---
title: "Starbucks Loses ‘Off-the-Clock’ Compensation Case in CA"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/ef81b269-4df3-4d15-8b4d-405f143fa206
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/starbucks-loses-off-the-clock-compensation-case-in-ca-2707305
category: "Coffee & tea"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Coffee & tea"
topics: ["Regulation & legal"]
published: 2018-07-30T16:11:26.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T02:34:37.762Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/11507e6a075066dc61a7b30582d0272e4068.jpg
---

# Starbucks Loses ‘Off-the-Clock’ Compensation Case in CA

**TL;DR:** The Supreme Court of California ruled against Starbucks in a dispute regarding compensation for 'off-the-clock' closing duties, requiring the company to pay a former shift supervisor for nontrivial, regularly occurring periods of work. The ruling could set a precedent in California, with stronger state labor laws than federal ones.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2018-07-30. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/starbucks-loses-off-the-clock-compensation-case-in-ca-2707305).*

## Story

The Supreme Court of California has ruled against Starbucks in a dispute regarding compensation for “off-the-clock” closing duties. The decision found that the corporate-owned coffee chain must pay Douglas Troester, a former shift supervisor in Los Angeles, for “nontrivial, regularly occurring periods of work” that were not included in his payable time.

Nation’s Restaurant News notes that the ruling could set a precedent in California, whose state labor laws are stronger than federal ones.

“Employers would be wise to take a closer look at any off-the-clock tasks that non-exempt employees are expected to perform — no matter how fleeting — and determine if the time dedicated to those tasks can be captured or otherwise recorded,” said Dana Kravertz, an employment attorney at Michelman & Robinson LLP in a statement.

Starbucks said it plans to appeal the ruling.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- Starbucks (company)
- california labor laws (topic)
- Supreme Court of California (regulator)
- off-the-clock compensation (topic)
- starbucks lawsuit (topic)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/starbucks-loses-off-the-clock-compensation-case-in-ca-2707305). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/ef81b269-4df3-4d15-8b4d-405f143fa206).