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Case ID: 3578 | Employment | 07/27/2004
The class has been certified in a lawsuit filed against Zirkle Fruit Company and Selective Employment Agency, Inc., on behalf of legal immigrants who work as packing house and orchard laborers in Washington state. The action alleges that the companies violated the federal Racketeering and Corrupt Organizations Act by conspiring to hire illegal immigrants who would work at below-prevailing wage standards, in order to force wages down. The action seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
As many as 20,000 packing house and orchard workers at Selah, Washington-based Zirkle Fruit may be eligible to take part in the lawsuit. The action against Zirkle claims the company used an employment agency, Selective Employment Agency, Inc., to hire illegal immigrants who would willingly work at below-prevailing wage standards at the Zirkle packing house. The court ordered that possible plaintiffs be notified of the lawsuit by mail and signs in the workplace. The lawsuit is apparently the first of its kind in the U.S. where legal workers have sued agricultural employers about intentional wage depression through the use of illegal labor. The judge declined to certify similar claims against executives of Matson Fruit Company, a smaller fruit company named in the original complaint. The U.S. General Accounting Office estimates more than 600,000 farmworkers across the country are employed illegally. About 52,000 workers work illegally in Washington in all types of jobs, according to estimates by the INS. Persons eligible to take part in the action may contact the attorneys for the class for more information. At Lawcash.com, it is our goal to keep you informed about important legal cases, class actions and settlements. Our lawyers offer free legal evaluations in tort cases, class actions, personal injury, and other lawsuits because we are dedicated to helping you resolve your legal complaints. Other Employment Cases of Interest A purported class action lawsuit had been filed in the Northern District Court of Indiana against Indiana based retailer Homier Distributing Company, Inc., DBA Homier Mobile Merchants, for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Class members sought unpaid overtime compensation, costs and attorney’s fees.
A class action lawsuit has been filed in the Southern District Court of Florida against Bicon, Inc. (DBA S&S National Waste). The case involves violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act. No additional information about the substance of the allegations is available at this time. Classactionamerica.com will monitor this case and provide additional details as soon as they become available. A close look into the "medical malpractice crisis" will show that insurance companies, not lawyers, are to blame. Three related class actions have been filed against the General Reinsurance Corporation, Reciprocal of America, accounting firms PricewaterhouseCoopers and Milliman U.S.A., and numerous other malpractice insurance providers on behalf of attorneys, doctors and hospitals who bought malpractice insurance from the insurers. The action alleges that the malpractice insurers conspired with their reinsurer Reciprocal of America, which in turn conspired with General Reinsurance to misrepresent Reciprocal's financial health, in violation of the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.
A class action has been filed on behalf of current and former employees of AON Corporation who participated in its AON Savings Plan between November 1, 1998 and the present. The suit alleges that fiduciaries for the plan breached their duties to investors through misrepresentations regarding the financial status of the company, and unsound investments in company stock in violation of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). A class action has been filed on behalf of home health care workers employed by Mentor, Inc., a Tulsa based provider of home health services. The suit alleges that workers employed at Mentor between 2001 and 2004 routinely worked more than 40 hours a week but were not paid overtime as required by the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act. The plaintiffs seek an award of the unpaid overtime with interest, attorney’s fees and costs, as well as liquidated damages and equitable relief. The parties have reached a $5.5 million settlement in an administrative proceeding filed by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against The Home Depot, on behalf of current and former employees who allege that they were discriminated against in violation of their civil rights. The EEOC complaint alleged that female and minority employees were paid less and disciplined more severely than white males, and promoted less often. Persons eligible to take part in the settlement should contact the prosecuting attorneys for more information. |
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