A former employee at Rogue Ales & Spirits is suing Oregon Brewing, Rogue’s parent company, for an alleged violation of the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN Act). The lawsuit claims Oregon Brewing failed to provide employees with the legally mandated 60-day advance notice before issuing a mass layoff at Rogue in December.
Ex-Rogue employee Kevin Large filed the lawsuit on Jan. 7 on behalf of himself and the other terminated employees, Brewbound reports. Rogue shuttered abruptly on Nov. 14 and filed a Chapter 7 bankruptcy later that month with nearly $17 million in debt against roughly $5 million in assets. According to the suit, Rogue laid off over 300 employees on Dec. 14 “without cause and without proper notice.”
The WARN Act requires employers to “provide notification 60 calendar days in advance of plant closings and mass layoffs,” a condition that Oregon Brewery neglected to meet, per the case.
Large filed a motion for a class certification, which would include fellow former Rogue employees if approved. He is seeking a trial by jury, an official declaration of Oregon Brewing’s WARN violation, and the return of unpaid wages and benefits.
WARN states that employers found in violation of the act are “liable to each affected employee for an amount equal to back pay and benefits for the period of violation.” Employers who fail to provide proper notice are also subject to a civil penalty less than or equal to $500 for each day the law was violated.
Rogue was a leader in the craft brewing industry. In 2024, a Brewers Association report included it among the top-50 craft breweries by volume, but it closed due to financial hardship after 37 years of operation.
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