People who applied to one of two Round One Entertainment Customer Service Associate job postings in Washington between January 1, 2023 and May 1, 2025, where the posting left out the pay range, will be paid an equal share of a $925,000 fund automatically from Round One’s records; there is no claim form to file. The final approval hearing is February 26, 2027.
Current Status
The Pierce County Superior Court preliminarily approved the $925,000 settlement in August 2026, and notices went out to the 892 class members. There is no claim form: if the court grants final approval at the February 26, 2027 hearing, class members who did not opt out will be paid automatically. The deadline to opt out or object was November 2, 2026 and has passed. No payment date had been announced as of November 4, 2026.Free settlement alerts
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What Is the Settlement About?
The lawsuit, Hockenberry v. Round One Entertainment Inc., No. 25-2-07435-3, was filed on April 1, 2025 in Pierce County Superior Court in Tacoma. It alleged that Round One, which operates Round1 bowling and arcade entertainment centers, posted openings for Washington positions without the wage scale or salary range, or a general description of benefits, that Washington’s Equal Pay and Opportunities Act (RCW 49.58.110) has required in job postings since January 1, 2023. The suit raised that single claim.Round One denies all wrongdoing and maintains that it complied with the law; the settlement is not an admission of liability. According to the settlement agreement, Round One’s counsel told the plaintiff’s lawyers that its postings came into compliance right after the complaint was filed. The parties first reached a deal at a September 2025 mediation that would have assigned Round One’s rights against its liability insurer to the class. After the related insurance coverage lawsuit was dismissed in April 2026, they negotiated directly and agreed on May 15, 2026 to the $925,000 settlement, which replaces the earlier deal. The court preliminarily approved it in August 2026. OCA tracks the other cases brought under the same law on its Washington job posting settlements page.
Who Qualifies?
The settlement class is everyone who, from January 1, 2023 through May 1, 2025, applied in response to one of two Round One job postings for a Customer Service Associate position, identified in the settlement as List Numbers 1 and 28, where the posting did not disclose the wage scale or salary range, or a general description of the benefits and other compensation offered. The settlement counts 892 class members as of May 15, 2026.This is narrower than most Washington job-posting settlements, which typically cover every Washington posting an employer ran. Applicants to other Round One jobs are not part of this class. Class members were identified from Round One’s records, and the settlement administrator sent each of them a notice by mail and/or email.
How Much Can You Get?
Every class member who did not opt out gets an equal share of the net settlement amount. That is the $925,000 gross amount minus attorneys’ fees of $308,333.34 (one-third), up to $15,000 in litigation costs, a $10,000 service award to the plaintiff, and settlement administration costs estimated at $13,250, all subject to the court’s approval. If those amounts are approved in full, about $578,000 would remain, or roughly $648 per person divided among 892 class members. That figure is OpenClassActions.com’s estimate from the settlement terms; the notice sent to each class member listed that person’s own estimated amount. Shares of anyone who opted out stay in the fund for everyone else, so opt-outs would raise the per-person amount.Checks must be cashed within 120 days. Money from uncashed checks is sent to Washington’s unclaimed property program in the class member’s name.
Is Proof Required?
No. There is no claim form, and nothing has to be submitted to be paid. The settlement pays on a “checks cashed” basis: checks are mailed automatically to every class member who did not opt out. The only thing a class member may need to do is keep a current mailing address on file with the settlement administrator, which can be updated through the official settlement website.What Are the Deadlines?
The deadline to opt out of the settlement or object to it was November 2, 2026. Opt-outs had to be mailed to the administrator, postmarked by that date, and anyone who opted out receives no payment. That deadline has passed, so class members who did nothing remain in the settlement, will be paid if it is approved, and release the claims covered by the settlement. There is no deadline to update a mailing address, though doing so before payments go out avoids a missed check.What Happens Next?
Judge Diana Lynn Kiesel will hold the final approval hearing on February 26, 2027 at 9:00 a.m. in Pierce County Superior Court in Tacoma, where the court will also rule on the requested attorneys’ fees, costs and service award. Round One can void the settlement if 90 or more class members, more than 10% of the class, opted out. If the court approves the settlement and there is no appeal, the settlement becomes effective 31 days after the final approval order, and the agreement calls for Round One to fund the settlement and the administrator to mail checks within 30 days after that.Who Are the Lawyers?
The court appointed lawyers from Ackermann & Tilajef, P.C. as class counsel. Round One is represented by Fisher & Phillips LLP. 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 CPT Group, Inc.Sources and Verification
• Official Hockenberry v. Round One settlement website — notice and case documents• Amended Order Granting Preliminary Approval of Class Action Settlement, Hockenberry v. Round One Entertainment Inc., No. 25-2-07435-3 (Pierce Cnty. Super. Ct.)
• Settlement Agreement, Hockenberry v. Round One Entertainment Inc.
• Court-approved Notice of Class Action Settlement (embedded below)
Questions
Is it too late to do anything in the Round One settlement?
The November 2, 2026 deadline to opt out or object has passed. There was never a claim form, so class members who did not opt out remain in the settlement and will be paid automatically if the court grants final approval. A class member who has moved can still update a mailing address with the settlement administrator through the official settlement website.
How much will each Round One job applicant get?
Every participating class member gets an equal share. OpenClassActions.com estimates about $648 each: the $925,000 fund minus the requested $308,333.34 in attorneys' fees, up to $15,000 in costs, a $10,000 service award and an estimated $13,250 in administration costs, divided among the 892 class members. The actual amount depends on what the court approves and how many people opted out; each notice listed that person's estimated payment.
Does the settlement cover every Round One job applicant in Washington?
No. The class is limited to people who applied, from January 1, 2023 through May 1, 2025, in response to one of two specific postings for a Customer Service Associate position, identified in the settlement as List Numbers 1 and 28, that did not disclose the pay range or a general description of benefits. Class members were identified from Round One's records and sent notice by mail or email.
When will Round One settlement payments be made?
Not before final approval. The final approval hearing is February 26, 2027. Under the settlement agreement, the settlement becomes effective 31 days after a final approval order if there is no appeal, and checks are to be mailed within 30 days after that. Checks must be cashed within 120 days.
