Case Overview: A California worker has filed a class action lawsuit alleging Yelp, Inc. failed to pay employees for computer boot-up time and violated multiple state labor laws.

Consumers Affected: Current and former Yelp employees in California who were allegedly denied proper wages, breaks, and timely final pay

Court: California (court district not specified in available filings)

Yelp Faces California Class Action Over Unpaid Boot-Up Time, Missed Breaks

A California man has sued Yelp, Inc., alleging the tech company shortchanged workers on wages and repeatedly violated state labor law — including a claim that employees were never compensated for time spent waiting for their computers to start up.

According to a recent class action report, Leonardo Cuervo filed the lawsuit on April 21 in California, seeking relief on behalf of himself and similarly situated Yelp workers. The case, Cuervo v. Yelp, Inc., alleges a pattern of wage and hour violations that the plaintiff says affected employees across the company.

Lawsuit Claims Workers Clocked In Before They Were Paid

At the center of the complaint is an allegation that Yelp required employees to boot up their computers before their paid shift time officially began — meaning workers were on the job and performing work functions without compensation.

The lawsuit alleges this off-the-clock work was a routine part of employment at Yelp, and that the company was aware employees were performing it. Under California law, workers are generally entitled to be paid for all time they are "suffered or permitted to work," including preparatory tasks performed at an employer's direction.

Additional Violations Alleged Beyond Unpaid Boot-Up Time

The complaint doesn't stop at computer startup time. According to the filing, Yelp also allegedly:

• Failed to provide legally required rest and meal breaks — California law mandates a 30-minute unpaid meal break for shifts over five hours and paid 10-minute rest breaks for every four hours worked. The lawsuit alleges Yelp failed to consistently provide these breaks or pay the required one-hour "premium pay" penalty when breaks were missed.
• Issued inaccurate wage statements — The lawsuit claims Yelp did not provide employees with wage statements that accurately reflected their hours worked and compensation, a requirement under California Labor Code Section 226.
• Failed to pay departing workers on time — Under California law, employees who are terminated must receive their final paycheck immediately, while those who resign with at least 72 hours' notice must be paid on their last day. The complaint alleges Yelp failed to meet these deadlines for departing employees.

What the Plaintiff Is Seeking

On behalf of himself and the proposed class of similarly situated workers, Cuervo is seeking unpaid wages, premium pay for missed rest and meal breaks, reimbursement for business expenses, statutory penalties, interest, and attorneys' fees.

California's labor laws allow for significant penalties when employers fail to comply with wage statement and final pay requirements, meaning potential liability could extend well beyond the underlying unpaid wage amounts.

Why California Wage Cases Like This Matter

California maintains some of the most employee-protective labor laws in the country, and wage-and-hour class actions are among the most frequently filed lawsuits in the state. Allegations involving off-the-clock work — including pre-shift activities like booting up computers — have become increasingly common as more employees work at company-issued workstations where startup time is not trivially short.

Tech and office-based employers have faced similar claims in recent years, with courts scrutinizing whether time spent on mandatory pre-shift tasks constitutes compensable work under state law.

Yelp has not publicly responded to the complaint, and no defendant response was available at the time of publication.

Related Cases

• Tesla Faces WARN Act Class Action Over Mass Layoffs
• Amazon Warehouse Workers Sue Over Unpaid Security Screening Time
• California Wage and Hour Violations: What Workers Should Know

Lawsuit: Cuervo v. Yelp, Inc.

Case Number: Not available at time of publication

Court: California (jurisdiction not specified in available filings)

Date Filed: April 21, 2025

Plaintiffs' Attorney(s): Not specified in available reporting

Have you worked at Yelp or experienced similar wage and hour issues at a California employer? Share your thoughts in the comments below.