The plaintiff brought a motion under the Class Proceedings Act, 1992 for approval of a settlement agreement, class counsel fees, and a representative plaintiff honorarium.
The class action alleged the employer failed to properly administer paperwork for statutory leaves, resulting in lower pension service for affected employees.
The court approved the $826,836 settlement as fair and reasonable, noting the risks of litigation including limitation defences and class fracturing.
The court also approved class counsel's contingency fees of $301,575.80.
However, the court denied the request for a $5,000 honorarium for the representative plaintiff, finding no exceptional circumstances or financial hardship to justify the payment.
