In a recent court filing, Maikel Gonzalez filed a complaint against Aluminum Precision Products, Inc. (APP) in the Ventura County Superior Court on November 2022, alleging multiple violations under the Labor Code Private Attorneys General Act of 2004 (PAGA). The case has drawn significant attention due to its implications for labor law enforcement and the rights of aggrieved employees.
The complaint was initially filed by Maikel Gonzalez in Ventura County Superior Court on November 2022. Gonzalez accused APP of various labor code violations including failure to pay minimum, straight time, and overtime wages; failure to provide meal periods; failure to authorize rest periods; and failure to maintain accurate records among others. These allegations were based on amended PAGA notices submitted by Gonzalez in April and May 2021. The lawsuit sought civil penalties under PAGA for these alleged violations.
The background of this case is complex and involves multiple parties and previous legal actions. In July 2020, John Maldonado Jr., one of the appellants, had submitted a PAGA notice alleging similar violations against APP. Maldonado’s initial action was filed in Orange County Superior Court but faced several procedural challenges including denied motions for intervention and coordination with Gonzalez's lawsuit. Despite these hurdles, Maldonado continued to pursue his claims through amended complaints and additional PAGA notices.
Gonzalez and APP eventually agreed to mediate and settled the PAGA lawsuit based on the predicate violations alleged in the April and May 2021 amended PAGA notices. However, this settlement was contested by Maldonado and other appellants who argued that the trial court violated coordination rules, failed to evaluate the settlement’s fairness or reasonableness, and erred in denying their motion to intervene.
The appellants contended that the trial court lacked jurisdiction to approve the settlement as it did not properly exhaust all underlying predicate violations. They also raised concerns about a potential "reverse auction," where a defendant facing multiple lawsuits picks the least effective lawyers to negotiate a settlement at a lower value. Despite these objections, the Ventura County Superior Court approved the settlement, finding it fair, adequate, and reasonable after considering pleadings, comments from the Labor Workforce Development Agency (LWDA), and arguments presented during hearings.
Gonzalez’s attorney argued that settling was favorable given the strengths of their case versus potential litigation risks. They highlighted improvements made by APP post-settlement from a previous class action in 2019 as evidence of positive changes prompted by legal actions.
The appellants’ motion to set aside this judgment was denied because no judgment had been entered at that point due to pending coordination petitions in Orange County Superior Court. Ultimately, after these petitions were denied, judgment was entered favoring Gonzalez II.
Representing various interests throughout this legal battle were attorneys from Moon Law Group for Gonzalez; Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP for APP; and Law Offices of Sima Farde for Maldonado et al., highlighting extensive legal expertise involved on both sides.
This case underscores ongoing challenges within labor law enforcement through PAGA claims while reflecting complexities arising from multi-party litigation involving overlapping allegations across different jurisdictions.