Five class-action plaintiffs and defendant Crown Equipment Corp are moving toward possible mediation in a California employment-related lawsuit.

On one remaining claim, Judge Robert L Hess denied Crown's motion for summary adjudication on 24 April and Crown's motion for decertification on 26 April in the Los Angeles Superior Court. The claim relates to whether Crown needs to compensate technicians for driving to a new customer location during an unpaid one-hour lunch break.

Earlier, Hess had rejected the plaintiffs' other class claims.

The parties expect to complete any mediation attempts by 4 November, says the legal team for New Bremen, Ohio-based Crown. "No trial date has been set, and Crown expects further dispositive motions to be filed prior to trial if the case is not resolved. Due to the ongoing nature of discovery, no further comment is available at this time."

Plaintiffs' attorney Jean-Paul Le Clercq says, "We're in the process of reviewing payroll and time-keeping information to prepare for trial", possibly in early 2014.

Attorneys representing the field service technicians filed the suit in June 2010.

As filed for a period beginning in 2006, the plaintiffs' lawsuit listed five causes of action and claimed that Crown violated California Labor Code employment laws and regulations in failing to provide meal and rest periods, pay overtime wages, furnish accurate wage and hour statements and pay all wages earned.

The plaintiffs asked for unspecified damages, wage restitution, prejudgment interest and reimbursement of legal fees.