A hearing officer has upheld the California Labor Commissioner’s wage theft citations issued to Adat Shalom Board & Care Inc. and owner Angelica Reingold in 2018.
The citations were to compensate 148 workers who reportedly cared for elderly residents 24 hours a day, six days a week, yet were only paid for six hours each day.
Reingold, who owns six facilities in Los Angeles, appealed the citations and after a 17-day hearing, the unpaid wages and penalties were upheld with some modifications. Adat Shalom Board & Care Inc. owes more than $8.5 million for the violations, with $8.3 million payable to the workers in unpaid wages, overtime, meal period pay, liquidated damages and interest.
The Labor Commissioner’s Office opened the initial investigation after receiving a report of labor law violations from the Pilipino Workers Center.
During the hearing, 13 former live-in caregivers testified about their work schedules, duties and wages. Throughout the day and night, they monitored and cared for elderly residents and hospice patients, many of them suffering from Alzheimer’s or dementia, according to the testimony.
The caregivers were paid fixed amounts ranging from $1,500 to $1,800 per month.
The hearing officer upheld the citations with modifications to decrease the amount of minimum wage owed and increase the amount owed in overtime and meal period premiums.
Because three years have passed since the citations were first issued, prejudgment interest was added to the citations for a total of $8.3 million payable to workers in unpaid wages and damages.
An additional $77,600 in civil penalties were assessed for the minimum wage, overtime and meal period violations with another $97,000 for itemized wage statement violations, for a total of $8,530.618.
Adat Shalom Board & Care Inc., and Reingold, as CEO and sole corporate officer, are jointly responsible for the full amount.
The defendants have 45 days from the decision to file an appeal.
Topics California
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