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Detainees of GEO Group Detention Center are Owed $17 Million in Back Pay

Posted on behalf of Arnold Law Firm in
timesheet for logging work hoursIn October, a jury in Washington determined that GEO Group, which owns large, for-profit detention centers for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), must pay former detainees of a Tacoma, Washington facility $17.3 million in back pay. Detainees of this facility were cooking, cleaning, and performing other tasks essential to the facility’s operation for $1 per day. GEO Group is the second-largest private prison and detention center company in the country. In 2018, GEO made $18.6 million in profits from the Tacoma facility alone and admitted that it could have afforded to pay detainees more during a previous trial. The company owns detention centers just like its Tacoma facility throughout the country, including facilities in California. The jury found that paying detainees $1 per day for their labor violates Washington’s minimum wage law, $13.69 per hour. GEO Group’s practice of paying $1 per day violates minimum wage laws federally and in every state. California’s minimum wage is currently $14 per hour. California has the strongest protections for workers in the country, and our attorneys are prepared to help employees recover wages from employers, such as GEO Group, who disregard these protections. Along with recovering minimum wages, our attorneys have helped clients recover over a million dollars in unpaid overtime pay, penalties for the denial of meal and rest periods, unreimbursed business expenses, and other penalties for violations of California labor law. Our Wage and Hour attorneys at the Arnold Law Firm fight hard for our clients’ rights and have a proven track record of helping employees recover what they earned. We offer a free consultation to discuss your claim and charge you nothing while working on your case.

Call (916) 777-7777 to schedule a free consultation.

Settlement - $3,767,000

Truck Accident

A 20-year-old man who had been married for just 12 days left home on his way to work. He was driving on Pleasant Grove Road in Sutter County in the early morning when he came upon a slow-moving truck. As he pulled out to pass the truck, the truck driver turned left in front of him. The young man attempted to steer back into his lane but his vehicle struck an un-flagged piece of metal extending from the back of the truck. He died in the resulting crash.

Expert witnesses brought in by the Arnold Law Firm proved that the truck, owned and operated by a hauling firm, should never have been on the highway that morning. Specifically, the rear and side turn signals did not work and the rear-view mirror was in a poor state of adjustment at the time of the collision. As a result, the driver, who had failed to properly inspect the vehicle before setting out that morning, couldn’t see the young man’s vehicle as it attempted to pass.

The poor condition of the truck, its lack of maintenance and the manner in which it was operated were found to be substantial factors in causing the collision that killed the young man. The testimony also established that the man had been making a lawful pass at the lawful speed limit and acted reasonably when he attempted to avoid the collision.

The man’s 20-year-old widow was awarded $3,767,000.77, his parents were awarded $185,131 and the family was reimbursed $11,899 in funeral expenses. Though money is a poor substitute for a young man’s life, this verdict demonstrates that drivers who endanger the lives of others will be held accountable for their actions.