Freeman Security Services misclassified workers as independent contractors
TAMPA, FL – A federal court ordered a Winter Haven security services company to pay $117,880 in back wages and liquidated damages to 76 employees who the U.S. Department of Labor determined were misclassified as independent contractors.
The action by the U.S. District Court for Middle District of Florida in Tampa to approve the consent judgment on June 29, 2022 follows an investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division that determined Freeman Security Services Inc. and owner Darren Freeman misclassified 76 security guards as independent contractors in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
By misclassifying the workers, the employer paid the guards straight time for all hours worked and denied them overtime wages for hours over 40 in a workweek. Freeman Security Services also failed to pay several former security guards final pay, and minimum wage rates as the law requires.
“Employers who misclassify employees will be held liable for back wages and may face substantial penalties,” explained Wage and Hour Division District Director Nicolas Ratmiroff in Tampa, Florida. “The Wage and Hour Division knows these violations are all too common. We are determined to recover wages owed to workers and will work diligently with the department’s Office of the Solicitor to obtain justice for workers and hold employers accountable for their compliance failures.”
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