A federal judge in Kentucky gave final approval on November 3, 2025 to a $15.2 million settlement in the Alliance Coal lawsuit over unpaid wages, ending a case brought in 2019 by thousands of miners who said they were required to work off the clock before and after their shifts. The full amount has already been deposited into a settlement fund, and net proceeds will be distributed to eligible class members who did not opt out.1GovInfo. Branson v. Alliance Coal, Final Approval and Fees Order
Who the Settlement Covers
The class includes current and former non-exempt employees who worked in underground mines or surface coal preparation plants operated by Alliance Coal and its subsidiaries in Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, and West Virginia. Covered operations include River View, Warrior, Webster County, Excel, MC Mining, Sebree, Hopkins County, Gibson County, Hamilton County, White County, Mettiki (Mountain View), and Tunnel Ridge.2GovInfo. Branson v. Alliance Coal, Preliminary Approval Order
Class periods differ by mine but fall between April 9, 2011 and April 22, 2024, the date the settlement was signed. The estimated class size is roughly 6,667 to 7,000 miners.2GovInfo. Branson v. Alliance Coal, Preliminary Approval Order
A parallel West Virginia case, Rettig v. Alliance Coal, filed in 2021 on behalf of miners at the Mountain View and Tunnel Ridge mines, made the same allegations and appears to have been folded into this broader settlement rather than resolved separately.3ClassAction.org. Alliance Coal Failed to Properly Pay Workers at Two West Virginia Mines, Lawsuit Alleges
What the Miners Said They Weren’t Paid For
The lead case, Branson v. Alliance Coal, was filed in 2019 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. Miners alleged they were required to arrive early to put on specialized protective gear, gather tools, and attend mandatory safety meetings, then reverse the process at the end of each shift, all without pay. The gear included coveralls, boots, helmets, headlamps, respirators, self-rescuers, and reflective equipment.4CaseMine. Branson v. Alliance Coal, LLC, Civil Action No. 4:19-CV-00155
The complaint added a second theory: that Alliance left non-discretionary bonuses out of the regular rate used to calculate overtime. Production bonuses, safety incentive bonuses, and pay for certifications such as mine foreman, electrical, and EMT qualifications were allegedly excluded, meaning overtime hours were paid at a lower rate than the law required.5ClassAction.org. Rettig et al. v. Alliance Coal, LLC et al., Complaint
A striking piece of the miners’ case involved the helmet-mounted tracker devices they wore underground. The plaintiffs said those trackers recorded precise location and movement data throughout the workday, so Alliance had the information to pay for pre- and post-shift time but chose to exclude those periods from payroll.5ClassAction.org. Rettig et al. v. Alliance Coal, LLC et al., Complaint
How the $15.2 Million Is Divided
The gross settlement is $15,205,000, structured as a non-reversionary fund, so unclaimed money will not go back to Alliance. The company transferred the full amount into the Qualified Settlement Fund on July 24, 2025, and interest has been accruing since.6CaseMine. Branson v. Alliance Coal, LLC, Litigation Expenses Order
Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings approved these deductions from the gross fund:
- Attorneys’ fees of one-third of the fund, approximately $5,068,333. The court used the percentage-of-the-fund method and found a lodestar cross-check produced a multiplier of about 1.4, within the range the Sixth Circuit accepts.1GovInfo. Branson v. Alliance Coal, Final Approval and Fees Order
- Service awards of $15,000 each to the thirteen named plaintiffs: Randy Branson, Daniel Cunningham, Alton Joseph Newberry, Freddie Brewer, Andrew Johnson, Shane Alexander, Rickey Cates, Walter Rettig, Broderick Hinkle, Kory Leedy, Brian Prater, Jacob Hood, and Eric Thompson.1GovInfo. Branson v. Alliance Coal, Final Approval and Fees Order
- Litigation costs of $309,325.46, approved on November 20, 2025 after class counsel submitted better documentation on a renewed motion.7CaseMine. Branson v. Alliance Coal, LLC, Litigation Expenses Renewed Motion Order
- Administration expenses paid to the court-appointed settlement administrator, Simpluris.8GovInfo. Branson v. Alliance Coal, Docket Summary
What remains after those deductions goes to class members who did not opt out. Individual payments depend on each miner’s covered work history, which the settlement administrator calculates from Alliance’s payroll data.1GovInfo. Branson v. Alliance Coal, Final Approval and Fees Order
When Payments Will Go Out
With final approval granted, the fund fully funded, and fees and costs resolved, the net amount is set to be distributed to eligible class members. The available court records do not specify a date by which settlement checks will be mailed. Simpluris, the settlement administrator, is the point of contact for class members waiting on payment and for anyone who needs to update a mailing address or ask about their share.6CaseMine. Branson v. Alliance Coal, LLC, Litigation Expenses Order
No class members appeared or filed objections at the October 23, 2025 fairness hearing, which cleared the last obstacle to distribution.1GovInfo. Branson v. Alliance Coal, Final Approval and Fees Order
Other Alliance Coal Lawsuits
This settlement resolves the wage claims only. A separate proposed class action, Brewer v. Alliance Coal, filed in the Northern District of Oklahoma in September 2024, accuses Alliance of mismanaging its 401(k) plan by hiring an inexperienced recordkeeper that charged annual per-person fees reaching nearly $221 and by using forfeited retirement contributions for the company’s benefit rather than participants’.9Bloomberg Law. Alliance Coal Hit With Retirement Plan Fee, Forfeiture Lawsuit That case remained pending before Judge Claire V. Eagan as of early 2026, with a motion to dismiss under submission.10CourtListener. Brewer v. Alliance Coal, LLC, Docket Miners with retirement-plan claims are not covered by the $15.2 million wage settlement.
About the Company
Alliance Coal, LLC is the operating subsidiary of Alliance Resource Partners, L.P., a publicly traded master limited partnership headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma. ARLP describes itself as the second-largest coal producer in the eastern United States and operates seven underground mining complexes across Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Maryland.11Alliance Resource Partners. Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. The company produced 33.2 million tons of coal in 2025 and employs roughly 4,200 workers.12GEM Wiki. Alliance Resource Partners