A lawsuit filed in August against Abbott Laboratories and Mondo International, LLC, a staffing company, accused the employer defendants of failing to pay an engineering employee overtime wages and terminating her in a retaliatory fashion after she asserted her rights to overtime pay. The case, originally filed in Worcester District Court in Massachusetts, was removed to federal court on Oct. 22.
The plaintiff filed the employment suit alleging five counts of state and common law violations for the companies’ alleged actions. The complaint states that the plaintiff was hired as a products engineer for Abbott in March 2019. She reportedly worked as an hourly employee who would submit timeslips, including overtime hours work, paid once she received her supervisor’s approval.
The plaintiff reportedly spent much time working remotely on an Abbott-owned laptop. Her work and hours could be monitored based on e-mail correspondence and computer usage, the complaint explains. On Sept. 3, 2019, the plaintiff submitted a timeslip for the last week of August reporting that she worked 70.50 hours.
The plaintiff’s supervisor ostensibly asked her to reduce the hours to 47.50 despite her protests that she actually worked 70.50 hours. She did so and was paid accordingly. A day later, her supervisor informed her that she was terminated for submitting falsified time records. After exhausting her administrative remedies, the plaintiff filed the instant complaint.
The plaintiff alleged that Abbott failed to pay her wages, failed to pay her overtime, and retaliated against her when she asserted her rights under state wage laws. The complaint also states quantum meruit and wrongful termination in violation of public policy causes of action. She seeks damages, including treble and emotional distress damages, and her attorneys’ fees and litigation costs.
The plaintiff is represented by Cohen Kinne Valicenti & Cook LLP.
