If an employee took $100 out of a cash register, she could be prosecuted for theft. If her employer took $100 out of her paycheck by failing to pay overtime, that is wage theft. No matter where you work, you are entitled to a fair day’s pay. To help achieve that, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires employers to pay their employees at least the minimum wage for all hours worked and to pay overtime compensation (at time-and-a-half) for all hours worked in excess of 40 hours in a seven-day period. Many states have similar wage and hour laws that may have higher minimum wages and also prohibit deductions from employees’ wages without their written consent.
In the face of those laws, employers look for loopholes and excuses to illegally underpay their employees. These schemes can take a number of forms. Sometimes they claim that employees are exempt from the overtime requirements. Other employers refuse to pay their employees for preparation or waiting time. These violations happen in every kind of business, from local shops to nationwide chains.
The wage and hour attorneys at Brown, Goldstein & Levy have extensive experience representing large classes of workers who have been illegally denied earned overtime. Our attorneys have represented workers in diverse areas of the economy, from poultry workers to laundry workers, from bus drivers to restaurant staff. We take on local chains and national brands. We have recovered millions of dollars in unpaid overtime and other wages on behalf of our clients.
U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers ranked Brown, Goldstein & Levy in Tier 1 in Baltimore for Employment Law – Individuals and for Litigation – Labor & Employment in the 2020 “Best Law Firms” list. Our firm has also been ranked nationally for Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs. Six of our attorneys were recognized by Lawdragon as among the top 500 plaintiffs’ employment lawyers in the country. Our attorneys are members of selective, invitation-only organizations like the American College of Trial Lawyers and have been selected three times in recent years as “Lawyer of the Year” for Baltimore Employment Law – Individuals or Baltimore Labor & Employment Litigation.
Representative Cases
Successfully negotiated $1 million settlement on behalf of restaurant workers against the Mo’s Seafood chain for wage and hour violations.
Successfully negotiated three separate settlement agreements on behalf of school bus drivers and attendants whose employers had failed to pay them proper overtime and straight-time wages. Those settlements paid $1.25 million in Baltimore City, $1.5 million in Baltimore County, and $975,000 in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Heath v. Perdue Farms – Recovered $2.4 million in overtime pay and fees on behalf of low-wage poultry workers. 87 F. Supp. 2d 452 (D. Md. 2000).
Won verdict and appeal on behalf of workers in Delaware chicken processing plants who were owed wages for time spent donning and doffing protective gear, resulting in a payment of $975,000.
Successfully represented laundry workers, cable installers, home improvement workers, and other laborers who were not paid all wages owed.
Gray v. The Walt Disney Company – Won judgment holding that the owners and operators of the ESPN Zone restaurant in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor violated the WARN Act when they closed the restaurant without providing the employees with the 60-day notice required by law and without paying them the full amount they would have earned had they received that notice, resulting in a settlement of $485,000. 915 F. Supp. 2d 725 (D. Md. 2013).
Awards
- Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Plaintiff Employment Lawyers (2019, 2020).
- American College of Trial Lawyers.
- Ranked in the top tier of "Best Law Firms," in Baltimore for Employment Law – Individuals, Litigation – Labor & Employment, and Mass Torts/Class Actions – Plaintiffs, by U.S. News & World Report & Best Lawyers.
- Best Lawyers "Lawyer of the Year," Baltimore Labor & Employment Litigation (2013, 2019).
- Best Lawyers "Lawyer of the Year," Baltimore Employment Law – Individuals (2018).
News & Insights
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BGL partner, Kevin Docherty, quoted in The Washington Post about the fight to end payment of subminimum wages to people with disabilities.
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Neel Lalchandani presents on Local Rules panel at Federal Bar Association – Maryland Chapter Introduction to Federal Practice Program.
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Anthony May returns to Maryland Carey Law to speak on Symposium panel in honor of the Equal Pay Act’s 60th anniversary.