Unpaid Overtime Can Lead to Additional Damage Payments to You – Here’s How
Receiving overtime pay for working long hours each week is a rewarding experience, and such compensation can help to stay on top of the bills, save money for large purchases, or plan a vacation. However, when an employer fails to pay a hard-working employee overtime in accordance with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the employee suffers financial harm. Many employees do not know what their rights are under the FLSA, and what obligations their employers have under the law. As such, all hourly employees who are non-exempt under the FLSA should be aware that they may be entitled to money damages for an employer’s failure to pay overtime in accordance with the law.
Understanding Liquidated Damages under the FLSA
If your employer has violated the FLSA by failing to pay you overtime for working more than forty (40) hours in one week, you are entitled to not only your overtime pay but also additional money damages called “liquidated damages.” The amount of liquidated money damages you may be entitled to are equal to your overtime pay. As such, if you earned $500 in overtime pay in one week, you may be entitled to not only the $500 in overtime pay but also $500 in liquidated damages.
If your employer can demonstrate that the failure to pay overtime was a mistake and has a valid reason for the mistake, then you may not be entitled to liquidated damages. However, if an employer makes a mistake because of a lack of understanding of the FLSA, this is not sufficient to avoid paying liquidated damages. Therefore, most employees who have been denied overtime pay are likely to receive liquidated damages if there is clear evidence the employer violated the FLSA.
Contact the Vaughn Law Firm Today to Schedule Your Consultation
If your employer has failed to pay you overtime that you are entitled to as a non-exempt hourly employee, you should consider discussing your situation with a qualified Employment Law Attorney. With offices in Washington, D.C. and Decatur, Georgia, the Vaughn Law Firm focuses its handles numerous employment-related matters including, but not limited to, wage and hour disputes. If you would like to learn more about whether legal options are available to you, contact the Vaughn Law Firm today by calling toll-free at (877) 615-9495 to schedule your consultation to with one of our attorneys. You may also contact us online and we will respond to your inquiry right away.
