$2 Million Settlement to End Terranea Resort Workers’ Wage Lawsuit
/Court documents filed on April 30th, 2019 outlined a settlement of $2.15 million paid by Terranea Resort to resolve claims made in a significant wage and hour class action lawsuit. This settlement follows another class action lawsuit the Lowe Enterprises-owned hotel settled in 2013. The previous lawsuit resulted in a $1.125 million settlement.
The recent lawsuit was filed on behalf of hundreds of employees, both current and former, all eligible to receive compensation.
Allegations Included in the Complaint: Various Forms of Wage Theft
• Off-the-Clock-Work
• Missed Rest Breaks
• Missed Meal Periods
• Failure to Reimburse Employees for Basic Tools Needed on the Job
• Falsified Record Keeping to Avoid Paying Meal Break Penalties
The lawsuit also claimed that the resort failed to provide employees with payment for the time they were required to spend shuttling back and forth between the resort and off-site parking lots per company bus. According to allegations made in the complaint, it added an hour or more to employees’ travel each day. Plaintiffs also claim that workers were required to arrive early for shifts to change into their uniforms before clocking in for their shift (constituting off-the-clock-work).
Expenses that the resort failed to reimburse included the cost of essential kitchen items cooks used in the luxury resort kitchen. For instance, cooks claim they purchased their own knives, graters, etc. because the resort did not provide even the most necessary tools.
If you have questions about wage and hour law or if you are not paid the compensation you are due, please get in touch with one of the experienced California employment law attorneys at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP today.