News Article

All But 1% of Plaintiffs Agree To Deal In Coke Suit

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published: May 20, 2001

Only 1 percent of the 2,200 class members have decided to "opt out" of Coca-Cola's $192.5 million settlement of an employee racial discrimination lawsuit.

Class members had until Monday to decide whether to participate in the settlement, which would provide an estimated average of $40,000 per class member.

Some observers say the overwhelming support for the agreement makes it more likely the federal judge in the case will give it final approval.

"This is a resounding victory for those who support this landmark settlement," said lead plaintiffs' attorney Cyrus Mehri.

At the time the details of the settlement were announced last November, some predicted hundreds of employees might reject it and pursue their own individual lawsuits for monetary damages.

But only 23 decided to opt out, including one who said he wants no part of any litigation.

Coke had the option of backing out of the settlement if at least 200, or 9 percent of class members, had rejected it.

"To opt out was tantamount to suicide," said Larry Jones, a former human resources manager at Coke who led a boycott to pressure the company to settle. "You ran the grave risk of getting nothing. "

Atlanta attorney Hunter Hughes, who mediated the settlement, said the total of opt-outs and objections is a "very nominal number. There's certainly been scores of cases that have been approved where opt-outs and objections have been substantially higher. "

Several legal experts predicted U.S. District Judge Richard Story will approve the settlement after hearing the objections.

For more information or the full story, contact Mehri & Skalet, PLLC.