US Department of Labor recovers $269K in back wages, damages for live-in caregivers, whose Ontario employer denied them overtime

ONTARIO, CA – A federal investigation has found the operator of four Southern California residential care homes failed to pay overtime wages to four live-in caregivers who worked as many as 16-hours a day, seven days a week, and recovered a total of $269,104 in back wages and liquidated damages for them. 

The U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division determined LMB Care Home LLC paid four caregivers straight-time rates for hours over 40 in a workweek, in violation of Fair Labor Standards Act overtime rules. The Ontario-based employer also failed to maintain accurate records of employees, resulting in additional recordkeeping violations.

“Too often, we find that healthcare industry workers are harmed by wage theft and denied all of their hard-earned wages,” said Assistant District Director Skarleth Kozlo in West Covina, California. “Federal law safeguards the rights of these essential workers, and the Wage and Hour Division remains vigilant in their enforcement of those rights. The outcome in this case should serve to remind healthcare employers of the costly consequences they may face when shortchanging their employees.”

The investigation included four LMB Care Home locations, at 1125 W. J St. and 1813 N. Calaveras Ave. in Ontario, at 1316 N. San Antonio Ave. in Upland, and at 11262 Sun Haven Way in Riverside. The division recovered $134,552 in overtime back wages and $134,552 in liquidated damages for the affected workers.

In fiscal year 2021, the division recovered $13.8 million in back wages for more than 17,000 workers in the healthcare industry, known for both low wages and high rates of violations.

Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division, including a search tool to use if you think you may be owed back wages collected by the division. Employers and workers can call the division confidentially with questions regardless of where they are from. The department can speak with callers confidentially in more than 200 languages through the agency’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Download the agency’s new Timesheet App, now available for android devices, to ensure hours and pay are accurate.