Employees of a staffing company brought a class action suit against that company for various wage and hour violations.  Before that suit was resolved, the staffing company’s employees who worked at Glenair sued it for the same wage and hour violations.  The suit against the staffing company settled and was dismissed.  The settlement released claims against the staffing company and its “agents.”  This decision affirms a summary judgment in Glenair’s favor on both res judicata grounds and on the release.  As to res judicata, the judgment dismissing the case against the staffing company was final.  Both suits alleged the same claims.  As a joint employer, jointly and severally liable for wage and hour compliance, Glenair was in privity with the staffing company and so could invoke res judicata in its favor.  Also, because Glenair acted on behalf of the staffing company and under its direction in tracking the working hours of the joint employees, Glenair was the staffing company’s agent in that regard and thus was released by the release given in the settlement of the suit against the staffing company.

California Court of Appeal, Second District, Division 2 (Lui, P.J.); 2018 WL 1790683