Guitar Center Employee Wage and Hour Settlement

The notice describes two overlapping employee groups. Working during the PAGA Period can make a person an Aggrieved Employee, but the notice does not make an individual eligibility decision beyond the records shown on that person’s notice.

• Class Members are non-exempt employees who worked for Guitar Center during the Class Period, January 11, 2020 through July 11, 2025.
• Aggrieved Employees are non-exempt employees who worked during the shorter PAGA Period, January 11, 2022 through July 11, 2025. They may receive a PAGA payment as well as a class payment if they stay in the Class Settlement.
• The notice’s first page lists the workweeks and PAGA pay periods credited to each recipient. Those records affect the estimated payment.

Payment is automatic under the notice, subject to final approval and the settlement’s terms. Keep the Administrator informed if your mailing address changes.

• You do not submit a claim form to receive the payments described in the notice.
• If you do not opt out of the Class Settlement, you are a Participating Class Member and may receive a class payment. If you are also an Aggrieved Employee, the same mailed check combines both payments.
• An Aggrieved Employee who opts out of the Class Settlement does not receive a class payment, but remains eligible for a separate PAGA payment.

The amount printed on an individual notice is an estimate. The final amount can change because it depends on the approved deductions and the total workweeks or pay periods credited across the relevant group.

• The total gross settlement is $2,418,495.00, but it is not the amount paid directly to employees.
• Court-approved attorney fees, expenses, service payments, administration costs, and the PAGA allocation are taken from the gross settlement before the remaining Net Settlement is divided for class payments.
• A class payment is based on your credited workweeks. A PAGA payment is a share of $50,000 based on your credited PAGA pay periods.

You only need documents if you challenge the workweeks or PAGA pay periods listed in your notice. Documents are not required for the automatic payment itself.

• Send a signed letter to the Administrator by September 1, 2026. You may send it by mail, email, or fax.
• Include copies of pay stubs or other records that support the number of workweeks or pay periods you believe should be credited.
• Do not send originals. The notice says documents will not be returned.
• Without supporting records, the Administrator will use Guitar Center’s records as accurate.

Opting out means leaving the Class Settlement. It is not a way to opt out of the PAGA Settlement.

• To leave the Class Settlement, send the Administrator a signed written request by September 1, 2026.
• The request should identify the case, state that you want to be excluded, and provide your name, current address, telephone number, and approximate employment dates.
• You must make and personally sign the request yourself.
• Opting out means no Individual Class Payment, but it preserves your right to personally pursue the released class wage-and-hour claims. It does not remove an Aggrieved Employee from the PAGA part or its PAGA payment.

The notice says objections concern the Class Settlement; Aggrieved Employees cannot opt out of the PAGA portion.

• Participating Class Members may object to the Class portion of the settlement. A person who opts out cannot object.
• A written objection must be sent to the Administrator by September 1, 2026.
• The objection should explain what you oppose, why, and supporting facts. It must identify the case and include your name, current address, telephone number, approximate employment dates, and signature.
• A Participating Class Member may instead object at the Final Approval Hearing, personally or through a lawyer hired at their own cost.

The Court has only preliminarily approved the proposed settlement. Final approval has not yet been decided.

• The hearing is scheduled for October 2, 2026, at 9:00 a.m., in Department 6 of the Los Angeles Superior Court, 312 North Spring Street, Los Angeles, California 90012.
• Attendance is optional. You may attend in person or virtually through LACourtConnect, or hire a lawyer at your own expense.
• The judge will decide whether to finally approve the settlement and the amounts paid from the gross settlement to Class Counsel, the plaintiffs, and the Administrator.
• The hearing date may change.

The notice does not give a single payment date or a fixed check-expiration date. It says the date will appear on the check.

• Twenty percent of each Individual Class Payment is proposed to be treated as wages. That portion is subject to withholding and reported on a W-2.
• The remaining 80 percent of the class payment, and any Individual PAGA Payment, are reported on a 1099 according to the notice.
• Cash the check before the void date printed on it. If it is not cashed in time, it will be cancelled and the money will be sent to California’s Unclaimed Property Fund in your name.
• If a check is lost before it expires, ask the Administrator for a replacement before the void date.