California Battalion Chiefs Settle FLSA Overtime Dispute for $937,000
Ten battalion chiefs with the Tulare County Fire Department have resolved a lawsuit alleging violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) after a federal court approved a settlement totaling more than $1.25 million.
The case, Doyle v. County of Tulare, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California by ten current and former battalion chiefs who claimed the county failed to pay them overtime wages as required by federal law.
According to the complaint, the battalion chiefs alleged that the county improperly classified them as exempt employees and compensated them using flat stipends rather than calculating overtime pay based on an hourly rate. The county denied the allegations, asserting that the chiefs were properly classified as exempt under the FLSA and that all wages owed had been paid. The county also raised several defenses, including the statute of limitations and a good-faith defense.
The parties engaged in discovery and later informed the court they had reached a settlement. They jointly asked the court to approve the agreement, which required judicial approval because claims for unpaid wages under the FLSA may only be settled if the agreement is supervised by the Secretary of Labor or approved by a federal court.
Under the terms of the agreement, the court certified an FLSA collective action for purposes of settlement consisting of the ten battalion chiefs who participated in the lawsuit.
The county agreed to pay the plaintiffs $937,128.38. The payment includes compensation for alleged unpaid overtime as well as liquidated damages, with the funds to be distributed among the chiefs according to an agreed schedule.
In addition, the county agreed to pay the plaintiffs’ attorneys $312,376.12 in attorneys’ fees and $495.50 in litigation costs.
As part of the settlement, the battalion chiefs agreed to release all overtime-related claims against the county arising under the FLSA or any related legal theory connected to the allegations in the lawsuit.
In evaluating the proposed settlement, the court considered whether the case involved a bona fide dispute and whether the agreement represented a fair and reasonable resolution of the claims. The parties identified several contested issues, including whether the battalion chiefs qualified as exempt employees under the FLSA and whether the county could rely on a statutory exception allowing a different overtime calculation method.
The court noted that courts have reached differing conclusions in similar cases involving fire service command staff, and that the exemption analysis can be fact-intensive.
The court concluded that the settlement represented a genuine compromise reached after significant discovery and negotiation. It approved the agreement as a fair and reasonable resolution of a bona fide dispute and dismissed the case with prejudice while retaining jurisdiction to enforce the settlement terms.
The decision approving the settlement was issued March 4, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston. Here is a copy:
