EAST ST. LOUIS - A former Help at Home employee claims she was not paid for overtime work and was then terminated for reporting alleged fraudulent activity.
Barbara Williams filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois against Help at Home, LLC, citing violations of the Illinois Minimum Wage Law and the Fair Labor Standards Act.
According to the lawsuit, in July 2022, Williams was hired by the defendant as a caregiver and worked approximately 30 hours a week or less. Williams claims she was not paid the agreed upon pay rate for hours worked in violation of the Illinois Minimum Wage Law.
Williams adds that during the course of her employment, she noticed that the defendant was fraudulently billing insurance for services rendered to patients that were deceased. She alleges she reported the defendant for the fraudulent practices and for failing to pay her minimum wage rates to the Illinois Department of Labor, an action that was protected under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
According to Williams, the defendant began engaging in retaliatory action against her following her report, including issuing her five write-ups without notifying her of the reason or letting her see the write-ups. Williams states that the defendant has gone on to notify her union representative that they intend to terminate her for making her report.
The plaintiff is demanding a jury trial to seek a judgement for lost wages, interest, attorney's fees, court costs and any other relief the court deems proper. She is represented in this case by attorney Alexander J. Taylor of the Sulaimon Law Group, LTD in Lombard.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois case number 3:23-CV-02578