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Employment

Swire Coca-Cola Washington Non-Compete Settlement

Settlement Amount
$672.54
Claim Deadline
November 2, 2026
Total Fund
$2,003,000

November 2, 2026 is not a claim deadline — there is no claim to file, and letting that date pass costs you nothing. The Swire Coca-Cola Washington Non-Compete Settlement is a $2,003,000 automatic-payment settlement of Braithwaite et al. v. Swire Pacific Holdings Inc., No. 25-2-26285-5 SEA (King County Superior Court, Washington). It is a closed, records-based class of roughly 2,003 people that you cannot sign up for: Swire's own payroll records decide who is in it, and a mailed or emailed Notice is the practical sign that you are. This is not The Coca-Cola Company. Swire Pacific Holdings, Inc. (dba Swire Coca-Cola, USA, now Swire Coca-Cola, USA Inc.) is an independent bottler, and working for Coca-Cola itself or another bottler does not qualify you. Two limits rule out almost everyone who will read about this case: the work had to be in Washington, and you had to earn less than twice the applicable Washington minimum hourly wage — $28.98 in 2022, $31.48 in 2023, $32.56 in 2024, $33.32 in 2025 or $34.26 in 2026 — at some point between September 9, 2022 and March 10, 2026. Everyone who stays in receives the same equal share, which the court-authorized Notice estimates at $672.54. There are no tiers and nothing to elect. The $2 million is a gross figure: attorneys' fees of $600,900, costs of up to $10,000, two $20,000 service awards and administration costs come out first. The $25,000 cap applies only to administration costs, not to the settlement, and anything unused there flows back to class members — so $672.54 can move either way once the Court rules. What November 2, 2026 actually is: the deadline to opt out, to object, and to switch from a paper check to a digital payment at settlementsphi.com. The one thing worth doing is making sure Simpluris has your current mailing address — the official FAQ warns you may not be paid if it does not. Final approval hearing: November 13, 2026. Swire denies the allegations and the Court has not decided whether it violated the law.

Do I Qualify?

You may be eligible if:

There is no claim form, no receipt and nothing to document. Payment is automatic for everyone on Swire's class list who does not exclude themselves. The company's payroll records establish class membership, so there is nothing for you to prove about your employment or your pay rate and no self-service route in for someone who was never sent a Notice. The Login ID and PIN on your Notice do not gate your payment. They open one thing: the settlement website's Address Update/Payment Selection portal, for two optional changes — updating your mailing address, and switching from a paper check to a digital payment. If you lost them, the settlement website explains how to request them from Simpluris, or call (888) 428-6649. The one thing worth doing is confirming your address. The official FAQ warns that if the Settlement Administrator does not have your current mailing address, you may not receive your settlement payment, and it tells class members they must contact the administrator if their address or phone number changes at any time. An undeliverable check is the most common way an automatic payment goes unpaid, and this matters most if you have moved since leaving Swire. You can update online with your credentials, return the Address Form that came with the Notice, or write to Simpluris, Inc., P.O. Box 26170, Santa Ana, CA 92799. If you believe you belong in the class but were never on the list, Paragraph 17 of the Settlement Agreement set the route: raise the dispute within 45 calendar days of the mailing of the Notice, and unless you can establish inclusion with documentary evidence, Swire's records control, with the Settlement Administrator as final arbiter.

What Happened?

Kevin Braithwaite and Steven Dedeaux — one former and one current Washington employee — sued Swire Pacific Holdings, Inc. in King County Superior Court, claiming the company entered into noncompetition covenants with employees in violation of Washington law. The complaint points to RCW 49.62.070, the provision of Washington's Noncompetition Covenants Act that since January 1, 2020 has barred employers from restricting an employee earning less than twice the applicable state minimum hourly wage from holding an additional job, working for another employer, working as an independent contractor or being self-employed. The complaint identifies a line in Swire's Corporate Code of Conduct that it says prohibited working for a non-Swire company while employed by Swire, and sought $5,000 in statutory damages per class member under RCW 49.62.080.

Swire denies the allegations, denies that it is or can be held liable, and denies that the claims are appropriate for a class action. The official FAQ states that the Court has not decided whether Swire violated the law and has made no determination on the merits. Swire made a business decision to settle to avoid the time, cost, inconvenience and risk of continued litigation, and the settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing.

The case is Braithwaite et al. v. Swire Pacific Holdings Inc., Case No. 25-2-26285-5 SEA, before Judge Rania Rampersad in King County Superior Court, Washington. It was filed on September 9, 2025. Class Counsel is Emery Reddy, PC. Simpluris, Inc. is the Settlement Administrator. Swire Pacific Holdings, Inc. did business as Swire Coca-Cola, USA and is now known as Swire Coca-Cola, USA Inc.; it bottles and distributes Coca-Cola and other beverage brands across a group of western states, and is a separate company from The Coca-Cola Company.

The parties reached a proposed class settlement under which Swire pays a Common Fund of $2,003,000. On August 10, 2026 the Court issued an order preliminarily approving the settlement and authorizing Simpluris to issue the Notice to everyone on the class list. The official settlement website at settlementsphi.com now carries the Notice, the Settlement Agreement, the important dates and a portal for address and payment-method changes.

Swire is not the first Washington employer to settle a claim under this second-job provision, and the state has seen a separate parallel wave of class actions over job postings that omit the pay range under RCW 49.58.110. Those are different statutes, different employers and different classes — being covered by one of them tells you nothing about whether you are in this one.

The Final Approval Hearing is set for November 13, 2026 at 11:30 a.m. before Judge Rampersad at the King County Superior Court's Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent, Washington, with Zoom attendance available. The official website warns the date can change by court order. A scheduled hearing is not an approval: as of October 1, 2026 no final approval order had been entered, no payments had been issued and no payment date had been announced.

How to File Your Claim

  1. NO ACTION NEEDED — there is no claim form, no claim deadline and nothing to submit
  2. Swire's payroll records identify the roughly 2,003 class members, and Simpluris mails a payment automatically to everyone who does not exclude themselves, if the Court grants final approval
  3. NOVEMBER 2, 2026 IS NOT A CLAIM DEADLINE — it is the deadline to opt out, to object, and to switch from a paper check to a digital payment. Let it pass and you are still paid by check
  4. DO THIS INSTEAD: make sure Simpluris has your current mailing address. The official FAQ warns that if the Settlement Administrator does not have your current address, you may not receive your payment. Update it online at settlementsphi.com using the Login ID and PIN printed on your Notice, return the Address Form that came with the Notice, or contact the administrator directly. This matters most if you have moved since leaving Swire
  5. OPTIONAL — digital payment: use the Address Update/Payment Selection portal at settlementsphi.com by November 2, 2026 to receive a digital payment instead of a mailed check. This changes how you are paid, not how much
  6. Lost your Login ID and PIN? The settlement website explains how to request them from the administrator, and you can call (888) 428-6649 or email info@SettlementSPHI.com. The credentials unlock only the address and payment-method portal — they do not gate your payment
  7. TO EXCLUDE YOURSELF: mail a written request to the Settlement Administrator postmarked no later than November 2, 2026, giving your full name, address, a statement that you want to be excluded from the settlement in Braithwaite et al. v. Swire Pacific Holdings Inc., and your signature and date. Exclusion cannot be done by phone or email, each person must send their own request, and excluding yourself gives up the payment
  8. TO OBJECT: file a written objection with King County Superior Court by November 2, 2026 and mail copies to Class Counsel and Swire's counsel postmarked by the same date. The Notice lists what it must contain, including the case name and number, your reasons, whether you plan to appear, and a three-year history of any other class settlement objections by you or your attorney. You cannot both exclude yourself and object
  9. Final approval hearing: November 13, 2026 at 11:30 a.m. before Judge Rania Rampersad at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent, Washington, with Zoom attendance available. The date can change by court order
  10. Settlement Administrator: Simpluris, Inc., Braithwaite et al. v. Swire Pacific Holdings Inc., c/o Simpluris, Inc., P.O. Box 26170, Santa Ana, CA 92799, (888) 428-6649, info@SettlementSPHI.com
  11. Visit the official claim form: https://settlementsphi.com/

How Much Will I Actually Get?

THE COURT-AUTHORIZED NOTICE PUTS YOUR ESTIMATED PAYMENT AT $672.54, AND IT IS THE SAME FOR EVERYONE. The Settlement Agreement provides that all Settlement Class Members who do not request exclusion are eligible to receive an equal share of the Class Fund. There are no tiers, no adjustment for how long you worked, no separate category for anyone who can show a loss, and nothing to elect. The single figure is the whole of it. THE $2,003,000 IS GROSS, NOT WHAT REACHES THE CLASS. Swire pays a Common Fund of $2,003,000 — about $1,000 per identified class member. The Class Fund that gets divided equally is what is left after four deductions the Court must still approve: attorneys' fees for Class Counsel of $600,900 (30% of the fund), litigation costs and expenses of up to $10,000, service awards of $20,000 for each of the two Class Representatives, and settlement administration costs. Swire has agreed not to oppose these requests, but the official FAQ states plainly that the Court decides the amounts and may award less than is requested. THE $25,000 CAP COVERS ADMINISTRATION COSTS ONLY — IT IS NOT A CAP ON THE SETTLEMENT OR ON TOTAL DEDUCTIONS, AND IT WORKS IN YOUR FAVOUR. The Settlement Agreement caps the Settlement Administrator's costs at $25,000 and provides that to the extent those costs come in under $25,000, the unused funds are added back to the Class Fund and distributed pro rata to class members. The separate $10,000 limit applies only to litigation costs and expenses. Any fee or service award amount the Court declines to grant likewise goes back into the Class Fund. So $672.54 is an estimate that can move in either direction once the Court rules. THE $2 MILLION IS NOT A FIXED CEILING EITHER. Two provisions can change the fund itself. If the class turns out to be at least 7.5% larger than the 2,003 people Swire reported — more than 2,153 individuals — Plaintiffs may void the settlement unless the Common Fund rises proportionally, at about $1,000 for each added person. Separately, Swire may void the settlement if more than 7.5% of class members opt out. HOW AND WHEN YOU ARE PAID: payments are characterized as non-wage damages and reported on a 1099, so this is not back pay. Payment arrives as a mailed check unless you select a digital payment by November 2, 2026. Checks expire and become void 180 days after issuance; digital payments sent through a service such as PayPal or Venmo expire after 30 days, but can be resent at any point in the 180-day window. Money left uncashed after 180 days is turned over to the State of Washington's unclaimed property program in the class member's own name, so it is not forfeited to the company — but recovering it from the state becomes your problem. If the Court approves the settlement and no appeal is filed, the agreement's schedule has Swire fund the settlement roughly 30 days after the judgment becomes final, with payments going out about 14 days after that. That is a sequence, not a promise: no final approval order has been entered and no payment date has been announced.

Last reviewed: October 1, 2026 | Information verified from court records and official settlement documents.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to file a claim by November 2, 2026?
No — and this is the single most misread thing about this settlement. There is no claim form and no claim deadline. Swire's payroll records identify the roughly 2,003 class members, and Simpluris pays everyone who does not exclude themselves automatically if the Court grants final approval. November 2, 2026 is three other deadlines at once: the deadline to exclude yourself, the deadline to object, and the cutoff to switch from a paper check to a digital payment. Let all three pass and you are still paid, by check, to the address Simpluris has on file. The one genuinely useful thing to do is confirm that address is current.
Is this The Coca-Cola Company, and does working for Coca-Cola anywhere qualify me?
No on both counts. The defendant is Swire Pacific Holdings, Inc., which did business as Swire Coca-Cola, USA and is now known as Swire Coca-Cola, USA Inc. It is an independent bottler that distributes Coca-Cola and other beverage brands across a group of western states, and it is a separate company from The Coca-Cola Company. Working for Coca-Cola itself, or for a different bottler, puts you outside this class. So does working for Swire anywhere other than Washington — the class definition covers only employees who worked in Washington. If the name on a Notice you received does not match the entity you remember working for, that is not by itself a reason to disregard it; check with Simpluris on (888) 428-6649.
I worked for Swire in Washington. Why might I still not qualify?
Because of the pay threshold, which is the limit that knocks out most people. The class covers only employees who earned less than twice the applicable Washington state minimum hourly wage, and that cutoff moved each year. The official FAQ lists the hourly figures the case turns on as $28.98 in 2022, $31.48 in 2023, $32.56 in 2024, $33.32 in 2025 and $34.26 in 2026. If you earned at or above the figure for the year you worked, you are outside the class however long you were there and whatever the Code of Conduct said. You also had to work in Washington at some point between September 9, 2022 and March 10, 2026. Beyond that, the list is the list: Swire's records decide membership, and the official FAQ tells recipients that those records show they are in the class. If you are unsure, call Simpluris on (888) 428-6649 or email info@SettlementSPHI.com rather than assuming either way.
How much will I get, and does it vary by how long I worked there?
It does not vary. The Settlement Agreement provides that every Settlement Class Member who does not request exclusion receives an equal share of the Class Fund, and the court-authorized Notice estimates that share at $672.54. There are no tiers, no length-of-service adjustment and no separate category for anyone who can document a loss. The figure is an estimate because the Class Fund is the $2,003,000 Common Fund minus deductions the Court has not yet ruled on: attorneys' fees of $600,900 for Emery Reddy, PC, litigation costs and expenses of up to $10,000, $20,000 service awards for each of the two Class Representatives, and settlement administration costs. Swire has agreed not to oppose those requests, but the official FAQ states the Court decides the amounts and may award less — and anything it declines to award goes back into the Class Fund for class members.
Does the $25,000 cap limit the whole settlement?
No. The $25,000 applies to one line item only — the Settlement Administrator's costs — and it is the deduction most likely to help you rather than hurt you. The Settlement Agreement provides that to the extent the administrator's costs come in below $25,000, the unused funds are added back to the Class Fund and distributed pro rata to class members. A separate $10,000 limit applies only to Class Counsel's litigation costs and expenses. Neither caps the settlement. The figure that bounds what Swire pays is the $2,003,000 Common Fund — and even that is not strictly fixed. If the class turns out to be at least 7.5% larger than the 2,003 people Swire reported, meaning more than 2,153 individuals, Plaintiffs may void the settlement unless the Common Fund rises proportionally, at roughly $1,000 for each added person. Swire in turn may void the settlement if more than 7.5% of class members opt out.
What are the Login ID and PIN on my Notice for?
Two optional changes, neither of which affects whether you are paid. They open the Address Update/Payment Selection portal on settlementsphi.com, where you can update your mailing address and switch from a mailed paper check to a digital payment. The payment-selection deadline is November 2, 2026; do nothing and a check is mailed. The address side has no such cutoff and matters more: the official FAQ warns that if the Settlement Administrator does not have your current mailing address, you may not receive your payment, and tells class members they must contact the administrator whenever their address or phone number changes. You can also return the Address Form that came with the Notice, or write to Braithwaite et al. v. Swire Pacific Holdings Inc., c/o Simpluris, Inc., P.O. Box 26170, Santa Ana, CA 92799. Lost your credentials? The settlement website explains how to request them, or call (888) 428-6649.
I am still a Swire employee. Can taking part hurt me at work?
The Notice addresses this directly: Swire fully supports the settlement and will not retaliate against any class member for participating, and a decision to participate, not participate or object will not affect your employment or how you are treated as a current or former employee. One of the two Class Representatives, Steven Dedeaux, is himself a current employee. Note also that participating is the default — you do not have to do anything to be in, which means there is no affirmative step for anyone to notice.
When would I actually be paid, and what happens if I never cash the check?
No payment date has been announced. The Final Approval Hearing is set for November 13, 2026 at 11:30 a.m. before Judge Rania Rampersad at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent, Washington, with Zoom attendance available, and the official website warns the date can change by court order. A hearing is not an approval. If the Court approves the settlement and no appeal is filed, the agreement's schedule has Swire fund the settlement about 30 days after the judgment becomes final, with payments following roughly 14 days after that — a sequence, not a promise. Payments are characterized as non-wage damages and reported on a 1099, so this is not back pay. Checks expire and become void 180 days after issuance. Digital payments sent through a service such as PayPal or Venmo expire after 30 days, but you can ask for the payment to be resent at any point in the 180-day window. Money left uncashed after 180 days is turned over to the State of Washington's unclaimed property program in your own name, so it is not forfeited to Swire — but getting it back from the state is then your problem.

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