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Class Actions

In numerous class action lawsuits, at all stages, PII has been a valuable asset to attorneys pursuing resolutions to every imaginable kind of grievance.  From finding, contacting and vetting class members, to uncovering and developing evidence buried in mountains of data, PII has the ability to assemble and coordinate investigative teams to fit the specific size and scope needed.

• In a class action alleging wage and hour violations filed by construction defect claims adjustors, PII located and interviewed potential class members and witnesses.
• Following the settlement of a nationwide class action alleging fraud and breach of contract by a subsidiary of H&R Block, PII was retained to conduct due diligence in attempting to locate and contact hundreds of potential class members.
• In a housing discrimination class action filed by the U.S. Department of Justice, PII was retained to locate and interview numerous former apartment managers with relevant evidence.
• A custom jewelry store with locations throughout Southern California was the subject of a wage and hour class action.  PII investigators located and interviewed numerous current and former employees, and obtained declarations which the attorneys used in the litigation.

Case in Point

After more than a decade of maneuver and delay by lawyers representing a fraudulent financial services corporation that preyed on small businesses, attorneys reached a settlement of over $41 million on behalf of their class members, in what was estimated as one of the largest nationwide consumer class actions filed in Orange County.  With settlement in hand, attorneys engaged PII to contact the 20,000 plus class members, many of whom had moved, gone out of business or died.  Tracking down people to tell them they are owed money is one of the more pleasant tasks PII investigators have been asked to do.

Case in Point

A major drug store chain was found in violation of wage and hour laws when it classified pharmacists as store managers, illegally exempting them from overtime hours spent on administrative and clerical tasks usually performed by pharmacy technicians and administrators.  To reach a settlement, PII was tasked with finding how much time was actually spent at these tasks, interviewing dozens of pharmacists and combing a vast archive of store data to arrive at figures that allowed a class settlement to be reached.