Court Trims Ocean Spray Settlement Attorneys' Fees

A federal judge approved a $100,000 wage settlement but cut the fee award requested by plaintiffs' counsel.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Unions

Court Trims Ocean Spray Settlement Attorneys' Fees

A federal court approved a $100,000 collective settlement in the Desmarais v. Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. wage case. The court reduced the proposed attorneys' fees from $55,107 to $40,000.

Why it matters

The ruling limits how much of a modest wage-recovery fund can go to attorneys in Fair Labor Standards Act collective actions. Participating plaintiffs share a $28,279 allocation from the settlement.

The court approved $11,614 in litigation expenses and a $40,000 fee award out of a $100,000 fund. Plaintiffs' counsel had requested roughly 55% of the settlement as fees.

The players

Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc.

A cranberry-products cooperative and the defendant in the wage lawsuit.

The details

The unopposed motion for approval was allowed in part and denied in part by the court in Civil Action No. 22-cv-11904-ADB. The judge found the $100,000 fund reasonable but deemed the proposed fee allocation disproportionate to what participating plaintiffs recovered.

October 29, 2026: The court issued the order approving the settlement in part.

Political Context

Courts reviewing Fair Labor Standards Act collective settlements must confirm that attorneys' fees are reasonable relative to the recovery. This order follows that review by rejecting a lodestar-based fee request as the controlling measure when the recovery was modest.

Workers covered by collective wage settlements may see smaller attorney fee deductions when courts find fee requests disproportionate. Participating plaintiffs in this case share a $28,279 allocation.

The takeaway

Judges can reduce fee requests in collective wage settlements when the recovery is small relative to the amounts requested. Affected workers should review settlement notices for their allocation and any deadlines.