A California nursing home is facing a federal lawsuit over charges that it did not pay workers overtime and fired an employee for cooperating with investigators, according to local news reports.
The U.S. Department of Labor alleges that the 82-bed Oxnard Manor Healthcare Center in Oxnard, CA, violated the Fair Labor Standards Act. Workers were forced to work off the clock and lie on time cards, and were not compensated at the proper overtime rate, the charges state.
Prosecutors also say that the facility terminated Margot Sanchez, a worker, for discussing the alleged practices with federal authorities, the Ventura County Star reported Tuesday.
The civil suit seeks Sanchez’s reinstatement, as well as back wages and damages for the plaintiffs, according to local radio station KVTA. Oxnard Manor’s administrator, Steven Rieder, also is a named defendant, the Star reported.
As of press time, Rieder had not returned a phone call from McKnight’s. Rieder is not an owner of the for-profit facility, according to the government’s Nursing Home Compare website. The site lists Bertie Krieger and Oxnard Healthcare & Wellness Centre LP as having limited partnership interests.
Oxnard Manor denies all the charges and “vehemently denies” that it intentionally underpaid any workers, lawyer John B. Golper told the Star.
