Court Denies PJPA’s Motion To Dismiss Drivers’ Claims

Our attorneys filed a lawsuit against PJPA, LLC, a Papa John’s Pizza franchisee based in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey and Delaware.  The lawsuit is on behalf of delivery drivers.  Although federal law — along with the law of many other states — requires that Papa John’s fully reimburse its delivery drivers for car-related expenses, Papa John’s systematically under-reimburses its drivers.

As a result, many Papa John’s delivery drivers are effectively making less than the minimum wage.  The lawsuit seeks money for Papa John’s delivery drivers to make up for PJPA’s systematic under-reimbursement.  The lawsuit also seeks to change PJPA’s policy going forward, so that all PJPA delivery drivers in the State of Florida will be properly reimbursed for their car-related expenses. PJPA moved to dismiss the case, asserting numerous technical arguments that, if accepted by the Court, would deny delivery drivers their right to be fully reimbursed for their expenses.

On July 30, the Court denied Defendant’s motion to dismiss on the vast majority of the counts.  As a result, the case is going forward and we look forward to obtaining a favorable result. If you are a delivery driver and you believe your employer may not be properly reimbursing you for car-related expenses, please contact us to discuss your legal options.