A US district court judge in Georgia has dismissed a lawsuit by former Inland Fresh employees seeking class action status over alleged mismanaged employee stock at the seafood supply company.

On Tuesday, US District Court Judge Leigh Martin May dismissed the case in Inland's favor, agreeing with the seafood company that employees "did not exhaust their administrative remedies" prior to filing a lawsuit in a federal court.

The lawsuit filed last December by five former employees against the Georgia-based seafood distributor arises from a Nov.