Court Approves OOIDA-C.R. England Settlement
A Utah U.S. District Court judge has approved a settlement requiring motor carrier C.R. England to pay a class of independent-contractor truck drivers $3 million in damages and attorney fees for alleged “truth-in-leasing” violations.
The settlement ends an 11-year-old lawsuit filed against England by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and a class of 7,893 truck drivers.
The drivers had alleged that the Salt Lake City-based carrier improperly deducted amounts for insurance, maintenance, truck payments and other charges from the contractors’ compensation, according to court documents.
The driver class included all owner-operators leased to England from June 1998 through May 2006. However, England revised its driver contract in 2002, eliminating the problematic language and transitioning their drivers to the new agreement.
"After many years of litigation, we're happy to have this matter resolved, and continue our focus on providing the best service to our customers throughout the country," England said in a statement.
The court approved the settlement June 19 and dismissed the case July 21.
