In the case of Regan v. HDR Engineering, Inc., Helen Regan filed a lawsuit against HDR Engineering (HDR) for not providing overtime pay and retaliation for reporting unpaid overtime wages. Regan was employed in the Visualization Department and alleged that she and other employees frequently worked more than 40 hours per week without receiving overtime pay.
Regan claimed that her supervisors pressured her and others to bill fewer hours than they worked. Regan also alleged that HDR employees were required to attend meetings during their work hours for which they were not paid. Regan reported the unpaid overtime to HDR’s Vice President and claimed that her supervisors’ treatment towards her changed significantly after that. Later on, she met with HDR’s HR department and reported the retaliation she experienced. A few months later, she was terminated from her employment. Regan claimed that she was terminated for reporting unpaid overtime claims.
HDR filed a motion for partial summary judgment seeking dismissal of the FLSA retaliatory discharge claim because there is no evidence of a link between Regan’s complaints and her termination. HDR argued that Regan’s termination was due to a lack of work and a low score on the performance matrix. Following the evidence given by Regan that indicated a causal link between her complaint and her termination, the court decided to dismiss HDR’s motion for partial summary judgment.
The court ultimately decided to let this dispute proceed to trial. The final ruling of this case is undetermined.
Key lessons from this case:
- Employees should be compensated for attending any meetings or activities that take place during their work hours.
- Significant changes in supervisors’ treatment towards an employee after reporting unpaid overtime can be an indication of retaliation.
- Employees are protected from retaliation for reporting unpaid overtime or other violations of employment laws.
If you want to know more about overtime regulations, read our guide on Idaho Overtime Laws.
