OCALA – A Florida woman is suing her former employer over alleged violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Florida Minimum Wage Act.
Jesika Owens filed the suit Jan. 12 in the Ocala Division of the Middle District of Florida against SSRM1 LLC, Marie Burleson, Mike Shea and Samuel Beneby, citing violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Florida Minimum Wage Act.
In January 2014, the suit states that the defendants hired the plaintiff to work at SSRM1's Dunkin' Donuts store. She says they routinely refused to pay her for all hours worked. In fact, the suit claims, the individual defendants changed her hours, recording that she worked fewer hours than she actually had.
Further, the lawsuit alleges, the individual defendants forced the plaintiff to clock out and continue working, not paying her time-and-a-half for the extra hours worked. The suit claims this was all an attempt to avoid paying the plaintiff overtime, per the FLSA and the Florida Minimum Wage Act.
On June 24, 2014, she refused to work off-the-clock and was terminated the following day, the suit says. So in addition to the violations of the FLSA and Florida Minimum Wage Act, the suit also claims retaliation against the plaintiff.
In addition to a trial by jury, she seeks judgment for all wages found to be due and owed, an equal amount as liquidated damages, prejudgment interest in case the damages are not awarded, attorney fees and court costs, and other relief the court deems equitable. She is represented by Robert B. Buchanan of Siboni & Buchanan PLLC of Ocala.
Ocala Division of the Middle District of Florida Case number 16-cv-00015