After a former adjunct professor filed a complaint against Chapman University in July 2020 regarding a wage dispute, over 5,000 Chapman employees will receive their formulated share of approximately $664,166 in settlement money.

The professor is Frank Chindamo, who previously worked in the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts teaching an Advanced Web Video Production class. Chindamo started teaching as an adjunct professor in 2010, his classes were well-received by the student population, including a 4.8 on Rate My Professors.

During his experience at Chapman, Chindamo — along with many other adjunct faculty members — were paid with a flat fee per class, not per hour. According to legal filings against the university, these paychecks did not reflect the number of hours these employees actually worked due to long hours spent outside of the classroom to ensure his classes ran smoothly.

The complaint describes that the flat fee paid for adjuncts’ class time and some prep time, but it didn’t include time spent on many other tasks outside the classroom.

The issue extends beyond Chapman’s campus. On a national scale, many adjunct professors have to work multiple jobs in order to make a living wage and pay off student loans.

The background to Chindamo’s case against Chapman, according to legal documentation, is the minimal and unjust payment for adjunct professors who are working more than their paychecks reflect.

“I’m sad about what happened, but I’ve moved on to teach in VR on a global scale, which is what I wished we could have done at Chapman,” Chindamo wrote in an email statement sent to The Panther. “I still love the students I taught, and still wish (them) all the best.”

The complaint alleges Chapman failed to pay adjuncts for the non-teaching activities performed outside of their scheduled classroom hours. Chindamo’s filings also claim that Chapman violated rest break laws and meal break laws. The court approved the settlement April 14. 

Julian Hammond, one of the attorneys representing Chindamo, has been successfully taking class action lawsuits against various private California universities over the past few years — including Pepperdine University, Stanford University and Saint Mary’s College of California — claiming that employees have not been paid fair wages.

Legal representatives from Melmed Law Group and Ackermann & Tilajef — two law firms that specialize in labor and employment law — also represented Chindamo as co-counsel.

After subtracting attorney fees and other deductions from the original settlement amount of $1.15 million, approximately $664,166 will be left to distribute to approximately 5,507 individuals employed by Chapman between April 10, 2016 and June 30, 2021, depending on three employee classifications: “adjunct class,” “working from home class” or “parking reimbursement class.”

The adjunct class consists of individuals who worked for Chapman as adjunct professors or part-time lecturers between July 10, 2016 and Dec. 31, 2019. This group consists of 1,374 individuals who are entitled to 75% of the settlement money — approximately $498,125.

The working from home class consists of 4,738 individuals employed by Chapman who were eligible to work remotely between March 19, 2020 and June 30, 2021. This group would receive $146,116 — 22% of the settlement funds.

The parking reimbursement class consists of all individuals who purchased a parking permit from Chapman between Nov. 19, 2019 and March 26, 2020. This group, which consists of 1,832 people, would receive $19,925 — 3% of the settlement amount.