SANTA ANA, Calif. (Legal Newsline) – Six current, former and retired teachers allege the California Teachers Association union collected fees from them without their consent.
Georgia Babb, John J. Frangiamore Jr., William Happ, Michelle Pecanic-Lee, David Schmus and Abram van der Fluit, as individuals and on behalf of all others similarly situated, filed a complaint on June 5 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Southern Division against California Teachers Association; United Teachers of Los Angeles, et al. over allege unlawful collection of fair share service fees.
According to the complaint, the plaintiffs allege that despite refusing to join defendants and its affiliates because they disapproved of defendants' political advocacy, collective-bargaining activities and did not wish to support them in any way, they were forced to pay "fair share service fees" to the CTA as a condition of their continued employment.
The plaintiffs hold California Teachers Association; United Teachers of Los Angeles, et al. responsible because the defendants allegedly committed the tort of conversion by appropriating money from nonunion, agency-fee payers without first obtaining written consent.
The plaintiffs seek permanent injunction, award of costs, attorneys' fees, and grant all other relief that the court may deem just, proper, or equitable. They are represented by Bradley Benbrook of Benbrook Law Group PC in Sacramento, California and Jonathan F. Mitchell of Mitchell Law PLLC in Austin, Texas.
U.S. District Court for the Central District of California Southern Division case number 8:18-cv-00994-JVS-DFM