Court Grants Final Approval in Mission Health Wage Case

A federal court in the Western District of North Carolina has granted final approval of a class action settlement involving Mission Health facilities owned by HCA Healthcare.

The case was brought on behalf of more than 16,000 hourly, non-exempt employees who worked at HCA-affiliated hospitals and facilities across North Carolina between April 25, 2021, and July 27, 2025. The lawsuit challenged certain alleged wage-and-hour practices, including rounding down time that employees worked and automatically deducting wages for lunch breaks even when employees didn’t take them. Plaintiff Sharon McRee alleged that these practices reduced her and other employees’ recorded work time and thus their pay.

Lee Segui Partner Matt Lee appeared at the fairness hearing in Asheville on May 4, where United States District Judge Max Cogburn Jr. granted final approval, finding the settlement to be fair, reasonable, and adequate, and approving a gross settlement amount of $1,563,000.

Approximately 99% of class members opted to participate in the settlement. Class members did not need to submit a claim form to receive their share of the settlement—payments will be distributed automatically to participating class members.

As Matt Lee noted, “We’re pleased with the result and glad that we could help these folks. This settlement will return to many thousands of workers time that was “rounded” against them and that they will now receive.  Every amount of pay matters when you’re working hard to make ends meet, particularly here in Western North Carolina while the area is still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Helene.”

Lee Segui was appointed as Class Counsel as part of a broader leadership group, alongside Scott & Winters Law Firm, LLC and Klafter Lesser LLP. The case involved coordinated work across firms, including analysis of time and pay data, investigation of payroll and timekeeping practices, and development of the record supporting class-wide resolution.

The Court’s order grants final certification of the settlement class for settlement purposes and resolves the claims released under the settlement for participating class members.