Weitz v. Banana Republic Settlement
Superior Court of the State of California, County of Los Angeles
Case No. 23STCV19287
YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS MAY BE AFFECTED WHETHER YOU ACT OR DO NOT ACT.
PLEASE READ THIS WEBSITE CAREFULLY.
You may be eligible to receive money from an employee class action lawsuit (“Action”) against Defendants Banana Republic, LLC and The Gap, Inc. (“Defendants”) for alleged wage and hour claims. The Action was filed by Plaintiffs Laura Weitz and Laila Faiz (“Plaintiffs”) and seeks payment of (1) wages and other relief on behalf of all individuals who are or previously were employed by Defendants Banana Republic, LLC and The Gap, Inc. who were classified as non-exempt retail store employees in the State of California at any time during the Class Period (October 27, 2022 through July 4, 2025) (“Class Members”), and (2) penalties and other relief on behalf of all individuals who are or previously were employed by Defendants Banana Republic, LLC and The Gap, Inc. who were classified as non-exempt retail store employees in the State of California at any time during the PAGA Period (October 27, 2022 through July 4, 2025) (“Aggrieved Employees”).
The proposed Settlement has two parts that effect your legal rights: (1) a Class Settlement requiring Defendants to fund Individual Class Payments to Class Members, and (2) a PAGA Settlement requiring Defendants to fund Individual PAGA Payments and pay penalties to the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency (“LWDA”). These components of the Settlement are discussed in more detail throughout the Notice.
Defendants have also entered into a separate settlement with Plaintiff Laura Weitz in which Plaintiff Weitz will receive money for the settlement and release of claims that are unique to her based on allegations related to her employment with and separation from Banana Republic, LLC. Defendants desire a global resolution of all disputes between them and Plaintiff Weitz, so Plaintiff Weitz’s individual settlement is contingent on the Court approving this Class Settlement as fair, but Plaintiff Weitz negotiated the settlement of her individual claims separately from and independently of her participation with Plaintiff Laila Faiz in the negotiation of this Class Settlement. The individual claims of Plaintiff Weitz that are being separately settled are for alleged discrimination, retaliation and wrongful termination, and these individual claims are not related to the class claims resolved by this Settlement. A copy of the separate Settlement Agreement with Plaintiff Weitz has been filed with the Court and may be viewed on the Los Angeles Superior Court register of actions by searching for this case by Case No. 23STCV19287.
The Court has already preliminarily approved the proposed Settlement and approved the Notice. The Court has not yet decided whether to grant final approval. Your legal rights are affected whether you act or do not act. Read this Notice carefully. You will be deemed to have carefully read and understood it. At the Final Approval Hearing, the Court will decide whether to finally approve the Settlement and how much of the Settlement will be paid to Plaintiffs and Plaintiffs’ attorneys (“Class Counsel”). The Court will also decide whether to enter a judgment that requires Defendants to make payments under the Settlement and requires Class Members and Aggrieved Employees to give up their rights to assert certain claims against Defendants.
If you worked for Defendants during the Class Period and/or the PAGA Period, you have two basic options under the Settlement:
(1) Do Nothing. You don’t have to do anything to participate in the proposed Settlement and be eligible for an Individual Class Payment, and/or an Individual PAGA Payment. As a Participating Class Member, though, you will give up your right to assert Class Period wage claims and PAGA Period penalty claims against Defendants as described below in Section 4 below.
(2) Opt-Out of the Class Settlement. You can exclude yourself from the Class Settlement (opt-out) by submitting the written Request for Exclusion or otherwise notifying the Administrator in writing. If you opt-out of the Settlement, you will not receive an Individual Class Payment, however you will preserve your right to personally pursue Class Period wage claims against Defendants. If you are an Aggrieved Employee, you remain eligible for an Individual PAGA Payment. You cannot opt-out of the PAGA portion of the proposed Settlement.
Defendants will not retaliate against you for any actions you take with respect to the proposed Settlement.
SUMMARY OF YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS AND OPTIONS IN THIS SETTLEMENT:
You Don’t Have to Do Anything to Participate in the Settlement
If you do nothing, you will be a Participating Class Member, eligible for an Individual Class Payment and an Individual PAGA Payment (if any). In exchange, you will give up your right to assert the wage claims against Defendants that are covered by this Settlement (Released Class Claims).
You Can Opt-out of the Class Settlement but not the PAGA Settlement
The Opt-out Deadline is July 21, 2026.
If you don’t want to fully participate in the proposed Settlement, you can opt-out of the Class Settlement by sending the Administrator a written Request for Exclusion. Once excluded, you will be a Non-Participating Class Member and no longer eligible for an Individual Class Payment. Non-Participating Class Members cannot object to any portion of the proposed Settlement. See Section 7 of the Notice.
You cannot opt-out of the PAGA portion of the proposed Settlement. Defendants must pay Individual PAGA Payments to all Aggrieved Employees and the Aggrieved Employees must give up their rights to pursue Released Claims (defined below) regardless of whether you submit a request for exclusion.
Participating Class Members Can Object to the Class Settlement
Written Objections Must be Submitted by the Response Deadline July 21, 2026.
All Class Members who do not opt-out (“Participating Class Members”) can object to any aspect of the proposed Settlement. The Court’s decision whether to finally approve the Settlement will include a determination of how much will be paid to Class Counsel and Plaintiffs who pursued the Action on behalf of the Class. You are not personally responsible for any payments to Class Counsel or Plaintiff, but every dollar paid to Class Counsel and Plaintiffs reduces the overall amount paid to Participating Class Members. You can object to the amounts requested by Class Counsel or Plaintiffs if you think they are unreasonable. See Section 8 of the Notice.
You Can Participate in the November 9, 2026 Final Approval Hearing
The Court’s Final Approval Hearing is scheduled to take place on November 9, 2026 at 10:00 a.m., at the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Spring Street Courthouse, located at 312 North Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012, in Department 11 before Judge Bruce Iwasaki. This hearing may change as explained in Section 9 of the Notice.
You don’t have to attend but you do have the right to appear (or hire an attorney to appear on your behalf at your own cost), in person, by telephone or by using the Court’s virtual appearance platform. Participating Class Members can verbally object to the Settlement at the Final Approval Hearing. See Section 9 of the Notice.
You Can Challenge the Calculation of Your Pay Periods / Pay Periods
Written Challenges Must be Submitted by the Response Deadline (July 21, 2026)
The amount of your Individual Class Payment depends on how many pay periods you worked at least one day during the Class Period. The amount of your share of your Individual PAGA Payment (if any) depends on how many pay periods you worked at least one day during the PAGA Period. The number of Class Period pay periods and number of PAGA Period pay periods you worked according to Defendants’ records is stated on the first page of this Notice. If you disagree with either of these numbers, you must challenge it by July 21, 2026. See Section 5 of the Notice.