HOUSTON — An employee is suing an emissions monitoring business, alleging unpaid wages and violation of workers compensation acts.
Vernon Hartfield filed a lawsuit April 8, in the Houston Division of the Southern District of Texas against Emission Monitoring Service Inc., alleging it failed to pay overtime wage to employees.
According to the complaint, between 2011 and April 2015, Hartfield regularly worked 50 hours or more per work week but was not paid an overtime premium for all hours worked in excess of 40. The lawsuit says Emission Monitoring had knowledge of Hartfield's total working hours but opted to pay the plaintiff his regular rate and not the overtime premium rate according to the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Hartfield requests a trial by jury, all unpaid overtime wages, liquidated damages equal to unpaid overtime wage, interest, all legal fees and any other relief the court deems just. He is represented by attorney Josef F. Buenker in Houston.
Houston Division of the Southern District of Texas Case number 4:16-cv-00963