Anderson v. Fashion Nova LLC: $500,000 Split and Arbitration

The Anderson Hill v. Fashion Nova settlement resolved a California labor lawsuit brought by a warehouse worker who alleged the retailer’s logistics arm failed to maintain adequate workplace temperatures. Filed in October 2021 under the state’s Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA), the case ended with a $500,000 court-approved settlement on January 13, 2025, covering roughly 12,000 current and former hourly workers.¹

What the Lawsuit Alleged

Anderson Hill worked as a non-exempt hourly employee at FN Logistics LLC, Fashion Nova’s distribution operation in Santa Fe Springs, California. He had been placed at the facility through the staffing agency Adecco USA, Inc. His complaint accused Fashion Nova LLC, Fashion Nova Inc., Nova Fashion Inc., Fashion Nova Holdings LLC, and FN Logistics LLC of violating the California Labor Code by failing to maintain adequate temperatures in the workplace.¹

Hill sued under PAGA, which lets a single employee stand in for the state and pursue civil penalties for all workers hit by the same violation. The “aggrieved employees” group covered all hourly, non-exempt workers employed by the defendants from August 24, 2020 onward — approximately 12,000 people.¹

How the $500,000 Was Divided

Judge Bruce G. Iwasaki approved the settlement in January 2025. The motion was unopposed; no aggrieved employee objected to the terms or the fee request. The gross fund broke down as follows:¹

$175,000 in attorney fees (35%) to Hill’s counsel.
$10,788.30 in litigation costs.
$10,000 service award to Hill for his role in managing the case.
$32,550 to settlement administrator ILYM Group, Inc.
$271,661.70 net fund, split under PAGA: $203,746.27 (75%) to the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency and $67,915.43 (25%) distributed among the aggrieved employees.

The older 75/25 split applied because Hill’s PAGA notice was filed before June 19, 2024. Under 2024 reforms, PAGA penalties filed on or after that date are split 65% to the state and 35% to workers.² Spread across roughly 12,000 workers, the employee share worked out to a small individual payment.

The Arbitration Detour

The case did not move in a straight line to settlement. Defendants moved to compel arbitration based on the dispute-resolution agreement Hill had signed with Adecco. On September 1, 2022, the court found FN Logistics qualified as a third-party beneficiary of that agreement and ordered Hill’s individual PAGA claims into private arbitration under American Arbitration Association Case No. 01-22-0003-9492. The representative claims on behalf of other workers were stayed in court while the individual arbitration played out.¹

Hill tried to undo that order. In mid-2023 he moved to vacate, arguing the defendants had materially breached the arbitration agreement and that the arbitrator lacked impartiality. Judge John P. Doyle denied the motion on July 12, 2023, finding no legal basis for judicial interference in an ongoing arbitration.¹ The parties eventually reached the representative-action settlement that closed the case.

Where the Case Stands Now

The case is closed and judgment has been entered. ILYM Group filed a declaration in March 2026 confirming that settlement funds had been disbursed. A December 2025 non-appearance review addressed the final accounting, and a hearing on the status of the settlement is scheduled for July 27, 2026, in Department 516.¹

Workers who were employed at FN Logistics as hourly, non-exempt employees from August 24, 2020 onward were covered automatically by the PAGA action; there was no separate claim form to file. Payments were issued by ILYM Group as the court-appointed administrator.

1
UniCourt. Anderson Hill vs Fashion Nova LLC et al
2
California Labor and Workforce Development Agency. PAGA FAQs