Aguilar v. Owens-Brockway Glass Container CA2/2

── Aguilar v. Owens-Brockway Glass Container CA2/2 ── Court: California Court of Appeal Date: April 27, 2026 Category: General Filed 4/27/26 Aguilar v. Owens-Brockway Glass Container CA2/2 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115. IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA SECOND APPELLATE DISTRICT DIVISION TWO PRISCILLA AGUILAR et al., B341875 Plaintiffs and Respondents, (Los Angeles County Super. Ct. No. v. 21STCV33017) OWENS-BROCKWAY GLASS CONTAINER, INC., Defendant; LUCIO LEMUS, JR., Movant and Appellant. APPEAL from an order of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, Elaine Lu, Judge. Affirmed. Matern Law Group, Matthew J. Matern, Mikael H. Stahle, Debra J. Tauger; Altshuler Berzon and Michael Rubin for Movant and Appellant. James Hawkins, James R. Hawkins, Christina M. Lucio, Mitchell J. Murray and Samantha A. Jones for Plaintiffs and Respondents. PRISCILLA AGUILAR et al., B343959 Plaintiffs and Respondents, (Los Angeles County Super. Ct. No. v. 21STCV33017) OWENS-BROCKWAY GLASS CONTAINER, INC., Defendant and Respondent; LUCIO LEMUS, JR., Movant and Appellant. APPEAL from an order of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, Elaine Lu, Judge. Affirmed. Matern Law Group, Matthew J. Matern, Mikael H. Stahle, Debra J. Tauger; Altshuler Berzon and Michael Rubin for Movant and Appellant. James Hawkins, James R. Hawkins, Christina M. Lucio, Mitchell J. Murray and Samantha A. Jones for Plaintiffs and Respondents. Seyfarth Shaw, Candace Bertoldi, Elizabeth J. MacGregor, Robin E. Devaux and Brian P. Long for Defendant and Respondent. ___________________________________ Lucio Lemus, Jr. filed two appeals in this superior court case. In B341875, he challenges the trial court’s denial of his motion to intervene. After denying intervention, the court entered judgment on the parties’ negotiated settlement. In 2 B343959, appellant challenges the denial of his motion to vacate the judgment. We have consolidated the appeals. In B341875, we conclude that appellant’s motion to intervene was properly denied for lack of standing to maintain a Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) claim. (Lab. Code, § 2698 et seq.)1 Appellant lacks standing to appeal in B343959 because he is not an aggrieved party. We affirm the orders. FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY Respondents’ Lawsuit Respondents Priscilla Aguilar, Julian Haro, Richard Nunez, and Juan Madera worked for Owens-Brockway Glass Container, Inc. (Owens).2 In 2021, they sued Owens for labor law violations. Respondents notified the Labor and Workforce Development Agency (LWDA) that they sought civil penalties under PAGA. Respondents negotiated a settlement with Owens. Owens denied violating labor laws but settled to avoid further litigation. The $3.7 million settlement (Settlement) encompassed class and PAGA claims. The LWDA received $225,000 of the PAGA penalty; aggrieved employees received $75,000. Respondents requested court approval of the Settlement. The court granted preliminary approval in December 2023, finding the Settlement fair, adequate, and reasonable. Respondents then notified 1,106 class members, none of whom objected to the Settlement. 1 We are applying the version of PAGA in effect from June 27, 2016, until June 30, 2024