$2.4M Guitar Center Wage Settlement: No Claim Form Needed

What happened

Class period: Class Period: January 11, 2020 through July 11, 2025. PAGA Period: January 11, 2022 through July 11, 2025.

• Two former Guitar Center employees, Benjamin Seilhamer and Trevor West, sued Guitar Center Stores, Inc. over how it paid its hourly workers in California.
• The lawsuit says Guitar Center failed to pay overtime wages, failed to pay minimum wages, failed to pay all wages owed when workers left the company, and failed to reimburse work expenses.
• It also says the company did not provide required meal periods and rest breaks, and did not give workers accurate itemized wage statements.
• The same claims support civil penalties under the California Private Attorneys General Act, known as PAGA. PAGA lets employees collect penalties on the state's behalf.
• Guitar Center strongly denies breaking any law and says it followed all the rules. It agreed to settle after mediation to end the case.
• Guitar Center agreed to pay $2,418,495 as the Gross Settlement Amount.
• The settlement has two parts. The Class portion pays hourly employees based on weeks worked. The PAGA portion pays penalties, with 75 percent going to the state and 25 percent split among eligible employees.
• The court granted preliminary approval on June 1, 2026. Final approval is still pending.
• The case is Seilhamer v. Guitar Center Stores, Inc., Case No. 23STCV00544, in the Los Angeles County Superior Court.

What you can get

Key dates

Who may qualify

• You worked for Guitar Center Stores, Inc. as a non-exempt employee, meaning an hourly worker who is entitled to overtime
• You worked at least one day during the Class Period, January 11, 2020 through July 11, 2025, to receive an Individual Class Payment
• You worked at least one day during the PAGA Period, January 11, 2022 through July 11, 2025, to receive an Individual PAGA Payment
• You should have received a mailed notice with your estimated payment and your workweek count printed on the first page

How to file

1. There is nothing to file. If you do nothing, you stay in the settlement and your check is mailed to you automatically.
2. Check the first page of your mailed notice. It lists your estimated payment, the number of workweeks credited to you, and the number of PAGA pay periods.
3. Update your mailing address with the administrator if you have moved since the notice was sent. Your check goes to the same address as the notice.
4. If the workweek or pay period count looks wrong, mail, email, or fax a signed challenge letter to Atticus Administration by September 1, 2026 with copies of your pay stubs or other records
5. Send copies, not originals. Documents are not returned.
6. Call the administrator at 1-800-470-0690 or email CAEmployeeSettlementGuitarCenter@AtticusAdmin.com with questions

Proof required

• No documents are required to receive a payment. There is no claim form.
• Guitar Center's own payroll records set your payment amount, and the administrator uses those records by default.
• Documents come into play only if you disagree with the numbers. To challenge your workweek or PAGA pay period count, you must send copies of pay stubs or other records by September 1, 2026.
• Without supporting records, the administrator will accept Guitar Center's calculation as accurate.

Payment timing

Guitar Center funds the settlement within 14 business days after the court grants final approval and the judgment becomes final. The Final Approval Hearing is set for October 2, 2026. An appeal would push that back. Atticus Administration then mails a single check by U.S. mail that combines your Class Payment and your PAGA Payment. The check goes to the same address the notice was mailed to, so update your address if you have moved. Every check shows a void date on the front. If you do not cash it by that date, the check is cancelled and the money goes to the California Controller's Unclaimed Property Fund in your name.

Important links

• Official website
• Important dates
• FAQs
• Documents

Contact

Extra details

• The single most important step is making sure the administrator has your current address. There is no claim form to remind you, so a stale address is the most common way people miss out. The administrator's fax is 1-888-326-6411.
• Cash the check before the void date printed on the front. After that it is cancelled and the money moves to California Unclaimed Property, where you have to go through a separate state process to get it.
• If you lose the check before cashing it, the administrator will replace it as long as you ask before the void date.
• Payments are taxed in two pieces. About 20 percent of your Class Payment counts as wages and is reported on a W-2 with withholding. The other 80 percent counts as interest and penalties and is reported on a 1099. PAGA payments are penalties and go on a 1099.
• Opting out only removes you from the Class portion. You cannot opt out of PAGA. If you opt out, you still receive an Individual PAGA Payment and still give up your PAGA claims, but you lose the Class Payment.
• If you opt out, you cannot object to any part of the settlement.
• Guitar Center is barred from retaliating against you for anything you do about this settlement.
• Payments come out of what is left after court-approved deductions: up to 35 percent of the fund for attorney fees, up to $35,000 in litigation costs, up to $10,000 for each of the two plaintiffs, up to $26,000 for the administrator, and up to $200,000 in PAGA penalties.
• Do not call the Los Angeles Superior Court about this settlement. Court staff cannot help. Use the administrator or class counsel.

FAQ

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