In the case of Izaguirre v. Hunter Allied of Maryland, Inc., Izaguirre filed a collective action lawsuit against Hunter Allied of Maryland (Hunter Allied), a construction company, for failing to pay him overtime wages. Izaguirre claimed that he had worked more than 40 hours per week and had only received his regular hourly wage instead of 1.5 times his regular rate of pay.
Izaguirre sought $248 in unpaid overtime hours. The court found that Izaguirre was entitled to this amount and awarded him $992 in total, which included $744 in liquidated damages as provided by D.C. law.
After Hunter Allied failed to appear in court following the lawsuit, Izaguirre moved for a default judgment against them. The court determined that Hunter Allied was liable for the well-pleaded allegations in the complaint. The court independently assessed the amount owed to Izaguiree based on his submitted evidence, including pay stubs and a chart of overtime hours.
Ultimately, the court granted Izaguirre’s motion for default judgment and awarded him a monetary judgment of $992.
Key lessons from this case:
- When an employer fails to respond to an overtime claim lawsuit, the employee can file for a default judgment, which means ruling in favor of the employee who filed the lawsuit.
- The court has the authority to make an independent determination of the amount to be awarded for overtime claims when ruling on a motion for default judgment.
- Employees who are eligible for overtime pay must be compensated at 1.5 times their regular hourly rate for any overtime hours worked.
If you want to know more about overtime regulations, read our guide on District of Columbia Overtime Laws.
