South et al. v. Armstrong et al.

The notice is to tell you about the settlement of a class action lawsuit, South et al. v. Armstrong et al., brought for people who have worked as an hourly employee for a McDonalds franchise operated by UTB Enterprises, LLC, Goldenband, LLC, Donald D. Armstrong, or Lori Armstrong. The notice gives you a summary of the terms of the proposed agreement, explains what rights Class Members have, and helps Class Members make decisions about what action to take.

Read this notice to understand the settlement and to determine if you are a Class Member. Then, decide which of these actions you want to take:

Read on to understand the specifics of the Settlement and what each choice would mean for you.

Your deadline to object: January 7, 2026

Your deadline to submit a claim form: March 8, 2026

The Fairness Hearing: March 27, 2026 at 2:00 p.m.

Timothy South and Sharla Gaskill filed a lawsuit in 2020 claiming that UTB Enterprises, LLC, Goldenband, LLC, Donald D. Armstrong, and Lori Armstrong violated Oregon laws regarding worker wages and hours, specifically that they did not pay for legally required meal periods that were less than 30 minutes.

UTB Enterprises, LLC, Goldenband, LLC, Donald D. Armstrong, and Lori Armstrong deny that they did anything wrong.

In November 2024, the parties agreed to a Settlement. This means they have decided to resolve the legal issue without going further in court. This way, they avoid spending more money and taking further risks.

The Settlement is for the workers who brought the case and all members of the Settlement Class. The Court has not decided this case in favor of either side.

A class action settlement is an agreement between the parties to resolve and end the case. Settlements can provide money to Class Members and changes to the practices that caused the harm.

The Court will hold a Fairness Hearing to make sure everything is fair, and to decide on the proposed Settlement. The hearing will be held at:

Where: Multnomah County Courthouse
1200 SW 1st Ave
Portland, OR 97204

When: 2:00 p.m. on March 27, 2026

The Court has directed the parties to send you this notice about the proposed Settlement. Because the settlement of a class action decides the rights of all members of the proposed Class, the Court must give final approval to the settlement before it can take effect. Payments will only be made if the Court approves the Settlement.

You don’t have to attend the hearing, but you may do so at your own expense. You may also ask the Court for permission to speak and express your opinion about the settlement. If the Court does not approve the Settlement, it will not take effect and the lawsuit will continue. The Court may cancel the hearing, or its time or date may change, without further notice to members of the Class.

UTB Enterprises, LLC, Goldenband, LLC, Donald D. Armstrong, and Lori Armstrong agreed to pay up to $3.55 million into a Settlement Fund. This money will be divided among the Class Members and will also pay for costs and lawyer fees approved by the Court, and for the cost of administering this Settlement. Members of the Settlement Class will “release” their claims as part of the Settlement, which means they cannot sue UTB Enterprises, LLC, Goldenband, LLC, Donald D. Armstrong, or Lori Armstrong for the same issues and legal violations raised in this lawsuit.

The Settlement provides that each Class Member will receive their share of guaranteed money. Eligible Class Members who submit valid Claim Forms will also receive extra money, which is called claimable money or Claimable Funds.

The Settlement also provides up to $15,000 to each of the workers who brought this lawsuit, Timothy South and Sharla Gaskill, to compensate them for their work on the case. These are called "Service Payments."

If there is money left over after the claims and expenses are paid, it will be donated to Legal Aid Services of Oregon and the Northwest Workers’ Justice Project, a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to employee rights education and enforcement.

If you worked as an hourly employee at a McDonalds franchise location operated by UTB Enterprises, LLC, Goldenband, LLC, Donald D. Armstrong, or Lori Armstrong at any time after March 8, 2014, and you had a meal period of less than 30 minutes during a six-hour shift that was not paid, you are part of this Settlement.

If you are unsure of whether you are part of this Settlement, contact the Settlement Administrator at (833) 419-0987.

Your payment amount will depend on the following factors:

• How recently your employment took place, and

• Whether or not you submit a Claim Form.

You have three options. You can stay in the Settlement and submit a claim, you can object to the Settlement, or you can do nothing. This chart shows how each option affects your rights:

There is guaranteed money that will be distributed to all Class Members. If you wish to potentially receive extra money, you must submit a completed Claim Form to see if you qualify. You can make a claim online, or download a Claim Form and mail, email, or fax it to the Settlement Administrator (address below). The deadline for submitting a claim is March 8, 2026. Mailed claim forms must be postmarked by that date.

South v. Armstrong Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 5129
Portland, OR 97208-5129
Phone: (833) 419-0987
Email: info@UTBGoldenbandClassAction.com
Fax: 1-877-907-9686

In a class action, the court appoints lawyers to work on the case and represent the interests of all the class members. For this Settlement, the Court has appointed the following lawyers.

Your lawyers: Jon M. Egan of Jon M. Egan, PC. This is the lawyer who negotiated this Settlement on your behalf.

If you want to be represented by your own lawyer, you may hire one at your own expense.

Lawyers' fees and costs will be paid from the Gross Settlement Fund. You will not have to pay the lawyers.

Your lawyers have not been paid any money for their work or the expenses that they have paid for the case. To pay for some of their time and risk in bringing this case without any guarantee of payment unless they were successful, your lawyers will request, as part of the final approval of this settlement, that the Court approve a payment of up to $1,833,333.33 total in attorneys’ fees plus the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses.

Lawyers' fees and expenses will only be awarded if approved by the Court as a fair and reasonable amount. You have the right to object to the lawyers' fees even if you think the other settlement terms are fair. The Court’s award will not change the amount that you are entitled to.

Your lawyers will also ask the Court to approve a payment of $15,000 to each of the two Class Representatives for the time and effort they contributed to the case. If approved by the Court, the Service Payments will be paid from the Gross Settlement Fund. The Court’s award will not change the amount that you are entitled to.

If you disagree with any part of the Settlement (including the lawyers' fees), you may object. You must give reasons why you think the Court should not approve the settlement and say whether your objection applies to just you, a part of the Class, or the entire Class. The Court will consider your views. The Court can only approve or deny the Settlement — it cannot change the terms of the Settlement. You may, but don’t have to, hire your own lawyer to help you.

To object, you must send letters to both the Settlement Administrator and the Court that:

1. are postmarked by January 7, 2026;

2. include the case name and number (South v. Armstrong, 20CV29671)

3. include your full name, address, telephone number, and email address (if you have one);

4. state the reasons for your objection;

5. say whether either you or your lawyer intend to appear at the Fairness Hearing and your lawyer's name; and

6. include your signature.

Mail the letter to both of these addresses:

South v. Armstrong Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 5129
Portland, OR 97208-5129

Multnomah County Circuit Court
1200 SW 1st Ave
Portland, OR 97204

If you do nothing, you will only be mailed your share of the guaranteed money. You will not receive your share of any extra claimable money if you are entitled to any. You will be bound by the Settlement and its “release” provisions. That means you won’t be able to start, continue, or be part of any other lawsuit against UTB Enterprises, LLC, Goldenband, LLC, Donald D. Armstrong, or Lori Armstrong about the issues in this case. A full description of the Claims and persons who will be released if this settlement is approved can be found in the Settlement Agreement.

This notice is a summary of the proposed settlement. The complete Settlement with all its terms can be found in the Settlement Agreement. To get a copy of the settlement agreement or get answers to your questions:

• contact your lawyer (information below),

• access the Court's eCourt Case Information Portal online or by visiting the clerk's office of the Court (address below).

To access the Oregon eCourt Case Information portal online found at https://publicaccess.courts.oregon.gov/PublicAccessLogin/login.aspx, you will need to create an account. You can then access documents by clicking on "Search Civil, Family, Probate and Tax Court Case Records," entering the case number, 20CV29671, on the next page, and clicking "Search." On the following page, click the 20CV29671 link. You may then download images of every document filed in the case for a fee. You may also view images of case documents for free at one of the computer terminal kiosks at county court locations.