McDonald’s Portland-area franchisees settle $3.55M meal-break claims, portal closes March 8, 2026

UTB Enterprises LLC and Goldenband LLC, owned by Donald D. Armstrong and Lori Armstrong, agreed to pay $3,550,000 to resolve a wage-and-hour class action filed as South et al. v. Armstrong, the settlement shows. Plaintiffs Timothy South and Sharla Gaskill, who filed the suit in 2020, alleged the franchises “failed to pay for meal periods that lasted less than 30 minutes during six-hour shifts, which Oregon law treats as compensable time,” and the claim filing portal closed on March 8, 2026.

The settlement covers hourly employees who worked at the specified McDonald’s franchise locations in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area, with the covered employment period reaching back to March 8, 2014. Claim notices went out after the court granted preliminary approval in October, and workers were notified in December, according to the case record summaries.

The $3,550,000 settlement fund will be used to pay class member awards, attorney fees and administrative costs; any remaining funds after those payments will be donated to Legal Aid Services of Oregon and the Northwest Workers’ Justice Project. Reported example payouts range from $31.14 at the low end up to $872.49 at the high end, with actual amounts tied to how recently individuals worked and how many weeks they were employed during the covered period.

Most eligible employees were automatically included for a base payment, while those seeking the larger payment had to submit claim forms by March 8, 2026. The settlement administrator advised that eligible class members could file online or download, print, complete and mail a PDF claim form to the administrator at South v. Armstrong Settlement Administrator, PO Box 5129, Portland, OR 97208-5129. Payments are to be mailed to the address provided or on file 30 days after the court grants final approval, or 60 days after resolution of appeals, whichever is later.

Those who wanted to exclude themselves from the class had an opt-out deadline of January 7, 2026; the defendants “have not admitted any wrongdoing in this case, but have agreed to the settlement to avoid future legal action,” the settlement materials note. A final fairness hearing is scheduled for March 27, 2026 at the Multnomah County Courthouse, at which the court will consider final approval and the timing of disbursements.

Because final payouts may change depending on how many claims are approved and the court’s final order, the March 27 hearing will determine when mailed payments begin and the ultimate distribution of the $3,550,000 fund.