A former employee has filed a lawsuit against her previous employer, alleging significant wage violations. On February 25, 2025, Cayla Duckworth filed a complaint in the County Court of the Sixth Judicial Circuit in Pinellas County, Florida, against A.V.H Plumbing L.L.C. and its owner Bradley Austin Aanderud. The case centers around accusations of unpaid wages and failure to meet federal minimum wage requirements.
According to the complaint, Duckworth was employed by A.V.H Plumbing L.L.C., a commercial plumbing business based in St. Petersburg, Florida, from August 1, 2023, until November 20, 2023. During her tenure as a human resources employee, she was promised an initial weekly salary of $1,000 which was later increased to $1,250 starting September 2023. However, Duckworth claims that for multiple workweeks during her employment period, she did not receive full compensation or any payment at all for some weeks despite fulfilling all conditions required for her salary.
The plaintiff alleges that these actions violate the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and local ordinances regarding wage theft in Pinellas County. The FLSA mandates employers to pay non-exempt employees at least the federal minimum wage for regular hours worked. Duckworth's complaint details how A.V.H Plumbing L.L.C., under the direction of owner Bradley Austin Aanderud who controlled wages and working conditions, failed to comply with these legal obligations.
In addition to seeking recovery of unpaid wages through the court system, Duckworth had previously filed a wage theft complaint with the Pinellas County Office of Human Rights (PCOHR). This led to a hearing before a Special Magistrate on July 15, 2024. The magistrate found in favor of Duckworth and ordered A.V.H Plumbing L.L.C. to pay $10,405 in unpaid salary plus an additional doubling penalty as per county ordinance guidelines—totaling $20,810.
Despite this order and subsequent opportunity for judicial review which went unchallenged by AVH within the stipulated timeframe for appeal—Duckworth asserts that no payment has been made towards this amount by AVH or its owner Aanderud even after escalation to treble damages totaling $31,215 due to non-compliance with payment deadlines outlined by Article IV Section 70-309(b)(2).
In her lawsuit filed on February 25th under Case Number:25-001861-CO; Duckworth seeks judgment against both defendants jointly and severally for not only recovering unpaid minimum wages but also liquidated damages equivalent thereto along with pre-and post-judgment interest alongside reasonable attorney’s fees as allowed under §216(b)of FLSA provisions—and any further relief deemed justifiable by court proceedings.
Representing Cayla Duckworth is R. Michael Pierro Jr., from Calciano Pierro PLLC located at St.Petersburg FL while presiding over this matter will be Judge Ken Burke handling e-filing procedures related therein.