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Class action settlements often move through the courts like ships navigating a narrow channel — plenty of room to run aground before reaching open water. This one just cleared its first major checkpoint. A Maryland federal judge has given preliminary approval to a settlement agreement that would see NextEra Energy pay $9.5 million to resolve class action allegations that it conspired with other nuclear energy producers to fix worker wages.

The Judge's Initial Assessment

U.S. District Judge Adam B. Abelson said he found the agreement fair, reasonable and adequate at this preliminary stage, according to an order issued Wednesday — language that signals the deal has survived early scrutiny, even though final approval remains a separate hurdle down the road.

Who Falls Within the Settlement Class

According to the order, the certified settlement class includes nuclear power generation workers employed by NextEra Energy, NextEra Energy Resources, or Florida Power & Light Co. and any co-conspirators, subsidiaries or related entities, stretching all the way back to May 1, 2003. The class specifically excludes human resources staff, officers, managers, directors and executives, along with labor managers and bookkeepers — carving out the very roles that might have been involved in setting the wages at issue.

Leadership Behind the Class Action

Judge Abelson appointed plaintiffs Leo Dorrell, John Dunn and Davion Chapel to serve as class representatives. The judge also designated Handley Farah & Anderson PLLC, Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP and Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC to serve as class counsel, overseeing the case on behalf of the broader worker class.

The Path to This Settlement

The plaintiffs formally submitted notice of the settlement with the NextEra companies back in May, then moved for preliminary approval in August, according to court records — a multi-month process that has now culminated in this week's judicial green light.

The Underlying Allegations

The litigation itself, filed in July 2025, accused a group of nuclear energy producers — including NextEra, Constellation Energy, DTE Energy and Duke Energy — of conspiring to suppress industry-wide wages by sharing sensitive compensation data and coordinating their pay practices, a scheme the plaintiffs alleged affected the entire nuclear power generation labor market.

A Case That Nearly Collapsed

This settlement arrives against a backdrop of legal turbulence. Judge Abelson had actually dismissed the case in early August, ruling that the workers' separate claims accusing the companies of fixing wages and sharing information to depress pay fell outside the four-year statute of limitations governing antitrust claims. The judge also found that the workers had failed to adequately support their underlying wage-fixing claim at that stage.

A Second Attempt With New Evidence

Rather than closing the door entirely, Judge Abelson allowed the workers an opportunity to amend their claims. The workers subsequently moved to file a second amended complaint on Sept. 21, asserting they now possess new, direct evidence demonstrating that the companies actively worked together to fix wages across the industry — a development that appears to have run parallel to, or perhaps helped motivate, this settlement with NextEra specifically.

Where Things Stand Now

Representatives for the parties did not immediately respond to requests for comment Friday.

The Legal Teams on Both Sides

Plaintiffs are represented by Matthew K. Handley, George F. Farah, Nicholas J. Jackson and William H. Anderson of Handley Farah & Anderson PLLC; Shana E. Scarlett, Abby R. Wolf, John Michael Grant, Steve W. Berman and Breanna Van Engelen of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP; and Brent W. Johnson, Daniel H. Silverman, Alison S. Deich, Sabrina Merold and Nina L. Haug of Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC.

The NextEra companies are represented by Paul A. Solomon, Karen Hoffman Lent, Boris Bershteyn and Thomas J. Smith of Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP.

With preliminary approval now secured for NextEra's portion of the case, even as related claims against other nuclear energy giants continue working through amended complaints and fresh evidence, this settlement offers workers a concrete resolution while the broader industry-wide wage-fixing allegations continue playing out in parallel.