A federal judge ordered a Chesapeake home health care business to stop interfering with a U.S. Department of Labor investigation into the company’s alleged failure to pay overtime to employees and keep proper records.
In a preliminary injunction issued last week, U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen also ordered Heavenly Hands Home Healthcare of Chesapeake and owner Lauren Wilson not to retaliate against employees who cooperate with the investigation, or demand kickbacks of back wages the company is required to pay, according to a news release issued Friday by the labor department.
The injunction further states the business must provide investigators with payroll records dating to July 2018, including time and attendance records for employees. Heavenly Hands also was ordered to provide employees with information about their rights under the Fair Labor Standards Act, including their right to speak with investigators without repercussion.
“Workers must feel empowered to step forward to complain whenever employers deny them wages they have earned — the law prohibits retaliation or intimidation for speaking up,” Wage and Hour Division District Director Roberto Melendez said in the release.
Wilson could not be reached for comment Friday through the business’s phone number or email, or through a listed home number. No attorney was indicated for her or the business in court records.
Heavenly Hands’ Chesapeake website states that it provides “a wide range of home health care...
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