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SOUTHEAST TEXAS RECORD

Friday, March 29, 2024

Former Avalon Cleaners employees sue for alleged non-payment of overtime and minimum wage

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Three Houston-area individuals filed suit jointly charging their former employer with allegations of violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Betty Heard, Stanley Griggs and Francisco Javier Lizarraga filed the suit Aug. 6 in the Houston Division of the Southern District of Texas against Aashu LLC, Asif Ali and Aamir Ali.

All three, who would like the suit turned into a collective action, claim they were not paid time-and-a-half for hours worked in excess of 40 per week, which they claim was a regular occurrence. They all worked at Avalon Cleaners, one of the company's businesses. The complaint also states that the plaintiffs were paid a weekly rate that calculates in an hourly wage that is below minimum wage.

According to the complaint, in Heard's case, when she was hired in 2013, she was told she has 12 paid vacation days per year, yet when she tried to use them, she says the defendant threatened to terminate her employment. Half of Griggs' weekly pay was given to him in cash, states the suit.

The suit charges the defendants with failure to pay overtime and failure to pay minimum wage, both violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

They seek compensation for the hours they worked but not paid minimum wage and their unpaid wages, court costs and attorney's fees. They also want a jury trial.

The plaintiffs' attorney is Nicholas J. Wagoner of the Wagoner Law Firm in Houston.

Houston Division of the Southern District of Texas case number 4:15-cv-02261.

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