The purpose of this website is to inform you of your rights under the proposed settlement of a certified class action lawsuit, Schuman v. Microchip Technology Inc., filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

The lawsuit was brought by the two named plaintiffs (Peter Schuman and William Coplin) on behalf of all former U.S.-based employees of Atmel Corporation (“Atmel”) who were employed on April 4, 2016 (the closing date of the Atmel-Microchip merger) and were terminated by Microchip Technology Inc. (“Microchip”) without cause between April 4, 2016 and March 19, 2017.

The lawsuit alleged that these former Atmel employees are owed severance benefits that were never paid to them under the Atmel Corporation U.S. Severance Guarantee Benefit Program (the “Atmel Plan”), and that such severance benefits are owed even to those employees who signed releases after their termination because, according to plaintiffs, the releases were obtained in violation of Microchip’s fiduciary duties. Microchip, Atmel, and the Atmel Plan denied those claims, and asserted that no severance benefits were due under the Plan and that the releases executed by former Atmel employees were valid and enforceable.

On August 3, 2026, the Court preliminarily approved the Settlement. 

As a former Atmel employee, you are entitled to a settlement payment even if you previously signed a claims release in 2016 or 2017 in exchange for 50% of the amount that you would have been entitled to under the Atmel Severance Plan.

Your rights and options include:

Stay in the Settlement and timely submit completed W-4 and W-9 forms to receive payment. To receive your settlement payment, you need to timely submit your W-4 and W-9 forms to Microchip at the link HERE no later than 45 days after the Settlement's Effective Date. The Effective Date for the settlement will depend on when the Court grants final approval and whether any class members object to the settlement terms and/or appeal the denial of any objections. A separate notice will be sent out, and this website will be updated, to inform you of the deadline for submitting the required forms to participate in the settlement. While you must submit the forms no later than 45 days after the Effective Date, you are encouraged to submit them promptly to facilitate prompt payment of your share.

Opt out of the Settlement. If you do not want to be legally bound by the Settlement, you may exclude yourself by sending a letter with your name, address, telephone, and signature, stating the case name and number (Schuman v. Microchip Tech. Inc., Case No. 4:16-cv-05544-HSG) and your intent to opt out to Class Counsel (Keith Ehrman, McGuinn, Hillsman & Palefsky, 220 Jackson St., Suite 350, San Francisco, CA 94111) to be received on or before October 1, 2026. If you opt out, you will not receive payment and cannot object to the Settlement. However, you will not be bound or affected by the Settlement.

Object to the Settlement. You may ask the Court to deny approval of the Settlement by filing an objection. You cannot ask the Court to order a different settlement; the Court can only approve or reject the proposed Settlement as a whole. Any objection to the proposed Settlement must be in writing. All written objections and supporting papers must: (1) include the class member’s name, mailing address, and e mail address (if any); (2) clearly identify the case name and number (Schuman v. Microchip Tech. Inc., Case No. 4:16-cv-05544-HSG); (3) state with specificity the grounds for objection; (4) state whether it applies only to the objector, to a specific subset of the Class, or to the entire Class; (5) be submitted to the Court either by filing electronically or in person at any location of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California or by mailing to the Class Action Clerk, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, 1301 Clay St., Suite 400 S, Oakland, CA 94612; and (6) be filed or received on or before October 1, 2026. You may retain an attorney, at your own expense, if you wish to be represented by counsel in submitting an objection.

Do nothing. If you do nothing, i.e., if you neither timely opt out or submit your W-4 and W-9 forms, you will not receive your settlement share (which will be paid in your name to the California State Controller Unclaimed Property Division), but you will still be bound by the Settlement and its “release” provisions.

The Final Approval Hearing for the Settlement will be held at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building, Courtroom 2, Floor 4, 1301 Clay St., Suite 400 S, Oakland, CA 94612 on October 15, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. You may appear at the hearing, but you are not required to. The hearing date may change and this website will be updated accordingly. Information is also available at the Court’s PACER site at ecf.cand.uscourts.gov.