CALIFORNIA – The United States Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division has concluded an investigation resulting in the recovery of $129,000 in back wages and damages for 26 home care workers, along with a significant fine imposed on Family Hands Adult Care Facility LLC.
The investigation findings reveal that Family Hands Adult Care Facility LLC, operator of three residential care facilities for special needs patients in Los Angeles, flagrantly disregarded overtime pay requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The company failed to pay overtime rates to employees for working beyond 40 hours per week.
During the review, it was discovered that the owner, Tina Scruggs-Tate, did not maintain time records for employees, despite them clocking in and out daily with identification numbers and fingerprints.
A total of $64,800 in unpaid overtime wages has been recovered for the 26 affected employees. Additionally, a settlement agreement for $64,800 in liquidated damages has been reached for these workers. The company has also been fined $9,684 in civil money penalties for its willful violations.
Susan Bacon, Assistant District Director of the Wage and Hour Division in Los Angeles, stated: “The United States Department of Labor too often finds residential care employers taking advantage of vulnerable workers providing critical services to those in need. Family Hands Adult Care Facility’s blatant denial of required overtime pay violated employees’ rights to full compensation. We will hold these bad actors accountable for their labor abuse and exploitation.”
In 2023, the Los Angeles District Office of the division completed 12 investigations of employers in the care industry, recovering over $983,000 in wages and liquidated damages for care workers and conducting 14 educational events for this industry.
