September 29, 2023

US Department of Labor sues 7-Eleven owners association president in Michigan alleging the stores’ pay records were inaccurate

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The U.S. Department of Labor has filed suit against the operator and owner of four western Michigan 7-Eleven convenience stores after an investigation found payroll records were inaccurate, paid employees “off the books” and failed to pay them overtime.

September 28, 2023

Federal investigation, litigation recovers $1.2M in back wages, damages from Los Angeles-area poultry processors for workers denied overtime

WEST COVINA, CA – A federal court has entered default judgments that require the operators of La Puente poultry processing plant to pay more than $1 million after the U.S. Department of Labor found the employers deliberately denied overtime wages earned by 113 workers and tried to hide the wage theft.

September 28, 2023

Corte federal ordena a procesadores de pollos en área de Los Ángeles pagar $1.2M en salarios y compensación por negar pago de horas extra a trabajadores

WEST COVINA, CA – Un tribunal federal emitió sentencias que requieren que los operadores de la planta procesadora de aves de corral en La Puente paguen más de $1 millón después de que el Departamento de Trabajo de EE.UU. encontró que los empleadores negaron deliberadamente salarios por horas extra a 113 trabajadores y trataron de ocultar el robo de salario.

September 27, 2023

Contractor enters into deferred prosecution agreement, agrees to pay $370K for willful safety failures in employee’s 2019 fatal fall in St. Joseph

KANSAS CITY, MO – An Oklahoma construction contractor entered into a deferred prosecution agreement and agreed to pay $370,660 in criminal and civil penalties to avoid federal prosecution on one count of ignoring federal safety regulations that resulted in a worker fatality in St. Joseph in 2019.

September 26, 2023

Flying Food Group will reimburse health plan participants more than $134K for diagnostic deductibles, tobacco surcharges, after federal investigation

CHICAGO – A Chicago food service provider for major airlines has agreed to reimburse $134,222 to participants in the company’s employee health plan after federal investigators found the employer improperly charged employees deductibles for certain diagnostic tests and wrongly imposed tobacco surcharges.

September 25, 2023

Department of Labor cites Pennsylvania dumpster manufacturer for exposing workers to widespread safety, health hazards

MILTON, PA – U.S. Department of Labor investigations found a Pennsylvania manufacturer of steel containers exposed employees to a wide range of safety and health hazards at its Milton facility.

September 22, 2023

US Department of Labor files suit seeking $181K for 70 nurses, assistants denied overtime after Michigan company misclassifies them as contractors

Employers:    Reliance Staffing LLC; Fahim Uddin, owner

Actions:          Fair Labor Standards Act complaint filing

Courts:           U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan 

September 20, 2023

US Department of Labor files lawsuit alleging two Ann Arbor restaurants failed to pay 20 workers $121K in overtime wages

Employers:    Cascabel Ventures LLC 

                         Owner Adam Baru

Actions:          Fair Labor Standards Act complaint filing

Courts:           U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan 

September 19, 2023

US Department of Labor files lawsuit alleging wage violations at 3 Barrio Tacos locations, seeks $823K in back wages, damages for 177 workers

Employers:    Sparty Tacos LLC

                        TC Tacos LLC

                        GR Tacos LLC, operating as Barrio Tacos

                        Owner Jacob Hawley

Actions:          Fair Labor Standards Act complaint filing

Courts:           U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, Southern Division    

September 19, 2023

El Departamento de Trabajo de EE. UU. alega que los propietarios de la piscifactoría y la planta procesadora en Tunica interfirieron con la investigación salarial federal, solicita una orden de restricción cautelar

Fecha de acción:                    7 de septiembre de 2023

Tipo de acción:                      Queja del Departamento de Trabajo de EE. UU., solicitud de orden de restricción cautelar

Nombres de los demandados:          Battle Fish North

September 19, 2023

US Department of Labor alleges Tunica fish farm, processing plant, owners interfered with federal wage investigation, seeks temporary restraining order

Date of action:                       Sept. 7, 2023

Type of action:                      U.S. Department of Labor complaint, request for temporary restraining order

Names of defendants:           Battle Fish North

                                                Magnolia Processing Inc.

                                                William Houston Battle Sr. 

September 14, 2023

Millersburg contractor faces more than $548K in fines for repeatedly failing to protect roofing employees from exposure to deadly fall hazards

MILLERSBURG, OH – On four occasions in less than three months in 2023, U.S. Department of Labor inspectors observed a Millersburg roofing contractor again exposing workers to deadly fall hazards of up to 19 feet at four residential roofing job sites in Canton, Uniontown and Westlake, despite having fall protection equipment available on site. 

September 8, 2023

Labor Department obtains judgment to recover $252K in back wages, damages from Norristown restaurant, owners for denying full pay to 21 workers

NORRISTOWN, PA A federal court in Pennsylvania has entered a consent judgment ordering a Norristown restaurant and its owners to pay $252,579 in back wages and liquidated damages to 21 employees, an action that follows a federal investigation that found the employers denied proper overtime pay intentionally.

September 7, 2023

Judge orders Indianapolis dental practice, human resources manager to pay $22K in back wages, damages to employee after retaliation, termination

Employers:    Urgent Dental Center Avon LLC

Actions:          Fair Labor Standards Act consent judgment and order

Courts:           U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Indianapolis Division

September 6, 2023

Una investigación federal y litigación recupera $419,000 en concepto de salarios atrasados, daños y perjuicios para 21 personas empleadas a quienes un mayorista de alimentos de Filadelfia les negaba las horas extras

FILADELFIA - Una investigación federal de las prácticas de pago de un mayorista de Filadelfia ha llevado al Departamento de Trabajo de EE. UU. para obtener una sentencia acordada en un tribunal federal, la cual exige que las empresas paguen $419,615 a 21 personas empleadas a quienes se les negó deliberadamente los salarios por horas extras.

September 6, 2023

Department of Labor welcomes applications from graduating law students, recent graduates to join Office of the Solicitor’s Honors Program

WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of the Solicitor invites outstanding recent law school graduates with a passion for public service to apply for its two-year Honors Program and earn unique experience in one of the federal government’s preeminent legal offices.

September 6, 2023

Federal investigation, litigation recovers $419K in back wages, damages for 21 workers denied overtime by Philadelphia grocery wholesaler

PHILADELPHIA – A federal investigation of the pay practices of a Philadelphia wholesaler has led the U.S. Department of Labor to obtain a consent judgment in federal court, requiring the employers to pay $419,615 to 21 workers deliberately denied overtime wages.

September 5, 2023

US Department of Labor files suit against Minnesota IT company for not remitting employee’s retirement plan contributions

Date of Action:          Aug. 30, 2023

Type of Action:         Employee Retirement Income Security Act complaint filing

Company/Owners:   Virtual Matrix Corp.

Suman Thotakura

Virtual Matrix 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan

August 30, 2023

Department of Labor obtains federal court judgment to recover $153K in retirement funds for former employees of defunct Bay Area company

SAN FRANCISCO The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a default judgment to recover $153,768 for four people whose former employer abandoned its employee retirement plan more than two decades ago, leaving no one to administer the plan and authorize distribution of its funds, a violation of federal law.

August 29, 2023

Federal court orders Huntley restaurant to pay $105K in back wages, damages to 8 employees after Department of Labor investigation, litigation

CHICAGO – A federal court has ordered the operators of a Huntley restaurant to pay eight employees more than $105,000 in back wages and damages, despite the employers’ attempt to interfere with a U.S. Department of Labor investigation that found they illegally denied the workers their earned overtime wages.