In the case of Seals v. Sylacauga City School Board, Nathaniel Seals filed a lawsuit in 2019 against his former employer, Sylacauga City School Board (‘the Board”), for failure to pay him overtime wages. Seals worked as a Transportation Supervisor from 2013 until his retirement in 2016.
Seal claimed the Board required him and other employees to work over 40 hours a week without proper overtime pay. The Board argued for dismissal, stating that (1) the statute of limitations had expired, (2) Seal’s position was exempt from overtime under the FLSA, and (3) he lacked proof of unpaid overtime.
The court found Seal couldn’t prove unpaid overtime after January 2016, making his claim time-barred.
Ultimately, a summary judgment was granted in favor of the Board and the court dismissed this case with prejudice, meaning that Seals cannot pursue this claim again in the future.
Key lessons from this case:
- Employees must be aware of the applicable time limits for filing overtime claims, as exceeding the statute of limitations can result in the claim being time-barred. They must also prove they worked overtime without proper compensation. If the deadline has passed, the court can dismiss the case without further review.
- If the court determines that a case is ineligible due to being time-barred (the statute of limitations has passed), the court may grant summary judgment without reviewing other factors in the case.
Learn more about Alabama Labor Laws through our detailed guide.
