The monetary value of the top workplace class-action settlements rose dramatically in 2017, eclipsing the previous high reached two years earlier by almost 10 percent, according to the latest annual report by law firm Seyfarth Shaw.
The top 10 settlements last year had an aggregate value of $2.72 billion, compared with $2.48 billion in 2015. The new record was also 55 percent higher than the 2016 level of $1.75 billion. Whether the surge in settlement dollars was the beginning of a long-range trend or a short-term aberration remains to be seen. But evidence suggests that another new record may be established this year, Seyfarth Shaw says.
