In a sweeping class action lawsuit, an individual is taking on a major corporation for alleged labor violations that could impact numerous employees. John Thornhill filed the complaint in the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara, on January 24, 2025, against McLane Foodservice, Inc., a Texas-based company. The case highlights significant issues surrounding wage and hour laws in California.
John Thornhill accuses McLane Foodservice of failing to comply with several provisions of the California Labor Code. The allegations include not paying minimum and overtime wages, failing to provide meal and rest periods, not issuing accurate wage statements, and not reimbursing employees for business expenses. "Defendants have obtained valuable property, money and services from Plaintiff," Thornhill claims in the filing. He argues that these practices constitute unfair business activities under California's Business & Professions Code §§ 17200 et seq.
Thornhill worked as an hourly-paid employee for McLane Foodservice from November 2021 to July 2023. He asserts that during his employment, he was frequently scheduled to work more than eight hours per day and over forty hours per week without receiving proper compensation for overtime. Additionally, he alleges that McLane Foodservice often failed to provide him with legally mandated meal breaks or rest periods. Thornhill claims that these violations were not isolated incidents but rather part of a broader pattern affecting other employees as well.
The lawsuit seeks various forms of relief from the court. Thornhill is asking for unpaid wages at both regular and overtime rates, statutory penalties for waiting time violations upon termination, liquidated damages for failure to pay minimum wages timely, and reimbursement for business expenses incurred during employment. Furthermore, he seeks injunctive relief to prevent future violations by McLane Foodservice and restitution of unpaid wages under California's unfair competition law.
Representing Thornhill are attorneys John G. Yslas, Eugene Zinovyev, John Brown, and Gabriella Solé from Wilshire Law Firm. The case has been assigned Case ID 25CV457425 and will be presided over by Judge C. Roman at the Superior Court of California in Santa Clara County.