Charter Shells Out $18 Million to Settle California Overtime Suit

St. Louis, MOCharter Communications has agreed to pay a total of $18 million to settle a wage and hour class action lawsuit stemming from allegations that the company failed to properly compensate overtime pay in California, Missouri, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois, Nevada, Washington, Oregon and Nebraska.

span itemprop="image" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/ImageObject" style="display:block">The suit, which covered both current and former employees of the communications giant, was filed on behalf of field technicians who claim that the company failed to properly compensate them for after-hours work, including loading and unloading of company vehicles, travel, gathering and stocking.

For its part, Charter has denied any liability under the settlement, claiming that it has maintained an appropriate and proper payment structure for all of its employees.

"We settled this lawsuit to remove the distraction and expense that comes with preparing a case like this for trial," Greg Doody, Charter's executive vice president and general counsel, told the press. "Our technicians are critical to providing a superior experience for our customers and we need them to be focused on what is most important - taking care of our customers."

Charter is currently listed as the fourth-largest cable operator in the country, according to the St. Louis Business Journal.