PR: Judgment Entered Against West Penn in Meal Break Lawsuit
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Nelson Thomas
693 East Ave
Rochester, NY 14607
nthomas@theemploymentattorneys.com
585.272.0540
693 East Ave
Rochester, NY 14607
nthomas@theemploymentattorneys.com
585.272.0540
JUDGMENT ENTERED AGAINST WEST PENN IN MEAL BREAK LAWSUIT
PITTSBURGH, PA (PittsburghNewsWire.com) — On July 27, 2015 a judgment was entered in Federal Court against West Penn Allegheny Health System, Inc. in the meal break litigation that has been pending for several years.
The case was brought against the health system by an employee that claimed he and other employees were shorted pay for work they did during their unpaid meal breaks. According to the lawsuit, West Penn would pay its employees for 30 minutes less than they actually worked during their shift. This practice was justified by saying that West Penn assumed that the employees would have a lunch break at some point during the shift. But, the demands of a busy hospital environment meant that the employees hardly ever actually had a meal break. According to the employees, West Penn knew that the employees were working during their unpaid meal breaks, did still not pay them for that work.
West Penn had initially denied the allegations, but in the end, rather than attempt to disprove the plaintiff’s claims, West Penn ultimately agreed to have the Court enter a judgment against it.
“West Penn really did not have a legitimate defense for not paying their employees for this work,” said J. Nelson Thomas, of Thomas & Solomon LLP, the law firm that represented the plaintiffs, “we are pleased that this judgment compensates our client for what he was owed.”
Under the judgment entered today, West Penn has to pay the employee double the full amount that he claims he was owed, and in addition, has to pay the employee’s attorneys’ fees.
Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, if an employer is found to have not paid wages owed under the Act, the employer is also required to pay the employee’s reasonable attorney’s fees. The purpose of this provision is to ensure that lack of funds is not an obstacle to employee’s being able to stand up for their rights in court.
More Information about Thomas & Solomon:
Thomas & Solomon LLP is a law firm dedicated to representing employees. The firm handles employment matters such as wage and hour violations, breach of contract, discrimination, and sexual harassment. More information is available at their website: http://www.theemploymentattorneys.com .
More Information about Thomas & Solomon:
Thomas & Solomon LLP is a law firm dedicated to representing employees. The firm handles employment matters such as wage and hour violations, breach of contract, discrimination, and sexual harassment. More information is available at their website: http://www.
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