According to the judge in a Minnesota state court lawsuit, a large national retailer has violated state laws and contractual rights on rest breaks and wages over two million times.
The plaintiffs in the case alleged that the company denied them meal and rest breaks required by state law and/or contract and made them work off the clock. The judge has threatened to impose a $1,000 fine on each such violation, meaning a $2 billion fine is possible for the alleged employment compliance failures. Wow and ouch!
The same employer is reportedly facing 70 similar lawsuits across the country. Other judges have already awarded similar verdicts, some now on appeal, in excess of $200 million. I know I have said it here before, but please remember that careful employment law compliance is critical to a company’s healthy bottom line. These kinds of cases are the exclamation point (!) on such comments.
