Wells Fargo Employees Seek Class Certification in Employment Lawsuit

Wells Fargo workers seek class certification from California federal court for employees claiming they were cheated out of mandatory breaks, pay as required by employment law, and forced non-reimbursed expenses to comply with dress codes at the financial institution.

Details of the Case: Caudley Simon v. Wells Fargo Bank, National Association

Court: United States District Court for the Central District of California

Case No.: 2:20-cv-00211

Simon v. Wells Fargo: The Plaintiff

Wells Fargo employees seek class certification in Caudley Simon v. Wells Fargo Bank, National Association. Plaintiffs claim they were cheated of pay, mandatory breaks and rest periods, and reimbursements for money spent complying with the company’s stringent dress code policy. Plaintiffs filed the motion in California federal court arguing that there are five categories of Wells Fargo employees that should be certified due to the fact that they were allegedly harmed by the same company policies at various Wells Fargo branches throughout California. The named plaintiff, Simon, is a former personal banker for Wells Fargo. He sued Wells Fargo in December 2019 alleging that he (and other workers in similar situations) were regularly deprived of mandatory meal breaks and rest periods, and were not provided paper wage statements in compliance with employment law. Additional allegations were also listed.

Simon v. Wells Fargo: The Defendant

Plaintiffs in the case claim that Wells Fargo’s timekeeping system precluded their workers from logging interrupted or condensed rest periods and meal breaks. Additionally, court documents allege that due to the company’s strict dress code, employees were forced to spend hundreds each year to comply and to pay for dry cleaning bills. Wells Fargo states the claims are meritless, and that they are committed to complying with state and federal employment law.

Simon v. Wells Fargo: An Overview

Wells Fargo employees seeking class certification include a pay stub class of workers who received payment through direct deposit and did not receive paper wage statements. Another class of workers spent “hundreds” of dollars annually to comply with the Wells Fargo dress code, and manage their dress code with expensive dry cleaning bills. It’s estimated that the combined class members could total more than 6,000 Wells Fargo workers.

If you have questions about California labor law violations or how employment law protects you against labor law violations, please get in touch with Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik DeBlouw LLP. Experienced employment law attorneys are ready to assist you in various law firm offices located in San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Riverside, and Chicago.