Date of action:                       Sept. 25, 2024

Type of action:                      

Civil confinement of Bryan Hill, owner of defunct Bicallis LLC, arising from civil contempt

LOS ANGELES – The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a suit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California alleging that Coway USA Inc., a Los Angeles-based company that sells, leases and services household appliances, failed to pay overtime wages earned by more than 180 employees, a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act. 

CHICAGO – A federal judge has ordered Mariusz Lekarczyk, the owner and operator of four Chicago-area We Wash Hand Wash and Car Detail Centers, and We Wash Car Care Center Inc. to pay $799,566 in back wages and damages to 110 employees and $110,990 in penalties to the U.S. Department of Labor, as part of a consent judgment and order obtained by the department. 

JEFFERSON CITY, MO – The U.S. Department of Labor has filed suit in federal court against a Jefferson City buffet restaurant and its owner, after investigators with the department’s Wage and Hour Division found servers worked for tips only and cooks were paid a set cash salary regardless of how many hours they worked, leading to violations of minimum wage or overtime regulations. 

Date of action:           August 19, 2024

Type of action:          Temporary restraining order, preliminary injunction

BOSTON – A U.S. Department of Labor investigation has recovered $77,206 in back wages for five workers employed on a federally funded construction project after finding one subcontractor failed to pay prevailing wages and fringe benefits and another submitted falsified payroll records.

PORTLAND, OR – The U.S. Department of Labor has filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon against Dr. Robert B. Pamplin Jr. and R.B. Pamplin Corporation for jeopardizing millions of dollars in retirement funds for thousands of employees because of the unlawful acquisition of company-owned real estate by the R.B. Pamplin Corporation and Subsidiaries Pension Plan.

KANSAS CITY, KS – A federal jury in Kansas has awarded $957,324 in back wages for 168 workers at three Wichita-area restaurants jointly operated by three owners who willfully violated federal laws by using tips earned by servers to pay hosts and bussers and denying workers minimum and overtime wages.

Date of Action:          Sept.

Date of action:                       August 1, 2024 

FORT WAYNE, IN – A federal lawsuit has recovered $178,000 in back wages, damages and penalties from Hall Drive-Ins Inc., operator of 10 Fort Wayne-area restaurants, to resolve U.S. Department of Labor litigation filed in 2023 in light of the employers’ violations of tip-pool requirements in the Fair Labor Standards Act. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor, the National Labor Relations Board, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission today signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen competition by better coordinating information used by antitrust agencies to evaluate potential impacts of mergers and acquisitions on labor markets.

EVANSVILLE, IN – The U.S.

Date of action:           July 18, 2024

Type of action:          Administrative Review Board decision, order

Employer names:      Shalimar Distributors LLC, operating as Promised Land Truck Stop

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GREENVILLE, TN – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent judgment in a Tennessee federal court that requires a Kingsport staffing agency to stop employing children illegally and forbids them from future violations of federal child labor laws.

SAN DIEGO – El Departamento de Trabajo de Estados Unidos obtuvo un requerimiento judicial preliminar y una orden judicial que prohíbe a una empresa de logística de Calexico amenazar o tomar represalias contra sus trabajadores e interferir aún más con una investigación federal en curso. 

Date of action:                       Aug. 6, 2024

Type of action:                      Decision and order 

SAN DIEGO – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a preliminary injunction and court order forbidding a Calexico logistics company from threatening or retaliating against its workers and further interfering with an ongoing federal investigation. 

Employers:    Dada Guru Hospitality Inc. operating as Quality Inn, Jackson, Michigan

                             Prakash Patel

Employers:                Old Woodward Ventures LLC, operating as Luxe Bar & Grill

                                         Kara Bongiovanni