Swire Coca-Cola $2M Washington Non-Compete Settlement

Employment · Pending — Automatic Payment

Current Status

There is no claim form. Swire's own records identify the roughly 2,003 class members, and each one who stays in the settlement receives an equal share, which the Notice estimates at $672.54. King County Superior Court granted preliminary approval on August 10, 2026, and the final approval hearing is set for November 13, 2026 at 11:30 a.m. As of October 1, 2026, no final approval order had been entered and no payment date had been announced. November 2, 2026 is the deadline to exclude yourself, to object, and to switch from a paper check to a digital payment.

What Changed Recently?

The notice period is underway. On August 10, 2026, King County Superior Court preliminarily approved the settlement and authorized the Settlement Administrator, Simpluris, Inc., to mail and email the court-approved Notice to everyone on the class list. The official settlement website, SettlementSPHI.com, now carries the Notice, the settlement agreement, the complaint and an online portal for address and payment changes.

The case is Braithwaite et al. v. Swire Pacific Holdings Inc., Case No. 25-2-26285-5 SEA, before Judge Rania Rampersad. It was filed on September 9, 2025 by a former Washington employee, and a current employee was later added as a second named plaintiff. Swire Pacific Holdings, Inc., which did business as Swire Coca-Cola, USA and is now known as Swire Coca-Cola, USA Inc., bottles and distributes Coca-Cola and other beverage brands across a group of western states, according to the complaint.

The complaint claims Swire violated RCW 49.62.070, the provision of Washington's Noncompetition Covenants Act that bars employers from restricting low-wage employees — those 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. It points to a line in Swire's Corporate Code of Conduct that, the complaint says, prohibits working for a non-Swire company while employed by Swire. The complaint asked for $5,000 in statutory damages for each 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 Notice states that the Court has made no determination on the merits and has not decided whether Swire violated the law. Swire made a business decision to settle to avoid the time, cost and risk of continued litigation, and the settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing.

Who Qualifies?

The Settlement Class is every current and former employee of Swire Pacific Holdings, Inc. who worked in Washington and earned less than twice the applicable state minimum hourly wage at any point from September 9, 2022 through March 10, 2026.

The pay cutoff moved each year with Washington's minimum wage. The Notice lists the hourly thresholds as $28.98 in 2022, $31.48 in 2023, $32.56 in 2024, $33.32 in 2025 and $34.26 in 2026. Earning under the figure for the year you worked is what places you in the class. You did not need to have taken a second job, or to have been told you could not.

Membership comes from Swire's payroll records, so a mailed or emailed Notice is the practical sign that you are in the class. The settlement agreement puts the class at approximately 2,003 people. If you believe you were left off the list, the agreement gives class members 45 days from the mailing of the Notice to raise the dispute with the Settlement Administrator, which decides it from Swire's records and any employment documents you provide. Contact the administrator through the official settlement website.

How Much Can You Get?

The Notice estimates each payment at $672.54. Every class member who does not exclude themselves receives the same amount: there are no tiers, no adjustment for how long you worked, and no documented-loss category.