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<p>The state Superior Court on Friday affirmed a county judge&#8217;s decision that McDonald&#8217;s franchise owners hampered hourly employees&#8217; earnings by issuing fee-heavy payroll cards.</p><p>A three-judge panel sided with Luzerne County Judge Thomas Burke Jr.&#8217;s June 2015 ruling against the Clark Summit-based franchisees of area McDonald&#8217;s restaurants and the bank that issued the cards, writing in an eight-page opinion that a debit card &#8220;is not &#8216;lawful money&#8217; and it is not a &#8216;check&#8217;&#8221; as deemed by the Pennsylvania Wage Payment and Collection Law.</p><p>A class consisting of current and former McDonald&#8217;s employees brought the suit on allegations Albert and Carol Mueller, owners of 16 McDonald&#8217;s franchises in the state, paid them through a mandatory payroll card rather than by cash or check.</p><p>The bank and the Muellers had sought to have the case tossed, arguing Nigel King and the other plaintiffs who brought the suit failed to support a claim under state law.</p><p>Attorney Michael Cefalo of West Pittston, who represents about 2,400 people in the class-action suit, said Friday his clients &#8220;won a long hard battle.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;We made a new law,&#8221; Cefalo said in an email. &#8220;Now the kids can get the justice they deserve.&#8221;</p><p>Cefalo said his clients are entitled to about $500 each.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Joe Dolinsky</p><p>jdolinsky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Joe Dolinsky at 570-991-6110 or on Twitter @JoeDolinskyTL.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Higher court upholds judge’s decision in McDonald’s payroll card suit