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Federal court orders Indiana home health companies to pay overtime

Justin Hicks
/
IPB News
The U.S. Department of Labor initiated the overtime payment order by filing a lawsuit in a federal district court.

A federal court ordered two Indiana health care companies to pay 171 employees nearly $450,000 dollars. The order follows a fair labor standards investigation by the Department of Labor.

The two companies – Heal at Home and Comfort Keepers – are both owned by Timothy Paul. The same employees were being scheduled to work through both companies. But when workers logged more than a combined 40 hours a week, they were denied overtime pay.

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The federal Fair Labor Standards Act says employees have to be paid time and-a-half for overtime hours.

Patricia Lewis, DOL wage and hour district director in Indianapolis, said in a news release when the company denied the pay, it robbed employees of “wages they rightfully earned.”

Contact reporter Justin at jhicks@wvpe.org or follow him on Twitter at @Hicks_JustinM.

Justin Hicks joined the reporting team for Indiana Public Broadcasting News (IPB News) through funding made available by (IPBS) Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations. Justin was based out of WVPE in his new role as a Workforce Development Reporter for IPB News.