On Wednesday, Bryan Jones filed a complaint in the District of Colorado against Monte Fiore, LLC and Nicholas Dante Perrino for severely underpaying his wages over the course of nine months working at their cannabis farm.
Jones worked as the Chief Operating Officer for the Monte Fiore cannabis farm from November 1, 2021 to July 1, 2022, the complaint said. He allegedly signed a contract which set a salary rate and benefits that were “commensurate with that of an executive of his level.” However, he claimed that he was “hardly paid […] any wages at all, not even minimum wage for significant swaths of time” which would violate several state and federal laws.
Furthermore, Jones claimed that the defendants “failed to make, keep, and preserve accurate records regarding the wages, hours, and other conditions” of his employment and tenure at the company. Despite Colorado’s minimum wage being $12.32 per hour in 2021, which went up to $12.56 per hour in 2022, the plaintiff claimed that some weeks he did not receive any of his wages.
Throughout Jones’ employment, he should have received 17 biweekly paychecks that totalled $93,500, according to his complaint. However, he claimed that he only received seven payments across eight months which only totalled $18,406.21. Not only was his salary agreed upon, but he was also entitled to commissions and $1,000 per month for health insurance, which was never actualized. Thus, he is suing on the counts of violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act, Colorado Wage Act violations, conversion/ theft of services, breach of contract and unjust enrichment.
The plaintiff is seeking underpaid and unpaid wages, liquidated damages, statutory damages, trebled damages, interest, attorney’s fees and costs, and other relief.
The plaintiff is represented by AndersonDodson, P.C.
