attendance by Zoom available; the link is posted on the settlement website. The date can change by court order. Groundlight can void the settlement if more than 10% of the class opts out. If the court approves the settlement and there is no appeal, the schedule in the agreement calls for the settlement to become effective 31 days after the final approval order, the insurer to pay the fund 30 days after that, and payments to go out 14 days later.Who Are the Lawyers?
The court appointed Timothy W. Emery, Patrick B. Reddy and Paul Cipriani of Emery Reddy, PC as class counsel. Groundlight is represented by Littler Mendelson. Class counsel’s fees come out of the settlement fund if approved by the court; class members are not charged directly. The settlement administrator is Simpluris.Sources and Verification
• Official Milito v. Groundlight settlement website — notice, FAQs, important dates and court documents• Order Granting Unopposed Motion for Preliminary Approval of Class Action Settlement, Milito v. Groundlight, Inc., No. 25-2-08411-6 SEA (King Cnty. Super. Ct. Aug. 28, 2026)
• Class Action Settlement and Release Agreement, Milito v. Groundlight, Inc.
• Class Action Complaint, Milito v. Groundlight, Inc. (filed Mar. 14, 2025)
• Court-approved Notice of Class Action Settlement (embedded below)
Questions
Is there a claim form in the Groundlight settlement?
There is no claim form. Class members are identified from Groundlight's application records, and those who do not exclude themselves are paid automatically if the court grants final approval. The administrator mails a check to the address on file, or sends a digital payment to class members who choose one by December 11, 2026.
How much will each Groundlight job applicant get?
Every class member gets an equal share. OpenClassActions.com estimates about $207 each: the $460,000 fund minus the requested $153,333.18 in attorneys' fees, up to $5,000 in costs, a $10,000 service award and up to $20,000 in administration costs, divided among the 1,313 class members Groundlight reported. The actual amount depends on what the court approves and how many people opt out.
Why is the Groundlight fund smaller than other Washington job posting settlements?
The settlement agreement says the $460,000 is what remained of Groundlight's $500,000 employment practices liability insurance policy after defense fees and costs, and that Groundlight represented it cannot pay more. The insurer, National Fire Insurance Company of Hartford, pays the fund on Groundlight's behalf.
What are the LoginID and PIN on the Groundlight notice for?
They open the settlement website's form for updating a mailing address or switching from a paper check to a digital payment. They are not needed to be paid. The address form sent with the notice does the same thing, and the administrator resends a lost LoginID and PIN on request.
When will Groundlight settlement payments be made?
Not before final approval. The final approval hearing is January 29, 2027. Under the settlement schedule, the settlement becomes effective 31 days after a final approval order if there is no appeal, the insurer funds it 30 days after that, and payments go out 14 days later. Checks expire 180 days after they are issued.
