Stout v. Central Plastics, Inc.
Case Details
- Nature of Suit — the legal category of the dispute
- Labor: Fair Standards
- Status — whether other courts must follow this ruling
- Unknown
- Procedural Posture — the stage the case had reached
- consent decree
- State
- Kansas
- Circuit
- Tenth Circuit
Related Laws
No specific laws identified for this ruling.
Claim Types
Outcome
Court approved a fair and equitable settlement of wage and hour claims under the FLSA and KWPA. The parties agreed on disputed wage compensation related to rounding policies and clock-in procedures, with the court finding a bona fide dispute existed and reasonable attorney's fees were awarded.
What This Ruling Means
Stout v. Central Plastics, Inc. – Settlement Summary
What Happened
A worker named Stout filed a wage theft case against Central Plastics, Inc., claiming the company improperly handled how employee hours were recorded and rounded on timecards. The dispute centered on whether workers were paid fairly for the time they actually worked.
What the Court Decided
Rather than go to trial, both sides reached a settlement agreement that the court approved on May 22, 2024. The court found that a legitimate disagreement existed between the parties about how wages should be calculated under wage and hour laws. As part of the settlement, the company agreed to compensate workers for disputed wages, and the court ordered the company to pay the workers' attorney fees.
Why This Matters for Workers
This case shows that companies cannot ignore how they round employee hours or process time clock information. When workers believe their pay doesn't match their actual work hours, they have legal grounds to challenge these practices. Settlements like this one remind employers that wage disputes are taken seriously, and workers can recover lost pay plus legal fees when companies make mistakes.
This summary was generated to explain the ruling in plain English and is not legal advice.
Similar Rulings
Browse Related
Facing something similar at work?
Court rulings like this one are useful, but every situation is different. Take 3 minutes to see which laws may protect you — it's free, private, and no account is required to start.
This ruling information is sourced from public court records via CourtListener.com. Case outcomes, claim types, and summaries are extracted using AI analysis and may be incomplete or inaccurate. It is provided for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
See something wrong, or named in this ruling and want it corrected or redacted? Request a correction.