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Legal Matters | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2014
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Legal Matters | NOTE 15. Legal Matters We are a party to litigation incident to our business, including claims for personal injury and/or property damage, bankruptcy preference claims, and claims regarding freight lost or damaged in transit, improperly shipped or improperly billed. Some of the lawsuits to which we are party are covered by insurance and are being defended by our insurance carriers. Some of the lawsuits are not covered by insurance and we defend those ourselves. We do not believe that the outcome of this litigation will have a materially adverse effect on our financial position or results of operations. On January 25, 2013, a complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California (Sacramento Division) by Salvador Robles against our subsidiary, Comtrak Logistics, Inc., now known as Hub Group Trucking, Inc. Mr. Robles drove a truck for Hub Group Trucking in California, first as an independent contractor and then as an employee. The action seeks class certification on behalf of a class comprised of present and former California-based truck drivers for Hub Group Trucking who were classified as independent contractors, from January 2009 to the present. The complaint alleges Hub Group Trucking has misclassified such drivers as independent contractors and that such drivers were employees. The complaint asserts various violations of the California Labor Code and claims that Hub Group Trucking has engaged in unfair competition practices. The complaint seeks, among other things, declaratory and injunctive relief, compensatory damages and attorney’s fees. In May 2013, the complaint was amended to add similar claims based on Mr. Robles’ status as an employed company driver. These additional claims are only on behalf of Mr. Robles and not a putative class. In August 2013, the district court stayed proceedings in the case pending decisions by the Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit to decide whether the claims in two cases raising some similar claims should be dismissed on federal preemption grounds. In July 2014, the Court of Appeals ruled that the claims in those cases were not preempted. The case is now proceeding. Two other complaints alleging substantially similar claims were filed in the Superior Court of the State of California for the County of San Bernardino. On July 24, 2014, Carlos Barillas filed a complaint against Hub Group Trucking seeking class certification. On October 1, 2014, Jorge Cabrera filed a complaint against Hub Group Trucking and Hub Group, Inc. on behalf of himself individually and not on behalf of a class. On November 24, 2014, Hub Group Trucking removed both cases to federal court in Los Angeles. By agreement of the parties, on December 19, 2014 the Barillas case was dismissed and we expect the claims of Mr. Barillas to be added to the Robles case. On February 6, 2015 the Cabrera case was dismissed with prejudice pursuant to a settlement between parties. The Company believes that the California independent contractor truck drivers were properly classified as independent contractors at all times. Nevertheless, because lawsuits are expensive, time-consuming and could interrupt our business operations, we decided to make settlement offers to individual drivers with respect to the claims alleged in these lawsuits, without admitting liability. As of February 11, 2015, 92% of the drivers have accepted the settlement offers. Though counsel for Mr. Robles has threatened to challenge the enforceability of these settlements, we believe they are valid and enforceable. In the third quarter of 2014, driver settlements and related costs include $9.3 million in settlements for individual drivers and $1.0 million of related legal, communication and implementation costs. On September 12, 2014, a complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (Eastern Division) by Christian Lubinski against Hub Group Trucking. The action seeks class certification on behalf of a class comprised of present and former owner-operators providing delivery services in Illinois for Hub Group Trucking. The complaint alleges Hub Group Trucking has misclassified such drivers as independent contractors and that such drivers are employees. The complaint alleges that Hub Group Trucking has made illegal deductions from the drivers’ pay and has failed to properly compensate the drivers for all hours worked, reimburse business expenses, pay employment taxes, and provide workers’ compensation and other employment benefits. The complaint asserts various violations of the Illinois Wage Payment and Collections Act and claims that Hub Group Trucking has been unjustly enriched. The complaint seeks, among other things, monetary damages for the relevant statutory period and attorneys’ fees. On October 24, 2014, the Lubinski case was transferred to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee (Western Division), in Memphis. We cannot reasonably estimate at this time the possible loss or range of loss, if any, that may arise from the remaining unresolved claims in the Robles, Barillas and Lubinski lawsuits.

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