Dunham & Jones, P.C. has recently filed a collective action suit in Houston Federal District Court against Universal American Corporation, a publicly traded company (NYSE: UAM) with more than 2,000 employees nationwide. Universal American claims to have been on the cutting edge of healthcare for nearly 20 years.
The lawsuit claims that Universal American hired Licensed Vocational Nurses to work in the position of “Pre-Certification Nurse”, “Utilization Review Nurse” or other job titles performing pre-screening activities for Universal American. The suit alleges that even though these employees were entitled to overtime pay for working more than 40 hours in a week, Universal American failed to pay them time and one-half for their overtime hours. In fact, it appears that Universal American didn’t even keep track of these nurses’ hours.
The suit, brought by former LVN’s Margot Allen and Lydia Roumo, argues that there are additional nurses that performed the same duties that also were not paid overtime. Allen and Ruomo are seeking their overtime wages for the three year period preceding the lawsuit, are seeking double, or liquidated damages, and are seeking attorney’s fees.
The lawsuit was brought under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) which requires that nurses who wish to participate in the suit actually file papers to opt-into the case. Nurses who wish to participate in the suit to recover unpaid overtime may do so by contacting the lawyers at Dunham & Jones, P.C. Many people are under the misconception that if they are paid on a salary, they are not entitled to overtime. This is simply not true.
Even though Universal American paid Allen and Roumo a salary and failed to keep track of their hours, neither of these facts have anything to do with Allen and Roumo’s entitlement to overtime. Many people are under the misconception that if they are paid on a salary, they are somehow not entitled to overtime. This is simply not true. For more information about the Universal American case or to have an experienced overtime attorney review the facts of your case, feel free to call the overtime attorneys at Dunham & Jones, P.C. 1-800-344-4444, or go to www.fairpay.com.
About Doug Welmaker